Recipe: Almond Cake

I make a really good almond cake.

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Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 8.8 ounces almond paste
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon Grand Marnier
  • 6 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
  2. Coat a 9 inch spring form pan with butter and flour. Shake off excess and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
  3. In a bowl, mix together 3/4 cup of flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
  4. Break the almond paste into smaller pieces.
  5. In a food processor, grind the almond paste and 1/4 cup of flour until the mixture is fine-grained.
  6. Add cubes of butter one at a time and mix until the butter is combined and evenly distributed.
  7. Add vanilla extract, Grand Marnier and orange zest, mix.
  8. Add eggs one at a time and mix.
  9. Gently fold in the dry ingredients with a spatula from step 3 until just incorporated.
  10. Pour the batter into the cake pan and sprinkle sliced almond on top.
  11. Bake in the 325°F oven for 45-60 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
  12. Remove the cake from the oven and run a sharp thin-bladed knife around the edges to release it from the sides of the pan.
  13. Unlatch the pan and gently lift up the sides.
  14. Place the cake on a wire rack to cool completely.
  15. invert the cake with a plate, peel off the parchment paper and flip over.

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Recipe adopted from Chez Panisse Desserts by Lindsey R. Shere. I cut off the sugar and almond extract, and added orange zest and Grand Marnier. The end product is super moist and burst with sunshine (from Sicily).

Why Sicily? you may ask.

That is because the almond paste I used in this cake is the Organic Sicilian Marzipan, made with two types of organic almonds from Sicily (Palma Girgenti and Mandorla Cuore). The cake is good with regular almond paste you can find in most grocery stores in the US. But the Sicilian variety adds a delicate and profound flavor that brings this cake to a whole new level.

Happy baking!

35 thoughts on “Recipe: Almond Cake”

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      1. Hi, Sunny! I think it’s called ‘Swedish Visiting Cake’ from ‘Baking: From My Home to Yours.’ It’s a simple one bowl cake that comes together in 30 mins–not very fancy, but perfect for last-minute guests. 🙂 Thank you again for this recipe!

        Liked by 1 person

  6. What a coincidence! I’ve just baked Pain de Jenes as well! Yours sounds soooo good! Nobody can beat the cake baked with Sicilian marzipan! I will buy some next time in Sicily – I always focus on pistachio too much!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
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