Almond Cake

Adapted from Alice Medrich's Pure Dessert

Almond Cake with a Crunchy Crust

Sweets are not my weakness. As far as I can remember, I only ever ate dessert first once in my life.

I was meeting someone for dinner at Pearl Oyster Bar on a frigid winter night. It was too early for the restaurant to be open, and I had exhausted wending my way around all the places in the neighborhood that interested me, including Murray's where I wanted to eat everything in sight, so I went into Rocco's and had an espresso and a miniature cannoli.

Lucky for me, it didn't spoil my appetite for an early dinner - but that's not saying much since I don't actually think there's anything that could spoil my appetite for oysters so fresh you can taste the sea. Oysters so fresh you don't even want mignonette sauce to cloak them. Oysters so fresh you pick them up and "drink" them right out of their shells.

But that's a different subject, for another time.

THIS is about cake.

As much as I love to cook, I'm not a particularly dedicated, sophisticated, or proficient baker. However, since I don't live in Paris surrounded by a zillion fabulous patisseries and since the two best French pastry shops in NYC - Dumas and Bonté - have been closed for a long time, I need a few good dessert recipes in my arsenal. And that does mean a few good cakes. After all, I can't always serve vanilla ice cream and berries.

I make a mean chocolate torte thanks to Lora Brody as well as a delicious orange cake that I snagged from Clothilde, who calls it Le Gâteau Piège.  Marcella's carrot cake is also my kind of cake, simple and light, not dense at all.

So when my friend Sarah described this almond cake to me, I checked out my copy of Pure Dessert, my favorite cookbook of 2007, and the picture of the cake looked wonderful to me.

I knew right away THIS was a cake to check out. It had two versions so I tried the first (Almond Cake) one week, and the second (Almond Cake with a Crunchy Crust), the next. Each one is good and oh-so-fragrant.

However, both times I made this cake, it sank in the middle.

It didn't stop the cake from tasting good.

It didn't even stop the cake from looking good.

The second one sank a little more than the first, but it made me think the depression in the top, which was studded with sliced almond pieces, should be filled with a compote of fresh peaches (peaches and almonds are a match made in heaven) - or, of course, the ubiquitous berries; I'm thinking blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries at my July Fourth lunch. But the cake's falling sort of surprised and puzzled me.

Then - like a swami - Shuna, the spirit of baking present - lit on my shoulder and explained it. So now I'm going to mess around with the cake a little more to see what I can do to keep it from sinking.

But don't let my problem stop you from making it. It really is wonderful - especially if you like the taste of almond macaroons or Italian pignoli nut cookies, which are made with almond paste. And you may have better luck than I. The gods might be with you even if they are not with me.  And even if it does sink, it's good - even good enough for company.

As I said, there are two versions of this cake.  One version is plain; the other, my favorite, is studded with sliced  almonds over the top and along the sides, hence the name Almond Cake with a Crunchy Crust.

This cake is definitely best made the day before you want to serve it as the flavor is enhanced as it "cures."

I've discovered It's a good idea to unmold the cake onto a completely flat plate, which will help to keep it from sinking in the middle.  I use a Pillyvuit 11-¼-inch round serving platter to plate most of my cakes.  It's beautiful white French porcelain, perfectly  flat, and the smallest size they make.  It's also a nice serving platter for cheese.

Both version can be served unadorned or topped with heavy cream softly whipped, with or without fruit. If you use Amaretto in the recipe, and you are serving it with whipped cream, you may want to lightly flavor the whipped cream with it.  The Amaretto I like best is Luxardo.  It has a lovely fragrance and does not have a sweet, cloying taste.  It is luxurious in the mouth.

Berries or peaches, lightly macerated with a little sugar, are good choices for the fruit.  To do this, wash and dry the fruit.  Cut it into pieces the size you want.  Sprinkle it with a small amount of sugar, stir, and let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. 

Version One

Almond Cake

Adapted from Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich   

Equipment

An 8 by 2-inch round cake pan.  (If you want to use non-stick, I I like the Gold Williams-Sonoma Non-Stick Pan.)  A flat plate on which to unmold the cake.

 Ingredients

1 generous tablespoon softened butter to coat the cake pan 

4 ounces (¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons) unblanched whole almonds*  (See Note.) 

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs at room temperature

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into chunks and allowed to soften slightly

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

1 tablespoon Amaretto (optional, but recommended, preferably Luxardo)

1.5 ounces (⅓ cup) unbleached all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur.)

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Butter the sides of an 8-by-2-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom of the pan with a piece of parchment paper, but do not butter the paper.

Place the almonds, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor, and process using the metal blade until the nuts are finely ground. Add the eggs, butter, almond extract, and Amaretto, if using, and pulse until completely blended.  Mix the flour and baking powder together in a small bowl, and add to the food processor.  Pulse again, this time just long enough for the mixture to blend.

Scrape the batter into the cake pan, and spread it evenly.

Bake the cake on a rack in the lower third of the oven until the top is golden brown and a cake tester put into the center comes out clean. This will take between 30 and 40 minutes  depending on your oven.  34 minutes is the ticket in mine.

