Martha Stewart Almond Wedding Cake Food

ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place sliced almonds on a baking sheet, and toast until golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Set aside.
• Coat an 8-inch-round pan (2 inches high) with butter. Line with parchment paper, butter, and flour; set aside.
• Combine flour and baking powder in a small bowl; set aside. Place almond paste, sugar, and 5 tablespoons butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat on medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and Grand Marnier, if using; process until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl; fold in flour and baking powder.
• Pour batter into prepared pan; bake 40 minutes, until golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean. Place on a rack to cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn cake out of pan onto rack; cool completely.
• Heat marmalade with 1 tablespoon water in a small saucepan. Arrange apricot slices on top of cake; brush with apricot marmalade. Garnish with toasted almonds.

ITALIAN WEDDING CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 8 inch pans. Combine the buttermilk, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together the shortening, margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla and almond extract. Beat in the buttermilk mixture alternately with the flour, mixing just until incorporated. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter. Stir in pineapple, coconut and 1 cup pecans.
• Pour batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow cake layers to cool 10 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
• To make the frosting: Cream together the butter, cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until blended. Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1 cup pecans. If frosting is too stiff to spread, stir in milk a teaspoon at a time until it reaches desired consistency.

WEDDING ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• In beater, cream butter and then add eggs, one at a time continuing beating,add milk, alternating with pre-sifted dry ingredients, beating all the time.
• Add almond extract. Pour into greased and floured cake pan.
• Bake at 350° C (convert to Fahrenheit) until tested with a drinking straw, it comes out clean.
• Frost.
• Instructions for Frosting:
• Beat whites to stiff peaks stage, and add the sugar very gradually, without stopping beating.
• Add the almond extract and then the ground or chopped almonds.
• Mix everything and frost the cake, in pan or out of it.
• Put again in moderate-heat oven just for a few minutes for frosting to brown a bit.
• Let cool and serve.