Pignoli Almond Cake Food

PIGNOLI COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Break apart the almond paste in the bowl of a food processor. Add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, salt and egg white and pulse until smooth. Scoop 1-tablespoon balls of dough directly into the pine nuts and gently roll them in the pine nuts, pressing gently to adhere. (The dough is soft but the pine nuts will help make it easier to handle.)
• Place the cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned around the edges and puffed, 16 to 18 minutes. Allow to cool completely on the tray before removing them with an offset spatula.

PIGNOLI COOKIES

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Pulse the flour, granulated sugar, confectioners' sugar and salt in a food processor until combined. Add the almond paste and orange zest; pulse until fine crumbs form. With the motor running, slowly add the egg white and process until the dough comes together. (You can also mix the dough in a bowl with your fingers.)
• Put the pine nuts in a small bowl. Form tablespoonfuls of dough into balls with damp hands and roll in the pine nuts to coat completely. Arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until light golden around the edge, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets.

APPLE ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Grease a 9" springform pan and set aside.
• Peel, quarter and core the apples.
• Cut each quarter into 3 pieces to make 36 wedges; set aside.
• Make the topping by stirring together the sliced almonds, sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• In a separate large bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, butter and almond extract.
• Pour over the dry ingredients and stir just enough to blend the wet into the dry.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.
• Arrange the apple wedges attractively over the batter, making a wider outer circles and a smaller inner circle; set aside.
• Sprinkle the almond topping mixture over the apples.
• Bake in the center of a 350 degree F oven until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour.
• Let cool on a rack.
• Release the side of the pan and serve with whipped cream.

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.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S " BEST CAKE I EVER TASTED" - A WHITE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°.
• Beat the 6 eggs whites until stiffly beaten.
• Cream together the softened butter, sugar and vanilla.
• Sift together the cake flour and baking powder.
• Add flour mixture alternately with milk to the creamed butter and sugar.
• Stir in the finely chopped almonds.
• Gently fold in the egg whites.
• Pour into 2 greased and floured 9-inch cake pans.
• Bake at 375° for 28-30 minutes.
• Cool 10 minutes and remove from pans.
• Frost with White Frosting.
• WHITE FROSTING: In a saucepan combine 1 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water and 1/4 tsp cream of tartar and dash of salt.
• Bring mixture to boiling, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
• Place 2 egg whites in a mixing bowl and very slowly pour the hot sugar syrup over, beating CONSTANTLY with a mixer until stiff peaks form - this takes about 7 minutes. Beat in vanilla and frost cake.

PIGNOLI COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F Line to baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Place the almond paste, sugar, egg white, and salt into the work bowl of a food processor. Process until it is well mixed and has the consistency of a thick paste.
• Put the pignoli into a shallow bowl. Using a teaspoon, drop a small amount of dough into the pignoli. Roll the cookie around to coat it with pignoli. Remove the cookie from the pignoli and form it into a small ball. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough until you have 2 pans of cookies. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, depending upon the size of the cookies. Rotate the pans at least once during the baking. The cookies are done when even so slightly golden on the top. Don't overbake these -- you want them to be chewy on the inside and they'll firm up after you take them out of the oven. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

SAMALI ( SEMOLINA AND GROUND ALMOND CAKE)

Steps:

• With an electric mixer in a large bowl, whip the cup of butter until soft. Add the confectioners' sugar a little at a time and whip until fluffy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the vanilla and continue whipping for about 5 minutes.
• Combine the semolina, baking powder, almonds, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Slowly add the semolina mixture to the butter and sugar, beating to combine thoroughly.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 12- by 18-inch glass baking pan. In a medium metal bowl, place the egg whites, salt, and lemon juice and whip with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold the meringue into the semolina mixture, working fast to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until set, 35 to 40 minutes.
• About 15 minutes before the samali is finished baking, prepare the syrup: Combine the granulated sugar and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. As soon as the sugar dissolves, add the spices, zest, and brandy. Reduce the hear to medium-low and simmer until the syrup is viscous, about 10 minutes.
• When the samali is baked, pull it out of the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Score it into 3-inch square pieces with a sharp paring knife. Pour the warm syrup over the hot samali and place back in the oven. Bake until the syrup is absorbed, another 5 to 7 minutes, and remove from the oven. Let cool and serve.

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.