Almond Cake With Lemony Glaze Food

LEMON ALMOND CAKE WITH LEMON GLAZE

Steps:

• Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan. Put 2 lemons in a medium pot and cover with water by at least 2 inches. Bring to a boil, partly cover pot, and let simmer for 40 minutes, or until very tender.
• Use a slotted spoon to transfer lemons to a bowl. Let cool. Use a spoon to break open lemons and remove the pits. Purée lemons in a mini food processor or blender, scraping down the sides frequently.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Zest remaining lemon into a medium bowl. (Save the rest of the lemon for glaze.) Stir in almond meal, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
• Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until very foamy. With the mixer still going, gradually beat in 1/4 cup sugar, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form. Slide beaten whites onto a large plate.
• In the same mixing bowl (you don't need to wipe it out), beat egg yolks and remaining 1 cup sugar until thick and pale, about 1 minute. Beat in lemon purée, almond meal mixture and almond extract. Using a rubber spatula, fold in melted butter.
• Fold a third of the egg whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it. Fold in another third until well incorporated. Finally fold in remaining egg whites, taking care not to overmix. (A few white streaks are O.K.) Spread batter into prepared pan.
• Bake until top of cake is well browned and it springs back when lightly pressed in the center, 45 to 60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• When cake is almost cool but still slightly warm (after about 30 to 45 minutes), make the glaze. Juice the zested lemon into a bowl and stir in confectioners' sugar until you have a thick but pourable glaze (if it's too thick, stir in a few drops of water). Pour glaze over slightly warm cake and let cool completely.

LEMON-ALMOND BUTTER CAKE

Steps:

• For the curd, combine zest, juice, sugar and eggs in a heatproof bowl, and beat well. Add butter, and place over a saucepan full of simmering water. Cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, until mixture thickens into curd, about 5 minutes. Strain into a bowl, and press plastic wrap onto surface to keep skin from forming. Refrigerate until cool, at least 1 1/2 hours.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9-inch spring-form pan with 1 tablespoon butter, and dust with 1 tablespoon flour, shaking out excess.
• With an electric mixer, cream the remaining butter and 1 cup sugar together until light and fluffy. Sift together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt, and stir in. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs until they start to foam. Do not overbeat or the cake will be tough. Add eggs and ground almonds to batter, and mix well.
• Scrape batter into the prepared pan. Drop 8 individual tablespoons lemon curd around perimeter of batter, leaving a 1-inch border, and taking care to space drops evenly. Drop 3 to 4 tablespoons curd into center of batter. Refrigerate remaining curd for another use. Sprinkle cake with toasted almonds and 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar, depending on taste.
• Bake until cake is toasty brown on top and a toothpick inserted into cake (not curd) comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let cool on rack 10 minutes, then remove sides of pan, and cool completely.
• Whip cream with almond liqueur. Present cake at table, and offer whipped cream on the side.

STRAWBERRY ALMOND POUND CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the granulated sugar and butter. Add the eggs 1 at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the sour cream and almond extract and mix to combine. Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the flour and salt and mix until well combined, scraping the bowl. Fold in the sliced strawberries.
• For the topping: Combine the brown sugar, flour, butter and salt in a medium bowl and cut together using 2 knives or a pastry cutter until it resembles crumbs. Mix in the almonds.
• Generously butter a 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Pour the batter into the skillet and even out the surface. Press the remaining halved strawberries into the surface of the batter cut-side down, leaving them mostly exposed. Scatter the crumble over the top of the batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center does not come out totally clean but isn't wet with batter either, about 1 hour. Let the cake sit in the skillet for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the glaze.
• For the glaze: Whisk together the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice. Using a fork or whisk, drizzle over the cake. Serve directly out of the skillet.

