Citrus Almond Cake Food

CITRUS, ALMOND & YOGURT CAKE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a small pan. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Meanwhile, butter a 23cm springform cake tin and line with baking parchment. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• Put the 200g caster sugar, flour and ground almonds in a large bowl and mix well. Whisk the eggs and 75g yogurt into the cooled melted butter, then pour this into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Zest the lemon and orange over the bowl. Stir with a spatula until there are no streaks of flour, then scrape into the tin and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 40 mins.
• Cut a few slices each from the zested lemon and orange, then squeeze the juice from what's left of each into a saucepan (you'll need about 6 tbsp total). Add the 2 tbsp caster sugar and the fruit slices to the pan. Bring to the boil and cook for 5-10 mins, or until the juice has reduced to a thin syrup and the fruit slices have softened. Leave to cool. Remove the fruit slices to a sheet of baking parchment and leave to dry.
• Insert a skewer into the middle of the cake - it should come out dry, with no wet cake mix clinging to it. If it's not ready, bake for 5-10 mins more and check again. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins, then spoon over the citrus syrup. Leave to cool for 10 mins more, then remove from the tin. To freeze, first leave to cool completely, then wrap the cake well. Will keep frozen for up to three months.
• Mix the 2 tbsp yogurt with the icing sugar to make a thick icing. Spoon this onto the centre of the cake and use the back of a spoon to ease it to the edge (it should drip over the side). Scatter over the flaked almonds and decorate with the fruit slices. Serve warm, or leave to cool completely. Will keep in an airtight tin for up to five days.

ALMOND CITRUS OLIVE OIL CAKE

Steps:

• To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8-inch-diameter cake pan. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, eggs, and zests in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the milk. Gradually beat in the oil. Add the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Stir in the almonds. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Place cake pan on baking pan to collect any possible spills. Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool for 15 minutes. Remove cake and place on serving platter, top side up. Sift powdered sugar over the cake.
• To make the citrus compote: Stir the orange peel, blossom water, and 2 tablespoons of accumulated juices from the segmented fruit in a small bowl to blend. Arrange the orange and grapefruit segments decoratively in a wide shallow bowl. Pour the blossom water mixture over. Cover and let stand 15 minutes for the flavors to blend.
• Cut the cake into wedges and spoon the citrus compote alongside.

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.

CITRUS ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• In a food processor grind the nuts and 1/3 Celsius of the sugar until fine.
• In a bowl mix the nut/sugar mixture, milk, egg yolks, vanilla, flour, salt, and zest.
• Mix until smooth.
• Beat the egg whites with salt until medium stiff, slowly add the remaining sugar and beat until stiff and glossy.
• Slowly fold the whites into the batter.
• Butter and flour cake pan then pour in batter.
• Bake at 400°F until toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool pan slightly then unmold and allow to finish cooling prior to serving.

