Almond Cake Food

ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Finely grind the almonds in a food processor.
• With an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with the sugar to a smooth pale cream. Beat in the zests and almond extract. Add the ground almonds and mix very well.
• With clean beaters, beat the egg whites in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold them into the egg and almond mixture (the mixture is thick, so that you will need to turn it over quite a bit into the egg whites).
• Grease an 11-inch springform pan, preferably nonstick, with butter and dust it with flour. Pour in the cake batter, and bake into a preheated 350°F for 40 minutes, or until it feels firm to the touch. Let cool before turning out.
• Just before serving, dust the top of the cake with confectioners' sugar. Or, if you like, cut a St. James cross out of paper. Place it in the middle of the cake, and dust the cake with confectioners' sugar, then remove the paper.

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 CAKE

Steps:

• Place the orange and the lemon in a saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain and cool.
• Heat the oven to 325 degrees, and set a rack in the middle position. Bake the almonds 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool completely. When the almonds are cool, pulse them in a food processor until ground.
• Set oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 9-inch springform pan.
• When the citrus is cool, cut the lemon in half, and discard the pulp and seeds. Cut the orange in half, and discard seeds. Put the fruits in the food processor and process almost to a paste.
• In a small bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder. Combine eggs and salt. Beat until foamy. Beat in the sugar. Fold in the flour mixture. Add the citrus, almonds and olive oil, and beat on low speed until incorporated. Pour the batter into the pan, and bake for about 1 hour. Let cool for 10 minutes, unmold and dust with confectioners' sugar.

FOODCHANNEL EDITOR

Steps:

• 1 Preheat an oven to 325ºF. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan and line it with parchment paper. 2 Over a sheet of waxed paper, sift together the flour and baking powder; set aside. 3 In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the almond paste, orange and lemon zests, almond extract, kirsch and vanilla, and beat until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs and beat until smooth and blended, about 1 minute more. Reduce the speed to low and fold in the flour mixture until smooth and lump-free. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. 4 Bake until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. 5 Transfer the cake pan to a wire rack and cool for 1 hour. Turn the cake out onto a plate. Brush the top with the apricot jam and sprinkle with the toasted almonds.

LEMON-ALMOND BUTTER CAKE

Steps:

• Combine the lemon zest and juice in a nonreactive saucepan with the sugar and eggs and beat well. Add the butter and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens into curd. Be sure to keep scraping the bottom of the pan during the few minutes this takes you; you don't want the eggs to scramble before the curd forms. If you're the nervous type, make the curd in a heatproof bowl over a pot of boiling water (the bowl shouldn't touch the water). The curd will take just a little longer to thicken, about 5 minutes. Strain the crud into a bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface so a skin doesn't form. Refrigerate until cool, at least 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a springform pan with 1 tablespoon of the butter and dust it with 1 tablespoon of the flour.
• Cream the remaining 8 tablespoons butter in a large bowl with 1 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy. Sift the remaining 1 cup flour, the baking powder, and salt together and stir into the creamed butter.
• In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until they start to foam. Do not overbeat, or the cake will be tough. Add the eggs and ground almonds to the flour and butter mixture, mixing well.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Drop 8 individual tablespoons of lemon curd evenly around the outside of the cake, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge. Try to place the curd so there's an even amount of cake batter between each dollop of curd. Drop 3 tablespoons curd in the center. Refrigerate any remaining curd for another use (hint: breakfast toast). Sprinkle the top of the cake with sliced almonds and 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar, according to taste.
• Bake until the cake is toasty brown on top and a toothpick or knife inserted into the cake comes out clean (be sure not to insert it near the curd), about 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove the sides of the pan and let cool completely on a rack.
• If serving the cake with whipped cream, add the almond liqueur to the heavy cream and beat until the cream is stiff. Sift a thin, even layer of confectioners' sugar over the top of the cake. Present the cake at the table and offer the almond whipped cream on the side.

