cook like james

Blackberry Walnut Mini Cakes

 Download Blackberry Walnut Mini Cakes recipe

This recipe also works well with fresh raspberries. You can also substitute pistachios, almonds or pecans for the walnuts. It’s a great recipe to make ahead, especially when the summer berries are on sale.

½ cup walnuts, chopped coarse

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

¾ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup heavy cream

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon grated lemon zest

¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

3 cups (about 16 ounces) fresh blackberries

1. Spray eight 6-ounce ramekins with vegetable oil spray and place on a rimmed baking sheet; set aside. Toast 1/4 cup of the walnuts in a small, dry skillet over medium heat until lightly toasted and aromatic, 3 to 4 minutes; let cool.

2. Place the cooled toasted walnuts, butter, sugar, and salt in a food processor, and pulse until finely ground, 10 to 15 seconds. With the processor running, add the cream, eggs, vanilla and zest through the feed tube and continue to process until smooth, about 5 seconds. Add the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon and pulse until just incorporated, about 5 pulses.

3. Transfer the batter to a large bowl and gently fold in the blackberries. Spoon the batter into the prepared ramekins and sprinkle the top of each cobbler with the remaining 1/4 cup walnuts.

4. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake until golden and the buckles begin to pull away from the sides of the ramekins, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

TO MAKE AHEAD:

After spooning in batter, wrap each ramekin tightly with plastic wrap and then foil and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. If frozen, let the buckles sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking. Unwrap the buckles and place them on a baking sheet. Bake until golden and the buckles begin to pull away from the sides of the ramekins, 25 to 35 minutes.