Tags: cake - dessert - vegetarian - GF - GF cake - GF dessert -
GF vegetarian
Active Time: 1 hour
Passive Time: N/A
Serves: 8-10 cakes

Naturally GF personal-sized cakes

Bon Appetit

• Unsalted butter: 1/2 cup (1 stick) + 4 tbsp, divided

• Honey: 3 tbsp, divided
• Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste: 2 tsp, divided

• Coarsely chopped walnuts: 65 g (about 2/3 cup)
• Buckwheat flour: 32 g (about 1/4 cup)
• Cornstarch: 17 g (about 2 tbsp)
• Kosher salt: 3 tsp (1 tbsp), divided

• Egg whites: 3 large

• Dark brown sugar: 133 g (about 2/3 cup) + 100 g (about 1/2 cup), divided

• Heavy cream: 1/2 cup

• Whiskey: 1 tbsp (optional)

• Serve with vanilla ice cream

1. Place a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 375F. Lightly spray cups of a standard 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick vegetable oil spray
2. Cook 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until it foams, then browns, 5–8 minutes - do NOT use a nonstick pan. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tbsp honey and 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract; let cool until lukewarm, about 5 minutes
3. Pulse walnuts, buckwheat flour, cornstarch, and 1 tsp kosher salt in a food processor until nuts are very finely ground (take care not to process into a paste); transfer to a large bowl. Scrape in brown butter mixture and stir to combine
4. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat egg whites and 133 g dark brown sugar in a medium bowl until medium peaks form, 6–8 minutes. Add one fourth of meringue to batter; mix until combined (this will lighten the batter). Add remaining meringue in 3 batches, gently folding after each addition until only a few streaks remain (err on the side of mixing less over more to keep the batter airy)
5. Using a #16 cookie scoop or 1/4-cup measuring cup, place a heaping scoop of batter in each prepared muffin cup (you should be able to fill about 10). Bake until tops are golden brown and cakes are beginning to pull away from sides of cups, 12–14 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cakes cool in the pan 5 minutes. Turn out onto rack; let cool completely
6. While cakes are baking, bring 100 g dark brown sugar, heavy cream, 4 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into ½“ pieces, and 1 tbsp honey to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved, about 4 minutes. Boil, without stirring, 1 minute, then remove pan from heat. Stir in 1 tbsp whiskey (if using), 2 tsp kosher salt, and 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract. Let sauce cool
7. Divide cakes among plates and top each with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Stir sauce briefly to combine, then drizzle over ice cream