Dessert: Almond Cupcakes with Raspberry Glaze, Swiss Meringue, and Stacked Almond Cakes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups superfine sugar
5 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons almond extract
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces milk
Raspberry Glaze, recipe follows
Swiss Meringue, recipe follows
48 Staked Almond Cakes, recipe follows
1 pint fresh raspberries, for garnish
Raspberry jam, for garnish
1 bar bittersweet dark chocolate, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line mini cupcake pans with 48 mini cupcake liners.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Alternate folding the milk and flour mixture into the butter mixture. Fill the cupcake liners halfway and bake for 12 minutes. Cool.
To assemble: Dip the top of each cupcake into the Raspberry Glaze, making sure to cover the entire top of the cake to the rim of the paper. Using a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip, pipe a generous dollop of the pale lavender Swiss Meringue in the center of the cake, keeping a rim of the Raspberry Glaze visible. Top the Swiss Meringue with the stacked Peach and Green Almond Cake. Using a small pastry brush, glaze each raspberry with raspberry jam and sit on top of the cake. Lightly dust the top of each cupcake with zested bittersweet dark chocolate.

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