CITRUS-ALMOND SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• For the Margarita Semifreddo
• Put twenty 2 x 2-inch ring molds on a tray and put them in the freezer at least 1 hour before you start to make the semifreddo.
• Stir the tequila, Cointreau, simple syrup, and lime juice and zest together to make the margarita base. Measure 2/3 cup (drink the rest).
• Pour about 3 tablespoons of the margarita base into a small glass bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the surface. Let sit for about 1 minute, then microwave for 45 seconds or heat gently in a small saucepan until melted.
• Put the egg, egg yolks, and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water-make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water-and whisk until the sugar is melted and the mixture is hot. Whisk in the gelatin.
• Move the bowl to the standing mixer fitted with the whisk and whisk at medium-high speed until the mixture is pale and light and the sides of the bowl are cool.
• In a separate bowl, whip the cream to medium peaks.
• Fold about half of the remaining margarita base into the eggs. Fold in half the cream, then repeat, folding in the remaining base and the cream, gently but thoroughly.
• Fill a pastry bag and pipe the semifreddo into the ring molds (see Note), leaving about 1/3 inch of headroom. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.
• For the Sponge Cake
• Heat the oven to 375°F or 350°F on convection. Spray eight to nine 1-ounce aluminum timbale molds with cooking spray and coat them with sugar (vanilla sugar, page 185, would be best). Set the molds on a baking sheet.
• In a small bowl, rub the sugar, orange and lemon zests, and vanilla seeds (rinse, dry, and save the pod for another use) together with your fingers.
• Whisk the almond flour, cornstarch, and salt together.
• Put the egg and egg yolk in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk. Whisk at medium speed until frothy. Add the sugar mixture and beat at medium-high speed until light and doubled in volume. Add the dry ingredients gradually, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Increase the speed to high and beat until the batter regains its original volume, about 3 minutes. You can prepare the batter about 2 hours in advance. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it right away.
• If you've made the batter in advance, whisk it again on high speed for about a minute. Fill a pastry bag and pipe the batter into the molds, filling them about two-thirds full. Bake until puffed, golden, and firm, about 11 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking.
• Unmold the cakes right away. You'll need to nudge them out of the molds with a small knife. Serve them warm.
• To Serve
• Mix the orange zest and sugar together in a small bowl. Dip the tops of the warm sponge cakes into the sugar and set them on small plates. Garnish with the candied kumquats and lemon zest. Unmold the margarita semifreddos by rubbing each mold briskly between your palms and then pushing the semifreddo out of the mold. Add them to the plates.

ORANGE & ALMOND CAKE WITH CITRUS MASCARPONE

Steps:

• Boil two of the oranges (whole) in water, with the lid on the pan, for about 1 hour or until squidgy. Drain and leave to cool.
• Butter a springform cake tin, 23cm/9in wide and 7cm/23⁄4in deep. Add 1-2 tablespoons of polenta, tip the grains around until the tin is coated, then knock out the excess. Set aside.
• Whizz the flaked almonds to a grainy powder in a food processor, then mix in a bowl with the polenta and baking powder. Set aside.
• Halve the cooked oranges and remove any pips. Remove zest from the third orange. Whizz the zest and the orange halves (with skin on) to a smooth purée in the food processor. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4/fan oven 160C. Using a mixer or electric beaters, beat the eggs, yolks and sugar for a good 5-7 minutes until the batter looks like a very thick milkshake.
• Quickly beat in the almond mixture, then the purée until just blended. Pour the batter into the tin, leaving at least 1.5cm/5⁄8in at the top.
• Bake the cake in the middle of the oven. After 10 minutes, reduce the temperature to 150C/ Gas 2/fan oven 130C, bake for 30 minutes, then reduce temperature to 140C/fan oven 120C for a further 30 minutes (if you have a gas oven, cook at gas 4 for 10 minutes, then at gas 2 for 11⁄4 hours until done without reducing the temperature further). The cake is ready when it has risen, is golden-brown and the centre is just firm - don't panic that it still feels fragile.
• Leave the cake to cool in its tin (it will sink a little), then run a palette knife around the edge before releasing the sides. Only attempt to transfer it from the metal base to a decorative plate or stand if you have a proper cake lifter.
• Whisk the liqueur and marmalade into the mascarpone. Serve the cake in thick wedges with the mascarpone dolloped on top.

CITRUS-ALMOND POUNDCAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8-cup Bundt pan. Put lemon juice, orange juice and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar in a small saucepan over low heat; cook until the sugar dissolves and remove from heat.
• Put almond paste and remaining 2 cups sugar in food processor and process until well combined; add butter and continue processing until light and fluffy. With the machine running, add eggs one at a time along with zest and vanilla, and continue to process until smooth.
• Stop the machine, add the flour, baking powder and salt, and pulse a few times - just until the dry ingredients are integrated (be careful not to over process, or the cake will become tough). Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. When a skewer or thin-bladed knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, remove the cake from the oven and let cool slightly.
• Pour the citrus soak over the cake and let it sit for about 30 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed and the cake releases from the pan easily. Cut into slices.