Place the cake in its pan on a rack and cool completely.

When ready to unmold, if you have not used a non-stick pan, slide a thin spatula around the sides of the cake. Cover the pan with a plate, and turn over. Remove the cake pan, peel off the parchment paper, cover the cake with another plate, and turn over again so the cake is right side up.  If you have used a non-stick pan, you may not have to slide the spatula around the sides before releasing the cake, but you need to know your pan well if you decide not to do this.

This cake can be served unadorned or topped with softly whipped cream with or without fruit. If you used Amaretto in the cake, you may want to lightly flavor the whipped cream with it.  Berries and/or peaches would be good choices for the fruit.

Print recipe

Version Two

Almond Cake with a Crunchy Crust

Adapted from Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich

Equipment

An 8 by 2-inch round cake pan (I like the Gold Williams-Sonoma Non-Stick Pan.)  A flat  plate on which to unmold the cake.

Ingredients

1 generous tablespoon softened butter to coat the cake pan 

About 2 tablespoons sugar to coat the cake pan, more if necessary 

6 scant tablespoons sliced almonds

4 ounces (¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons) unblanched whole almonds*  (See Note.) 

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs at room temperature

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into chunks and allowed to soften slightly

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

1 tablespoon Amaretto (optional, but recommended, preferably Luxardo)

1.5 ounces (⅓ cup) unbleached all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur.)

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Coat the sides and bottom of of an 8-by-2-inch round cake pan generously with softened butter. The reason I like to use a light-colored non-stick pan is that it does not cook the sides too much before it cooks the middle, and it releases well.  Do not line the pan with parchment. Coat the pan with sugar. Scatter 6 tablespoons of sliced almonds over the bottom of the pan. 

Place the whole unblanched almonds, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor, and process using the metal blade until the nuts are finely ground. Add the eggs, butter, almond extract, and Amaretto, if using, and pulse until completely blended.  Mix the flour and baking powder together in a small bowl, and add to the food processor.  Pulse again, this time just long enough for the mixture to blend.

Scrape the batter into the cake pan and spread evenly.

Bake the cake on a rack in the lower third of the oven until the top is golden brown and a cake tester put into the center comes out clean. This will take between 30 to 40 minutes, depending on your oven.  34 minutes is the ticket in mine.  You don't want to over cook it.


Cool the cake on a rack for 10 minutes - no more - before unmolding. If you leave it longer than 10 minutes, the sugar lining the pan will make the cake stick.

  With the Williams-Sonoma Gold Non-stick Pan, I find that the cake releases perfectly on its own.  If you are concerned about releasing the cake, you can slide a slim, small spatula or knife carefully (you don't want to damage the coating) around the inside of the pan to help release it.  Cover the pan with a flat plate, and turn over. Remove the cake pan, and leave the cake almond crust side up.

Print recipe.

Note

*Brooks Headley, the pastry chef at Del Posto restaurant in New York City whose book Fancy Desserts won the 2015 Piglet award at Food52, has suggested that in order to enhance the flavor of almond flour, which is  essentially almonds finely ground, it should be toasted, and he recommends you toast it in on a parchment-lined pan at 325 degrees for five minutes.  So although I use raw unblanched almonds for this cake, you might want to toast the almonds before using them or grind the 4 ounces of almonds and then toast them on a parchment-lined quarter sheet pan for five minutes at 324 degrees to see if you think the flavor in this cake is enhanced.

The Devil Made Me Do It

Non-Traditional Moussaka

Adapted from The Way to Cook by Julia Child

Serves 6 - 8

Now that February's here, winter is starting to feel like it's been here a long time. It doesn't yet seem like spring will never come, but there are more bleak, gray days than sunny ones, and it's been very cold in the Northeast this year. It was zero degrees when we pulled into the garage last night, and a balmy 7 this morning.



On the upside, there has been a lot of snow upstate so Walter's happy because the alpine skiing has been good. Even Walter Jones and Peggy are happy because for the first year in quite a few, the cross-country skiing in Vermont has been fabulous. So everyone's taking advantage of that and enjoying it. Me? I'm cooking as many comfort foods as I can think of and seriously eying a book called Eat, Feed, Autumn, Winter: 30 Ways to Celebrate When the Mercury Drops, which if I don't get around to snagging before the April thaw, won't seem as appealing, so I better get on it.

I'm making shrimp creole for dinner tonight. It just sounded so good when I was at Fairway last night - all shrimp-y and spicy and tomato-y. And it still does sound good, but it isn't, strictly speaking, a winter dish. Heck, as far as I know, they don't even HAVE winter in New Orleans. In fact, I always make it for my birthday, which falls in the middle of June and is usually the first blistering day of summer. (Once I made it for Thanksgiving dinner, so you can see how much I like it.)

I know the shrimp will hit the spot tonight, but I got up this morning thinking about Julia's Non-Traditional Moussaka. It's also good and tomato-y and definitely comfort food at its best.