LEMON ALMOND CAKE WITH CRANBERRY GLAZE

Steps:

• For the lemon almond cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
• Whisk together the flour, almond meal, poppy seeds, baking powder, salt, baking soda and zest in a medium bowl. Whisk together the yogurt and lemon juice in a separate small bowl until very smooth. Whisk together the granulated sugar and olive oil in a large bowl until combined. Add the eggs to the olive oil mixture, one at a time, whisking very well after each, then stir in the almond extract. Add the dry ingredients and yogurt mixture to the olive oil mixture in three alternating additions, whisking after each until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto to a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the cranberry glaze: Combine the cranberries with 1 tablespoon water in a small saucepan and heat over low heat until the cranberries start to break down and release their juices (you can help this process along by smashing them with a rubber spatula), 5 to 10 minutes. Pour the cranberries and their juices into a fine-mesh sieve placed over a bowl. Press the mixture through the sieve with a spatula, making sure to scrape off the bottom of the sieve and adding that to the bowl as well. Add the powdered sugar and salt to the bowl and mix until it comes together into a spreadable glaze. (It will seem like a lot of sugar at first but it will eventually incorporate.) If the glaze is too thick, add a couple drops of water until it's thin enough to spread. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar.
• To decorate: Spread the glaze over the top of the cake, then sprinkle with sliced almonds, rose petals, fresh thyme leaves, sliced cranberries and sprinkles.

ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8- or 9-inch springform pan.
• Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm milk, and let proof until foamy.
• Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and bake until they are lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool, then place them in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, add 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and pulse until the almonds are very finely chopped but not pulverized. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with 3/4 cup of the sugar until pale yellow. Beat in the butter. Add the honey, yeast mixture, liqueur, and almonds, and beat to combine. Add the flour in two or three additions, mixing thoroughly.
• In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar until stiff. Gradually fold the whites into the almond mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, shaking the pan to distribute the batter evenly.
• Place the pan on the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake for about 40 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes, then remove the sides of the pan and let the cake cool on a rack completely before serving.

ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, cake flour and baking powder. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and almond paste on high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add vanilla extract and slowly pour in confectioners' sugar. Mix until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Raise speed to high and add the egg yolks and whole eggs, one at a time. Reduce speed to medium and add the sour cream and dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.
• Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. Bake in the lower third of the oven for 35 minutes, or until the cake is golden and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool. Remove from pan and dust with confectioners' sugar.

ALMOND POUND CAKE WITH LEMON

Steps:

• Using a tablespoon or so of the almond oil, lightly oil the bottom of an 8-inch cake pan. Line with a round of parchment, lightly oil this with another tablespoon or so of the oil and then dust with flour shaking out the excess.
• With an electric mixer beat the butter, remaining oil (you should have around 1/3 cup) and sugar together until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the almond paste, lemon zest and juice and beat until smooth. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time making sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Fold in the flour and baking powder.
• Pour batter in prepared pan and bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until a cake tester comes out nearly clean. While cake is baking, combine glaze ingredients in a small saucepan and over moderate heat stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• When cake is done, cool on a rack for 15 minutes and then turn cake out to cool completely. Transfer cake, topside up to a plate and brush glaze over the top so that it soaks in completely. Cake can be made up to 2 days ahead. Wrap in plastic and store at room temperature.

ALMOND CAKE WITH LEMONY GLAZE

Steps:

• Beat the butter with brown sugar until creamy and until sugar is dissolved in the fat.
• Add eggs and beat well.
• Add all other ingredients and mix well.
• Pour in a grease 8x8 baking pan.
• Bake at 350F for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool ten minutes, then pour hot glaze.
• To make glaze, mix all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Pour onto warm cake and set aside for at least 30 minutes before serving.
• *I like to turn the cake upside down and poke holes with a toothpick, then pour on half the glaze. Turn the cake over, poke holes on top, then pour remaining glaze (keeping most of the zest for the top). I then pour glaze left over at the bottom, back into the pan, then slowly re-pour on top. I repeat until no, or little, glaze is pooled at the bottom of the dish.
• *I usually add little extra lemon zest, which I grind in the blender. I then set aside most of the zest and grind my almonds in the same container, that way, some of the lemon goes into the cake batter.
• *I usually bake this in a convection toaster-oven and it is ready in 30 minute rather than 40-50.