Cherry Pie Filling	Cake Cubes

---

Macaroon Fruit Cups

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 14, 2011

Yield: 12 servings

---

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature, divided

• 4 oz almond paste, broken into small pieces

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided

• 10 oz day-old cake crumbs (from half a 9-by-13-in cake; see note)

• 1 lg egg

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

• About 19 oz canned cherry, peach or apple pie filling

• Powdered sugar

---

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a standard-size 12-cup silicone muffin pan. (The cups stick to even well-greased metal pans.)

With an electric mixer, beat 1/2 cup butter, almond paste and 1/2 cup granulated sugar until creamy. Mix in cake crumbs until thoroughly blended. Mix in egg until thoroughly blended. Break off pieces of dough, place in muffin cups, and use your fingers to form even crusts.

In a clean bowl, use an electric mixer to blend the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the remaining 1/4 cup butter and flour, mixing until dry crumbs form.

Fill cups 3/4 full with pie filling, then sprinkle with crumb mixture.

Place pan on a cookie sheet for stability. Bake for 35 minutes or until fruit is bubbly. Let cool completely.

Lift cups from muffin tin and place in cupcake papers. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Note: To make the cake crumbs, bake a white, yellow or spice cake mix in a 9- by-13-inch pan as directed on the package. After baking, turn off the oven and cut half the cake into cubes. Arrange the cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet and put back into the turned-off oven to dry overnight. If needed, finish drying the cubes in a 250-degree oven for 45 to 60 minutes, turning occasionally, until dry and easy to crumble but not beginning to brown. With your fingers, crumble the cake pieces to form a rough flour.

Variation: Lubeley's Bakery also made Macaroon Cups with a cheesecake filling.