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Almond Cake


deensiebat

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i just had a lovely almond cake the other night (served with whipped cream and stewed kumquats), and was looking for a good recipe to recreate. this was very moist, with a nice crumb and crispy exterior (i wonder if it was flourless/eggwhite-based?). any recipe help appreciated. and hey if you have any advice for stewing kumquats, i'll take that too. i think i can handle the whipped cream. gracias!

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i just had a lovely almond cake the other night (served with whipped cream and stewed kumquats), and was looking for a good recipe to recreate.  this was very moist, with a nice crumb and crispy exterior (i wonder if it was flourless/eggwhite-based?).  any recipe help appreciated.  and hey if you have any advice for stewing kumquats, i'll take that too.  i think i can handle the whipped cream.  gracias!

Giada de laurntis has an olive oil cake made with ground almonds. I served it with a citrus compote. It had a nice flavor and texture.

clicky

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The fine crumb and crisp exterior makes me think financier.

This might work for you:

Almond Financier

6oz cake flour

6oz almond flour

12oz sugar

1/4tsp salt

6oz softened butter

6floz egg white

1tsp vanilla extract

Combine all the dry. Beat in the softened butter for 2 minutes. Beat in the wet in 2 incriments, for 2 minuts each. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

This is my recipe for individual financiers, so I don't have it scaled for a pan, unfortunately.

Edited by Sethro (log)
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I like David Lebovitz's...his is the Chez Painisse or like the Chez Painisse one...

Here's the recipe. And now, if you'll pardon me, I have to go buy almond paste. :biggrin:

I love his suggested fruit compote suggestions, as well. Plum and raspberry is really a great combination that I've used in other desserts and I think it would go great in addition to the classic peach or nectarine combination with almond.

This cake is particularly tasty with the Plum and Raspberry Compote or the warm Blueberry Compote from Room For Dessert. Or try slicing some ripe, juicy peaches or nectarines, tossing them with a sprinkle of sugar and a few drops of kirsch and serving them alongside. For a speedy crème anglaise (if you want to cheat), melt down some good-quality vanilla ice cream in the refrigerator and serve it as a sauce!

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

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I like David Lebovitz's...his is the Chez Painisse or like the Chez Painisse one...

Here's the recipe. And now, if you'll pardon me, I have to go buy almond paste. :biggrin:

On the topic of almond paste, whenever I buy it, I always think about making my own. Does anyone bother making your own paste, or is the commercially-available product better, finer textured, etc.?

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i'll second (or third or fourth!) the chez panisse recipe. it's excellent and easy to make.

i had it for the first time at the chez panisse cafe during lunch. i had eaten so much lunch that i told myself i'd just have a bite of the almond cake, served with whipped cream and berry compote. i was almost orgasmic tasting the cake, and i ended up finishing it even though it was physically painful for me. i was actually sweating. gross, but true. anyway, i was thrilled to find the recipe in the chez panisse desserts cookbook.

dexygus
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I like David Lebovitz's...his is the Chez Painisse or like the Chez Painisse one...

Here's the recipe. And now, if you'll pardon me, I have to go buy almond paste. :biggrin:

On the topic of almond paste, whenever I buy it, I always think about making my own. Does anyone bother making your own paste, or is the commercially-available product better, finer textured, etc.?

At home I make my own since it's hard to find fresh almond paste at a reasonable price in stores. With a good food processor it's very easy. Maybe not as smooth as the best commercial brands, but perfectly fine for baking. I use the recipe we did in school:

125 g blanched almonds

100 g powedered sugar

80 g simple syrup

Grind almonds with powdered sugar in food processor until very fine. How finely you grind in this stage determines the smoothness of the final paste. Add simple syrup and process until a smooth paste is formed. You may not need all of the syrup, so add gradually.

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Do you ever add almond extract to add some of the bitter almond flavor?

I not sure if most commercial almond paste usually has some bitter almond in it. The flavor, as I recall, seems to have some of that bitter almond profile.

A can of Solo almond paste I have on the shelf, lists: blanched almonds, sugar, water, natural flavorings and potassium sorbate as a preservative.

Edited by ludja (log)

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

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I like David Lebovitz's...his is the Chez Painisse or like the Chez Painisse one...

Here's the recipe. And now, if you'll pardon me, I have to go buy almond paste. :biggrin:

On the topic of almond paste, whenever I buy it, I always think about making my own. Does anyone bother making your own paste, or is the commercially-available product better, finer textured, etc.?

At home I make my own since it's hard to find fresh almond paste at a reasonable price in stores. With a good food processor it's very easy. Maybe not as smooth as the best commercial brands, but perfectly fine for baking. I use the recipe we did in school:

125 g blanched almonds

100 g powedered sugar

80 g simple syrup

Grind almonds with powdered sugar in food processor until very fine. How finely you grind in this stage determines the smoothness of the final paste. Add simple syrup and process until a smooth paste is formed. You may not need all of the syrup, so add gradually.

Thanks for the recipe. I noticed that some recipes use a 1:1 ratio of almonds to powdered sugar. Do you have a sense of what the "standard" commerical product ratio (like Solo brand) would be?

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I don't add almond extract, but you are right that most, if not all comercial brands do. I usually prefer a more subtle, mellow flavor.