ALMOND POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Butter and flour a loaf pan or small square pan (8"x8").
• Cream the butter and sugar.
• Beat in the eggs one at a time.
• Beat in the almond extract and the water.
• Stir together the flour, ground almonds and baking powder.
• Stir this into the wet ingredients.
• Pour evenly into the prepared pan.
• Bake for 45 minutes for a loaf pan.
• Bake for 50 minutes in the square pan, or in either case until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and set rack to middle position.
• Line the bottom of an 8" cake tin with parchment paper. Butter and flour the tin.
• Using an electric mixer (stand mixer or hand held) cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add the almond paste about a walnut sized piece at a time, beating until well blended after each addition.
• Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the kirsch (or brandy or rum), almond extract and the salt.
• Combine the cake flour and baking powder in a small bowl, add to the batter and beat vigorously for about 30 seconds.
• Pour the batter into the cake tin.
• Bake for about 35 minutes until golden brown on top and a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Start testing at the 30 minute mark.
• Cool the cake in the tin on a rack. Unmold the cake on to a serving platter. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
• Notes:.
• This cake has a tendency to collapse in the middle as it cools. I have found that beating the batter vigorously after the flour is added develops a bit of structure that helps alleviate the collapse. Because it is cake flour there is only so much gluten that can be developed so the cake does not become tough. And anyway, collapsed or not, it still tastes great.
• This cake is delicious served plain as is. With a little raspberry coulis, a dollop of whipped cream and a fresh berry or two, it makes for an elegant desert.
• If you have cake strips you can use them here. It's not really necessary but I find you get more even rise if you do.
• If you don't have any liquor in the house you can omit it altogether.
• This cake keeps very well, wrapped, at room temperature for a couple of days.

ALMOND AND CINNAMON CAKE

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 180C / 160C fan / Gas 4 and grease and line a 9 inch cake tin with baking parchment.
• Using two bowls, separate the eggs placing the whites in one bowl and the yolks in another.
• Using an electric handheld or freestanding mixer, whisk the egg whites until stiff, and in the other bowl, whisk together the yolks, vanilla extract and sugar until completely pale and aerated.
• Slowly fold in the ground almonds and the cinnamon into the egg yolk mixture, being careful not to lose any air.
• Next slowly add the egg white mixture, carefully folding in after each addition so you don't lose any of the air in the mixture.
• Pour into the lined cake tin and sprinkle with the flaked almonds.
• Place in the oven and bake for around 35-45 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
• Once the cake is completely cooled, remove from the tin and place onto a cake stand, sprinkle with icing sugar and decorate with some broken cinnamon bark in the centre.

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE & ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4 and line the base of a 20cm springform tin with baking parchment. Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of just-simmering water, or in the microwave in 20-second bursts. Stir, then leave to cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, tip the eggs and sugar into a second bowl and beat with an electric whisk for 4-5 mins, or until thick and creamy. Add the mascarpone or soft cheese and vanilla, and continue to beat until everything is combined. Lightly fold in the cooled melted chocolate mixture until everything is one even colour, then fold in the almonds. Sift over the cocoa powder and a small pinch of salt, and fold in to combine.
• Scrape the cake batter into the prepared tin. Put the tin on a baking tray and bake for 35-40 mins until the cake is puffed up and has cracked on top. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 30-40 mins - it will deflate as it cools. Serve warm as a chocolate pudding, or leave to cool completely and enjoy as a fudgy brownie cake. Dust with extra cocoa powder before serving.

ORANGE ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Place orange in a saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until orange is soft, about 30 minutes. Drain.
• Cut orange into chunks and discard seeds.
• Mix almond flour with 2 tablespoons sugar.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8-inch cake pan and coat the pan with a handful of the almond-sugar mixture.
• Combine orange chunks and 1 cup sugar in a food processor; pulse until pureed. Add almond flour mixture and butter; process until smooth. Add eggs; mix until smooth. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; process until just combined. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes.