ALMOND CAKE

ALMOND CAKE

A simple yet lovely almond cake which has a fragile crust, that led to a moist, downy layer of ground almonds and sugar.  Although the cake crumbles on the edges and falls in the middle, it’s elegant when showered with confectioners’ sugar and top with fresh berries. This cake also improves with age and can be made 1 to 2 weeks ahead. Store it covered in or out of the fridge. Finally, this recipe makes two 8-inch cakes, so give one away or freeze one for a rainy day.

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ALMOND CAKE

Recipe by Amanda Hesser adapted Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

16

servings
Baking time

40

minutes
Total time

1

hour 

45

minutes

Ingredients

  • 2  sticks butter, softened, more for buttering pan

  • 2  cups sifted all-purpose flour (measured after sifting)

  • ½  teaspoon salt

  • 1 ½  cups granulated sugar

  • 7-ounce tube almond paste

  • 4  egg yolks, room temperature

  • 1  teaspoon almond extract

  • 1  cup whole milk greek yogurt

  • 1  teaspoon baking soda

  • Confectioners’ sugar, for sifting over cake

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter sides and bottoms of 2 8-inch cake or springform pans; line sides and bottoms with parchment paper. Butter paper. Place pans in freezer.
  • Sift flour and salt into a small bowl. Set aside. In a mixer fitted with a paddle, beat butter and granulated sugar at high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add almond paste, a little at a time at medium speed, and beat 8 minutes. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, and almond extract. Mix yogurt and baking soda and add to butter mixture. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add flour mixture, just until blended.
  • Divide batter between prepared pans and spread evenly. Bake about 40 minutes to an hour, until tops are golden and spring back when lightly pressed and cakes shrink from sides of the pans. Cool in pans on wire rack. Remove sides of pans and remove paper. When ready to serve, top cake with berries, sift confectioners’ sugar on top, slice and serve.