Blueberry Lemon and Lavender Frangipane #CakeSliceBakers

Look at these little cakes. Studded with blueberries and with a punchy lemon curd surprise in the middle.  YUM.

Truth be told, I accidentally baked the wrong cake this month--I made (and very much enjoyed!) a confection from NEXT month's Cake Slice Bakers choices. (Stay tuned for that one! It was a beaut!) I planned ahead and special ordered a British cordial to soak the layers.  I was super on top of things so that I would have plenty of time to make, partake, and write up a blog post.

Oops.

When I realized that I needed to make a selection from JUNE's list, I was very pleased to see that I had all the ingredients on hand to make these little Blueberry, Lemon and Lavender Frangipane tarts.

Score!

Check out the links at the end of the post to see what the other bakers made!

These are not your typical tarts--as they have no crust as a base.  These little cakes baked in tart bases are based on the cookbook author's love of frangipane.  In tarts, she says, "the frangipane layer is my favorite part," so she cut to the chase and made the whole thing out of it.

I appreciate that boldness.

One of my all time favorite desserts from my childhood is a pudding treat that my family calls "Three Layer Pie." It has a nutty crust, a sweet cream cheese layer, chocolate pudding and whipped cream. I would always eat the layers in order of how much I liked them--ending with my favorite: the cream cheese layer.  But to make a whole pie out of my favorite layer? I'm not that brave.

I am no expert on frangipane--it is not a filling with which I have much experience. (I did make this Galette des Rois--but that has been my only foray into that frangipane world until now).  Apparently, it is a staple of European pastry.  Not to be confused with marzipan or almond paste, frangipane is cake-y, almond-y, buttery deliciousness.  According to one legend, St. Francis of Assisi requested a frangipane treat on his deathbed.

Not a bad last meal, if you ask me.

These treats are packed with nutty, almond flavor, but are not dense.  The juicy berries added a nice burst of freshness, and the zippy lemon curd cuts through the sweetness. I couldn't really taste the lavender, sadly, but lavender is one of those flavors that is better under than overstated (like this lavender cake. My eye still twitches when I think about it.)

The recipe made a lot more curd than needed, but I love lemon curd and don't mind having extra. If you don't want a bowl of lemon curd in your fridge, you might just use store-bought.  Also, I only have 5 four-inch tart cases, but it made enough frangipane to fill those plus three 5" tart pans.  And I overfilled every*single*one of them.  But a dusting of powdered sugar covers a multitude of sins:)

Y'all, these were really tasty.

However...I think they would have been better with a crust.

I know, I know.  I feel like I need pull my hair into a super tight bun and hit someone on the hand with a ruler to say that. It was a bold and experimental dream, but I think frangipane should stay as a filling.  Don't get me wrong--I would (and did) gladly eat a couple of these.

But with a crispy base, they would be perfection.

My husband and oldest son thought they were the best treats I've made so far from this cookbook, though.  Different strokes for different folks.  We ate them for breakfast, and I didn't feel even a little bit bad about doing that.  But we have also gotten increasingly feral during lock down.

So give these Blueberry, Lemon, and Lavender Frangipane cakes a try!  They would be a beautiful addition to a brunch buffet.

And you can decide whether frangipane needs a crust or not;)

Blueberry, Lemon and Lavender Frangipane Cakes

from The New Way to Cake by Benjamina Ebuehi

Curd:

2 eggs

3/4 plus 2 T sugar

Juice and zest from 3 lemons

1/2 c softened butter

Frangipane

1 teaspoon dried lavender

1 c sugar

1/4 plus 2 T softened butter

zest from one lemon

3 eggs

2 c ground almonds

1/3 c all-purpose flour

fresh or frozen blueberries

sliced almonds

powdered sugar

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease 6 four-inch tart cases with removable bases with butter. 

2. Make the curd by whisking the eggs in a bowl to combine yolks and whites. Mix in the lemon juice, zest, and sugar. Place the mixture in a small saucepan and cook on low--stirring constantly.  Add in pats of butter while stirring and let it melt into the mixture.  Cook until the mixture coats the back of a spoon.  Cool in the fridge.

3. Pulse the lavender buds and sugar together in a food processor (don't blend for too long or you'll get powdered sugar). In a stand mixer, beat the lavender sugar, zest and butter together until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Stir in the ground almonds and flour until combined.  

4. Transfer the frangipane to a piping bag, and pipe a thin layer into each of the bases. Place a teaspoon of lemon curd on top of the mixture, and smooth it out with the back of a spoon.  Pipe another layer of frangipane over the top--filling each case 3/4 full. Sprinkle with a few sliced almonds and 4-6 blueberries each.  Bake 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.  Cool completely in the tart cases on a wire rack.  When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Enjoy:)

Each month The Cake Slice Bakers are offered a selection of cakes from the current book we are baking through. This year it is The New Way To Cake by Benjamina Ebuehi. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th - never before - we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes!

Follow our Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the thumbnail pictures below to take you to each of our cakes. If you have a blog and are interested in joining The Cake Slice Bakers and baking along with us, please send an email to thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com for more details.

The Cake Slice Bakers also have a new Facebook group called The Cake Slice Bakers and Friends. This group is perfect for those who do not have a blog but want to join in the fun and bake through this book.

It is a new year and a new book - The New Way To Cake - and our choices for June 2020 were ~

Coconut, Raspberry & Rose Roulade

• All That's Left Are The Crumbs

Limoncello & Toasted Meringue Cake

• Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• My Recipe Reviews
• Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Sweet Sensations

Blueberry, Lemon & Lavender Frangipane Cake

• A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Camille Cooks
• Amandie Bakes
• A Little Bit of All Right
• Making Miracles