Almond Rose Pound Cake Food

ALMOND LAYER CAKE WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE FROSTING

Steps:

• Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter two 9-inch-round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper; butter the parchment and dust with flour, tapping out the excess. Pulse 2 cups flour, the baking powder, salt and almonds in a food processor until the nuts are finely ground into a powder, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk the egg whites, milk, and vanilla and almond extracts in a medium bowl until combined.
• Beat 1 stick butter and the granulated sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low; beat in the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour, until just combined.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to racks and let cool in the pans. (The cakes can be frozen, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 2 weeks. Unwrap and thaw at room temperature.)
• Make the frosting: Microwave the white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second intervals, stirring, until melted; set aside. Beat the cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 4 minutes. Gently fold in the melted white chocolate with a rubber spatula. (The frosting can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 2 days. Beat with a mixer to soften just before frosting the cake.)
• Assemble the cake: Loosen the edges of the cakes with a knife, then invert 1 layer onto a platter and peel off the parchment. Spread 1 to 1 1/2 cups frosting on top. Remove the other layer from the pan, peel off the parchment and carefully place on top of the first layer. Cover the top and sides of the cake with a thin layer of frosting (this is the "crumb coat"; it doesn't have to be perfect). Chill 15 minutes, then cover with the remaining frosting and decorate with nonpareils.

PURELY POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter 2 (6-cup) loaf pans and line them with parchment or waxed paper.
• In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream the butter until very light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Add the sugar and mix. Working 2 at a time, add the egg yolks, mixing well between each addition. The mixture should be very fluffy. Add the brandy, rose water, nutmeg and salt and mix to incorporate. Working in 3 batches, add the flour, mixing just until combined and scraping down the bowl between additions. In a clean dry bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Add to the batter and mix well, until no streaks of egg white remain. If necessary, fold in the last few streaks by hand. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake until golden brown and split on the top and a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean (a few crumbs are okay), 70 to 80 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Knock the cake out of the pan and let cool (do not remove the parchment paper; it helps the cake stay moist).

ALMOND LAVENDER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 10-in. fluted tube pan and sprinkle with sugar; set aside. Place 1/2 cup sugar, almonds and 1 tablespoon lavender in a food processor; cover and process until finely ground., In a large bowl, cream butter and remaining sugar until light and fluffy; beat in almond mixture until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla., In a small bowl, combine sour cream and half-and-half. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with sour cream mixture, beating well after each addition., Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely., For drizzle, in a small bowl, combine water and remaining lavender. Cover and steep for 5 minutes. Strain, discarding lavender. In another small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and enough infused water to achieve desired consistency; drizzle over cake. Garnish with additional lavender if desired.

TOASTED-ALMOND CAKE WITH STRAWBERRIES IN ROSé-WATER SYRUP

Steps:

• Make cake:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour cake pan, knocking out excess flour.
• With blender motor at high speed, add half of toasted almonds through top hole and finely grind (be careful not to grind to a paste). Transfer to a bowl and grind remaining almonds in same manner, transferring to bowl. Add flour, baking powder, and salt to ground almonds and whisk until combined well.
• Beat eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until foamy, about 15 seconds, then add superfine sugar a little at a time, beating. Continue beating until mixture is thick, pale, and forms a ribbon when beater is lifted, 7 to 8 minutes in a stand mixer or 10 to 14 minutes with a handheld. Add butter in a slow stream, beating, then add milk and almond extract and beat until just combined. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture, mixing until just combined.
• Spread batter in pan, smoothing top, then sprinkle evenly with sliced almonds. Bake until top is golden, cake begins to pull away from side of pan, and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 30 minutes, then run a knife around edge to loosen and invert onto rack. Turn cake right side up on rack and cool completely, about 30 minutes more.
• Make strawberries in syrup:
• Bring water, sugar, and lemon juice to a boil in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then boil, uncovered, until reduced to about 2 cups, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer syrup to a bowl and cool completely. Stir in strawberries and rose water and macerate at room temperature 30 minutes.
• Whip cream and assemble dessert:
• Beat cream in a large bowl with cleaned beaters until it holds soft peaks.
• Cut cake into 4 squares and reserve 2 squares for another use. Carefully cut each of remaining 2 squares diagonally into quarters for a total of 8 triangles, then halve each triangle horizontally. Sandwich triangle halves with strawberries, syrup, and whipped cream.

ALMOND-ROSE POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9-inch tube pan with cooking spray and set aside.
• Put the pieces of butter into the large bowl of an electric mixer and set aside about 15 minutes to soften.
• Grind almonds finely in a food processor or blender and set aside.
• When butter has softened, cream with sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Stir together flour and salt. Slowly add to the creamed mixture, beating until batter is smooth.
• Remove about a third of the batter and add rose water and jam, stirring until smooth.
• Stir the ground almonds and almond extract into the remaining batter.
• Spoon half of the almond batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly.
• Spoon all of rose batter into the pan, spreading evenly. Then top with remaining almond batter and spread until smooth.
• Bake cake on center oven rack 50 to 60 minutes or until it tests done. Cool cake in pan 15 minutes, then run a knife around the outside edge and also around the center tube. Invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
• Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

PIGNOLI ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F Liberally grease an 8.5x4.5x2.5 loaf pan and line with parchment.
• Bring butter to room temperature in the work bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl). Split the vanilla beans and scrape out the seeds; add to butter. Add sugar and lemon juice and beat on medium using paddle attachment until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating to combine after each addition.
• Chop half the pine nuts coarsely and set aside. Stir together flour and almonds. Add 1/3 of the dry mixture, and beat just to combine. Add another 1/3 of the mixture and repeat. Add the remaining dry ingredients with the lemon zest and chopped pine nuts and stir to combine.
• Toss remaining pine nuts with salt. Spoon batter into prepared pan, top with salted pine nuts and bake 60 minutes, or until a skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan.

MANGO ALMOND ICEBOX CAKE

Steps:

• For syrup, place water in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave on high 30 seconds. Stir in sugar and almond extract until sugar is dissolved; cool completely., Finely chop 1/4 cup mango chunks; place in a large bowl. Add cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract; beat until blended. In another bowl, beat cream until stiff peaks form; fold into mango mixture., To assemble, line bottom of a 9-in. springform pan with 11 ladyfingers; slowly drizzle with half of the syrup. Layer with half of each of the following: cream mixture, meringue cookies, remaining mango and almonds. Repeat layers, starting with remaining ladyfingers. Refrigerate, covered, 8 hours or overnight. To serve, loosen sides from pan with a knife; remove rim.