The book this recipe comes from is an excellent "how to cook" book. There are many of them out there, but this one (along with Delia Smith's wonderful English book How to Cook) is one of the very best. It doesn't replace Joy of Cooking in the American Kitchen, because what would you do if you wanted to cook an opposum or make a Rob Roy? Julia's The Way to Cook wouldn't help you there, but it would make a great gift for a bridal shower and would be useful as part of anyone's library.

In this recipe, you can use leftover leg of lamb, or you can start off with ground lamb or even ground beef, which I do often since I can easily get organic ground beef. I've even made it with venison, and that was good too. You could probably use buffalo or bison. Use whatever red meat strikes your fancy, but I would not, however, even think of using ground poultry or pork.

If this sounds at all good to you, try it. I'm sure you'll like it.

The Eggplant

2 firm shiny purple-skinned eggplants, 1 to 1-1/2 pounds each
Salt
Olive oil

Wash and dry the eggplants; don't peel them. Cut the eggplants into 1-inch cubes. Salt the cubes lightly, and let them sit in a colander on a plate or in the sink for 15 to 20 minutes. Then pat the eggplant dry with paper towels. Sauté the cubes in a large frying pan or saucier until they release their liquid and start to brown, adding more olive oil as necessary as you go along. Using a slotted spoon, remove the cubes of eggplant to a long piece of aluminum foil, making three equal piles of eggplant cubes.

The Meat

3/4 cup washed and dried parsley sprigs, chopped
1-1/2 cups minced onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large cloves of garlic, pureed*
3 cups leftover roast (lamb or beef) cut into 1-inch chunks and processed not too fine in a food processor or 1-1/2 pounds raw ground meat (lamb or beef)
2 cups canned tomatoes (plum tomatoes are good), drained and sieved through a food mill
3/4 cup of the red wine you will drink with your meal or dry white French vermouth, such as Noilly Prat (which is good to always have in the house to use for cooking when you don't want to open a bottle of wine for a recipe)
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1 large egg, beaten
Salt and pepper

Over medium heat, sauté the minced onion in a frying pan or saucier with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When the onions are tender, after about 6 minutes, add the pureed garlic, and cook for just about a minute. You don't want the garlic to burn and get bitter.

Raise the heat to just barely high, and add the meat, letting it brown lightly. Add the tomatoes, wine, parsley, allspice, and salt to taste. Lower the heat, and simmer for half an hour, stirring often, until the mixture holds its shape softly in a spoon. Taste. Add more salt if needed, and add a little black pepper if you like. Remove from the heat, stir in the beaten egg, and set aside.

Use a spoon to push the meat to the sides of the pan so you have two equal portions of meat.

Assemble the Dish to This Point

In a baking casserole (I use a Pyrex dish that has round sides and a flat bottom), put a layer of eggplant cubes followed by half of the meat mixture. Add another layer of eggplant, the rest of the meat, and a third layer of eggplant. Set aside while you make the sauce to be used for the topping.

The Sauce

3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups hot milk
Salt and white pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese or Swiss cheese
A pinch of nutmeg
(Another) 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

To make a white sauce, melt the butter in a 2- to 2-1/2 quart saucepan or fait tout (also known as a Windsor pan - a saucepan with sloping sides). Add the flour, and with a wooden spoon blend it into the butter. Cook the butter and flour together for 2 minutes to make a roux without letting it color.

Remove the pan from the heat, and when the roux stops bubbling, add 1-1/2 cups of hot milk all at once, whisking constantly. When the sauce is smooth, add the other 1/2 cup of milk , and stir until that is smooth too. Season lightly with salt and freshly ground white pepper. Simmer for 3 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat, and blend in the cup of shredded mozzarella or Swiss cheese until the sauce is smooth. Season with more salt and pepper if necessary. Add a pinch of nutmeg, and stir it into the sauce.

Next spoon the hot sauce over the top of the eggplant and meat layered in the casserole. Shake the casserole to let some of the sauce sink down through the layers of eggplant and meat.

Scatter the 1/2 cup of shredded Swiss cheese over the top of the sauce as evenly as possible, and bake the casserole in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes until the casserole is bubbling, and the top is lightly browned.

Let the casserole cool for at least ten minutes before serving. Julia says it can be served warm, tepid, or even cold, but cold doesn't sound appealing to me at all - certainly not on a frigid winter's night, which is when this is truly delicious.

Serve with hot buttered peas and a cucumber salad made with Greek yogurt instead of sour cream or cacik.

Print recipe.

*I try not to get special gadgets for all kinds of things when simple kitchen items work well. And I know that you can puree garlic with a 3-1/2 inch paring knife.

But this tool by Microplane is so great that I would actually encourage you to get it. It grates onion beautifully, and I'm sure it will puree garlic too. You can move the lily (garlic or onion) back and forth, so it's better than mincing for things like meatballs.




It's called a two-way ribbon grater by Microplane. I got mine one day when I was poking around in Williams Sonoma, and I am finding it useful. This one looks like it has the same grating surface as mine - it has the same number of rows and the same configuration, so I would guess that it's the same as mine - but since I can't be 100 per cent sure, I can't actually recommend it.