Berry-Lime Frangipane Muffins

Friday is Boss’s Day. Boss’s Day is also perilously close to my own boss’s birthday. Therefore, I usually avoid spending money on the former so I can get her a small trinket for the latter. Since she makes three times what I do, I’m sure she understands.

So I checked the kitchen to see what I had on hand to make some sort of vaguely nutritious dessert-y thing. I had a ton of limes, berries in the freezer, and a bag of almonds desperate to be used. Although I think that lemons would suit the concept better, the limes will do nicely in a berry frangipane muffin.

I’m sure this would work as a cake as well, just dollop the frangipane on top. Personally, I prefer to take single-serving baked goods to the office as a sort of portion control. Greedy-guts are less likely to take two muffins as they are to cut themselves a double (or triple) slice of cake.  And it’s not that I’m an inherently stingy person, it’s just that there are folks in my office who have failed to grasp the idea that if they take more than one, someone else has to go without.

And nobody wants to go without.

Berry-Lime Frangipane Muffins

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups mixed berries (frozen is a-ok!)

Frangipane

2/3 cup blanched slivered almonds
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
6 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with paper cups.

Heat butter with cream in a small saucepan over low heat until melted, then cool.

Beat eggs, granulated sugar, and salt with an electric mixer on high speed until mixture is thick, pale, and forms a ribbon when beaters are lifted, about 5 minutes with a standing mixer or about 12 minutes with a handheld. Add zest, baking soda, lime juice, and vanilla and mix on low speed until blended.

Add the all-purpose flour and half of butter mixture and mix on low speed until blended. Mix in remaining butter and cake flour in same manner. Increase speed to medium and beat 1 minute with a standing mixer or 2 minutes with a handheld, or until batter is thick and sticky. Add berries and carefully fold in with a rubber spatula until barely combined.  Spoon batter into muffin cups, smoothing the tops slightly.

Finely grind almonds with sugar in processor. Add egg, butter, and extract. Process until batter forms. Add a teaspoonful on the top of each muffin.

Bake in middle of oven until springy to the touch and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack.

Lightly dust with confectioners sugar just before serving. Makes 24 muffins.

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Tags: cake, dessert, fruit, muffins

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