Recipe For Italian Almond Cake From America’s Test Kitchen

Serves 8 to 10

Serve plain, dusted with confectioners’ sugar, or with Orange Crème Fraîche (recipe follows).

RECIPE DETAILS

Timeline

• 10 minutes to heat oven and prepare cake pan (gather and prepare ingredients)
• 10 minutes to toast almonds and finish preparing ingredients
• 10 minutes to make cake batter and top with toasted almonds and lemon sugar
• 55 minutes to 1 hour 5 minutes to bake cake (rotate pan after 40 minutes)
• 15 minutes to cool cake in pan
• 2 hours to cool cake on rack (make orange crème fraîche, if using, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour)

Essential Tools

• 9-inch round cake pan
• Parchment paper for lining cake pan • Rimmed baking sheet for toasting almonds in oven
• Food processor for grinding nuts and making cake batter
• Rasp grater for zesting lemons
• Wire rack for cooling cake

Substitutions & Variations

If you can’t find blanched sliced almonds, grind slivered almonds for the batter and use unblanched sliced almonds for the topping.

• 1 1/2 cups plus 1/3 cup blanched sliced almonds, toasted
• 3/4 cup (3 3/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Grease 9-inch round cake pan and line with parchment paper. Pulse 11/2 cups almonds, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in food processor until almonds are finely ground, 5 to 10 pulses. Transfer almond mixture to bowl.
2. Process eggs, 1 1/4 cups sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, and almond extract in now-empty processor until very pale yellow, about 2 minutes. With processor running, add melted butter and oil in steady stream, until incorporated. Add almond mixture and pulse to combine, 4 or 5 pulses. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
3. Using your fingers, combine remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and remaining 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest in small bowl until fragrant, 5 to 10 seconds. Sprinkle top of cake evenly with remaining 1/3 cup almonds followed by sugar-zest mixture.
4. Bake until center of cake is set and bounces back when gently pressed and tooth- pick inserted in center comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour 5 minutes, rotating pan after 40 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Run paring knife around sides of pan. Invert cake onto greased wire rack, discard parchment, and reinvert cake onto second wire rack. Let cake cool, about 2 hours. Cut into wedges and serve. (Cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.)

Orange Crème Fraiche

Makes about 2 cups

• 2 oranges
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup crème fraîche
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Remove 1 teaspoon zest from 1 orange. Cut away peel and pith from oranges. Slice between membranes to release segments and cut segments into 1/4-inch pieces.
2. Combine orange pieces and zest, crème fraîche, sugar, and salt in bowl and mix well.
3. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.