Almond cakes for a buffet

Ingredients:

Cake

• 1 and 1/4 cups premium flour
• 0.5 tsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp fine sea salt
• 100 g almond paste, broken into pieces
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 220 g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 6 large eggs
• 1.5 cups royal icing, recipe below
• Purple and green gel food coloring (or other colors of your choice), as needed
• 1/3 cup seedless blackberry jam

White chocolate glaze

• 1 tbsp. white chocolate granules
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup hot water + up to 1/4 cup as needed
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup

Royal icing flowers

• 4 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 3 tbsp. dry egg white
• 5-6 tablespoons of warm water
• Special equipment: 2 pastry bags with #2 tips

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Generously spray a 18 x 13-inch baking sheet with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper. Place the prepared baking sheet on another baking sheet to prevent burning during baking.
2. Cake:
   
   Place flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and mix. Set aside.
   
   In a food processor, combine the almond paste, granulated sugar, and honey. Blend until smooth. Open the food processor and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a metal spoon to combine. Add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. After the last egg, scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat until smooth and slightly fluffy. Fold in the flour mixture and knead into a dough.
4. Spread the batter evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and springs back when pressed with a finger, 15-20 minutes. Let cool completely.
   
   While the cake is cooling, tint the royal icing to your desired colors and place each color in a separate piping bag fitted with a #2 tip. Pipe tiny flowers onto a sheet of parchment paper in small, closed swirls of one color, then add leaves of the other color to either side. Set the flowers aside to set, about 1 hour.
5. Remove the cake layer from the baking sheet and cut it in half horizontally. Spread jam on one layer and top with the second layer. Freeze for 10 minutes to set the filling.
6. Using a serrated knife, cut the cake into 2.5cm squares. Place the petit fours on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for at least 1 hour.
7. White chocolate glaze:
   
   Meanwhile, place the white chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water (the bowl should not touch the water). Heat, stirring, until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
   
   Sift the powdered sugar into a separate large bowl. Add hot water and corn syrup until smooth. Stir in the melted chocolate. If the glaze is too thick (it should be pourable), add more hot water, 1 teaspoon at a time. Use the glaze warm; if necessary, you can warm it in the microwave if it hardens while working.
   
8. Place the petit fours on a wire rack set on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Frost them with icing using a spoon and a small offset spatula, or transfer the icing to a pastry bag, snip off a corner, and pipe a pipe onto each petit four. Decorate each cake with the set flowers. Let the icing set and arrange the petit fours on a serving platter.
   
   

   Royal icing flowers

   
   In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the powdered sugar and dry egg whites and mix well. Stir in 4 tablespoons of warm water. Lift the spatula to check the consistency of the icing; it should be thick and smooth, but not dripping. Add more water to achieve the desired consistency. You can add a little more water to make the icing more runny and able to completely coat the cookies, or you can thicken it enough to pipe.