Nutty Magdalenas
Makes 16 individual cakes
Adapted from My Barcelona Kitchen by Sophie Ruggles
These are curious little treats; nutty and moist, with the taste of olive oil lingering in the background. Sophie offers up that you can use any kind of nut that you like – hazelnuts, pistachios, almonds, or a combination of them. If you want to start with ground almonds or hazelnut flour (also called nut meal) use 3 1/4 ounce or 90 grams.
The original recipe said to cook them at 415Fº (210ºC) for at least thirty minutes, but I dialed down my oven to 400ºF (200ºC) and they were done in about 15 minutes. You can bake them in muffin tins or just in the paper muffin cups, set on a baking sheet. They spread out a little more on baking sheets, so space them out apart to give them room to grow.

3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (200g) sugar
2/3 cup (90g) toasted almonds or hazelnuts (skins removed after toasting)
1 1/2 cups (225g) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder, preferably aluminum-free
pinch of salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (200ml) mild-flavored olive oil
About 1/4 cup (25g) mixed chopped nuts (untoasted), such as almonds, hazelnuts or pistachios, for sprinkling
1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC.) Line 16 indentations in muffin tins with paper liners.
(Or set 16 paper muffin cups on a baking sheet, without using the muffin tins.)

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip the eggs and sugar on high speed until very light and doubled in volume, 3 to 5 minutes.

3. While the eggs and sugar are whipping, pulverize the toasted almonds or hazelnuts, in a food processor with the flour, baking powder, and salt, until the nuts are finely ground up, similar in texture to very coarse polenta.

4. When the eggs are fully whipped, drizzle in the olive oil while the mixer in running at medium-high speed, in a slow, steady stream, stopping the mixer midway to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

5. By hand, stir in the flour and ground nut mixture just until it’s completely incorporated. Fill the paper muffin cups halfway full with the batter. (I used a spring-loaded ice cream scoop.) Bake the cakes 15 minutes or just until the centers feel lightly set when you press one. If baking the cakes withouth the muffin tins, they make take a few minutes longer.

Storage: The Magdalenas can be stored in an airtight container, at room temperature, for up to 3 days. They can also be frozen for up to 2 months.