Citrus Almond Sponge Cake Food

ALMOND SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place almonds in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet; toast until golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack, and let almonds cool.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Place the cooled almonds and the cornstarch in bowl of a food processor. Process until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Set aside.
• Butter two 6-inch-round layer-cake pans. Line pans with parchment paper, and butter again. Flour pans, and set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix together egg yolks and vanilla. With mixer on high speed, gradually add 1/4 cup sugar. Beat until pale, thick, and light, about 5 minutes. Transfer egg-yolk mixture to a large bowl; set aside. Wash and dry mixer bowl and attachment.
• Place egg whites and salt in the clean mixer bowl. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Increase the speed to high, and gradually add the remaining sugar. Beat until stiff and glossy, about 4 minutes.
• Fold the egg-white mixture into the egg-yolk mixture. In three additions, fold the reserved ground-almond mixture into this new mixture. Divide the batter between the two prepared pans, and smooth the tops with an offset spatula.
• Bake cakes until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool, about 25 minutes. Turn out cakes, and cover with plastic wrap until ready to use.

ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grease an 8-inch round cake pan with vegetable spray. An alternative is to butter and flour the cake pan.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, cake flour and baking powder and set aside.
• Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and almond paste on high speed until smooth, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low and slowly add confectioners' sugar. Mix until thoroughly combined and light and fluffy. Raise speed to high and add the vanilla extract, whole eggs and egg yolks, 1 at a time. Mix until well combined. 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.

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.

CLEMENTINE AND ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Place the clementines in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 20-30 minutes until tender. Remove and set aside until cool enough to handle. Cut the clementines in half and discard the pips.
• Put the clementines, including the skin, into a food processor and blend to a paste.
• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4, grease a 20cm/8in spring-form cake tin and line the bottom with baking paper.
• Whisk together the eggs, lemon zest and caster sugar in a bowl. Add the olive oil and beat until light and well combined. Stir in the clementine paste then fold in the ground almonds and baking powder.
• Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake for 50 minutes or until well risen and golden-brown. The cake should have slightly shrunken from the sides and be springy to the touch. Leave it to cool in the tin on a wire rack.
• Meanwhile, to make the syrup, warm the sugar and lemon juice in a small pan over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Make lots of small holes all over the cake with a piece of uncooked spaghetti or cocktail stick, and drizzle over the lemon syrup. Let the cake cool completely in the tin, turn it out on to a serving plate, dust with icing sugar and serve with whipped cream and orange segments.

ALMOND-ORANGE SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat egg whites in small bowl with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar, beating until stiff and shiny; set aside.
• Beat egg yolks and remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 10 min. or until thick and lemon colored. Add almonds, orange zest and juice; beat 1 min. or until well blended. Gently stir in matzo cake meal and potato starch. Add egg white mixture; stir gently until well blended. Spread into ungreased 10-inch tube pan.
• Bake 50 min. to 1 hour or until golden brown. Invert cake onto wire rack; cool completely in pan. Loosen cake from pan; remove from pan to serving plate. Sprinkle with the powdered sugar.

STICKY CITRUS SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Finely grate the zest from 2 oranges into a large bowl. Cut the peel and pith from all the oranges with a serrated knife, and slice quite thickly.
• Drizzle the golden syrup evenly over the base of a greased 23cm round cake tin. There is no need to line the tin and it shouldn't have a loose bottom otherwise the syrup will bubble through. Arrange the best orange slices on top of the syrup and finely chop any that don't fit.
• Put all the remaining ingredients in the bowl with the zest and chopped orange. Beat with an electric hand mixer until smooth. Spoon on top of the oranges, spread lightly and make a deep hollow in the centre of the mix with the back of a spoon - this will ensure that the cake rises evenly.
• Bake for 45-50 mins until firm when pressed. Allow to settle for 5 mins before turning out. Drizzle with golden syrup if you like, and serve with custard or ice cream.

ALMOND SPONGE CAKE FOR STONE-FRUIT TRIFLE WITH LEMON MOUSSE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange almonds in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, and toast until golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack, and let cool.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Pulse almonds in a food processor until coarsely ground. Add flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt; continue to pulse until finely ground.
• Butter a 9-inch round cake pan, and dust with flour, tapping out excess. Combine yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, and the vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Whisk whites with a mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Raise speed to high, and gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Beat until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 4 minutes.
• Fold egg-white mixture into yolk mixture. Working in 3 additions, fold in almond-flour mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth top using an offset spatula.
• Bake until cake is deep gold and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack, and let cool for 30 minutes. Turn out cake from pan, and let cool completely. Halve cake crosswise, and cut each into quarters to use for trifle.

CITRUS CORNMEAL CAKE

Steps:

• Coat a 9-in. fluted tart pan with removable bottom with cooking spray. In a large bowl, beat the yogurt, honey, oil, egg, egg whites and extract until well blended. Combine the flour, cornmeal and baking powder; gradually beat into yogurt mixture until blended. Stir in orange zest., Pour into prepared pan. Arrange oranges over batter; sprinkle with almonds. Bake at 350° until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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.

LEMON ALMOND SPONGECAKE

Steps:

• Line a greased jelly-roll pan, 15 1/2 by 10 1/2 by 1 inches, with wax paper, grease the paper, and dust the pan with flour, knocking out the excess. Into a bowl sift together the flour, the salt, and the baking powder and whisk in the almonds. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together the egg yolks, 3/4 cup of the sugar, and the zest until the mixture is very thick and pale, beat in the lemon juice, the vanilla, and the almond extract, and beat the mixture for 3 to 5 minutes, or until it forms a ribbon when the beater is lifted. Add the flour mixture and beat the batter until it is just combined. In another bowl with cleansed beaters beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form soft peaks, beat in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, a little at a time, and beat the whites until they form stiff peaks. Whisk one third of the whites into the batter to lighten it and fold in the remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake it in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cake is golden and a tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, invert it onto a rack, and discard the wax paper. Invert the cake onto another rack and let it stand, uncovered, overnight to dry out. Cut the cake with a serrated knife into 3/4-inch cubes.

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.