Thanks for sharing your recipe, nightscotsman. I think I might try a commercial paste and then your homemade one to see how they compare in this type of application. I love almonds enough that it would hardly be a hardship!

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

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The standard, basic almond paste is 50% nuts, though you can find other proportions for specific applications. The recipe I posted does have less powdered sugar than almonds, but with the addition of the sugar in the simple syrup, the final ratio of nuts to sugar is essentially 50%.

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125 g blanched almonds

100 g powedered sugar

80 g simple syrup

Grind almonds with powdered sugar in food processor until very fine. How finely you grind in this stage determines the smoothness of the final paste. Add simple syrup and process until a smooth paste is formed. You may not need all of the syrup, so add gradually.

Thanks for this. I usually just buy my paste because every recipe I've come across for paste uses almond, p. sugar, and veg oil, which I knew couldn't be right. I'm assuming the above would of course work with almond flour??

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I'm sure it would work with almond flour, but whole almonds would probably give you a fresher flavor since the finely ground almond meal tends to stale faster.

Store the finished paste in the cooler since there is no preservative and it can get moldy.

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A recent Fine Cooking special issue has an amazing Brown Butter Almond Cake. Toasted almonds ground with sugar, mixed with flour, baking powder and salt. Browned butter mixed with rum, vanilla and sour cream. Egg whites whipped with sugar. Fold it all together, bake. Really great flavor and texture.

Tammy's Tastings

Creating unique food and drink experiences

eGullet Foodblogs #1 and #2
Dinner for 40

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Wendy, I'm confused here on which recipes can be and which can't be posted. I thought that if was a direct copy of the information in a current issue of Fine Cooking, we couldn't just post it. We would have to make some alteration to it.

One recipe on another thread was pulled for that reason...

Cheryl, The Sweet Side
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No one can copyright a list of ingredients or a list of measurements, so you can share those facts exactly as published anywhere. BUT the part of a recipe where they describe how to make the recipe, the dirrections, can be and usually are copyrighted. So you may NOT reproduce the dirrections as published anywhere with-out violating their copyright. Just take a moment and put the dirrections into your own words, then you can post your instructions/dirrections.

I can't address what's done in other Forums or sites. You need to go to those individuals and get clarification from them as to what they disallow.

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  • 2 weeks later...
A recent Fine Cooking special issue has an amazing Brown Butter Almond Cake.  Toasted almonds ground with sugar, mixed with flour, baking powder and salt.  Browned butter mixed with rum, vanilla and sour cream.  Egg whites whipped with sugar.  Fold it all together, bake.  Really great flavor and texture.

This sounds so good. Would it be possible to post this recipe????

Thanks

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A recent Fine Cooking special issue has an amazing Brown Butter Almond Cake.  Toasted almonds ground with sugar, mixed with flour, baking powder and salt.  Browned butter mixed with rum, vanilla and sour cream.  Egg whites whipped with sugar.  Fold it all together, bake.  Really great flavor and texture.

This sounds so good. Would it be possible to post this recipe????

Thanks

Brown Butter Almond Cake

1 c almonds

10 tbsp unsalted butter, plus extra for pan

1 1/2 c sugar

1 c cake flour

2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt (recipe calls for a pinch, but it definitely needs more - 3/4 tsp is what I'm guessing I added - I just measured by pouring some in my hand)

2 tbsp dark rum (I didn't have any, so used Captain Morgan's spiced rum)

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 c sour cream

9 large egg whites, room temp

1/4 sliced almonds

Heat oven to 350. Butter a 10 inch springform pan and line bottom with parchment.

Toast almonds in the oven (shaking every couple of minutes) until toasty and aromatic, 5-9 minutes. Set aside.

Brown butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When brown flecks appear in the bottom of the pan, immediately pour into a medium bowl, scraping pan to get all the milk solids. Set aside to cool slightly.

Pulse almonds and 3/4 cup sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl and combine with flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

Stir rum, vanilla and sour cream into butter. Set aside.

Beat egg whites until they just barely hold peaks. Beat in remaining 3/4 c sugar in a slow steady stream until the whites hold soft peaks.

Scoop a large dollop of egg whites into the butter mixture. Into the remaining egg whites, fold half the almond mixture, and when that's incorporated, half the butter mixture. Repeat with remaining almonds and butter, ending with the butter mixture.

Pour into prepared pan. Give the pan a spin to even out batter. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.

Bake on middle rack of oven until well risen and golden, about 45-50 minutes (center should spring back when pressed lightly).

Let cool in pan until warm to touch, about 30 minutes. Remove from pan, flipping onto a rack, and remove the parchment paper. Transfer to a serving plate, and serve warm or at room temperature.

You can sprinkle it with powdered sugar if you like (I don't). They suggest serving it with roasted pears with caramel sauce, but I haven't had a chance to try the recipe for that yet.

Tammy's Tastings

Creating unique food and drink experiences

eGullet Foodblogs #1 and #2
Dinner for 40

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with all due respect to every other almond cake, the one true heroic version is lindsay shere's in "chez panisse desserts". try it and you will never go back to another. i hadn't fixed it in about a year, and this weekend a friend served it. at the first bite i knew it was lindsay's.

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