KosherEye.com
By Lisa Koonin
A moist, light, delectable Passover almond cake that uses ground almonds in place of flour. It is topped with a puree that combines both dried and frozen peaches and decorated with lightly toasted almonds - a creation that will become a Passover favorite. This cake is so good, it can be made year round.
Ingredients:
Cake:
10-inch (25 cm) spring form pan
2 T. unsalted margarine for greasing the pan plus 2 T. matzo cake meal for dusting the pan
8 eggs, separated
A pinch of salt
1 cup sugar + 2 T. vanilla sugar
2 1/2 cups (225 g) blanched almonds, finely chopped in a food processor or blender (go easy, using short bursts)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
Grated zest of a lemon
Topping:
1/2 bag frozen peaches
6 oz. dried peaches or apricots
1/4 cup Passover peach or apricot jam
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
1 1/2 teaspoons. almond extract
Pinch salt
1/2 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted (optional)
Passover confectioner's Sugar
Directions;
Prepare springform pan by greasing sides and bottom with margarine and lightly dusting the greased surfaces with matzo cake meal. Shake out excess.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Beat egg whites and salt until firm peaks. Set aside.
Using the same beaters, whisk egg yolks in another mixer bowl until foamy, then gradually add the sugar. Beat until light and lemon colored.
Using a large spoon or spatula, gradually incorporate ground almonds, extracts, lemon zest into the yolk mixture. Fold until mixed, batter will be quite stiff.
Fold a third of the beaten egg whites into batter to soften it, and then gently fold in remainder until almost no streaks of egg white are left.
Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for one hour without opening the door. The top of the cake will be browned.
Turn off the heat, open door a crack with a wooden spoon holding the door open, and let cool for 15 minutes before removing the pan.
Remove cake from oven and let cool on a baking rack for 15 minutes.
While cake is cooling, prepare topping by cooking all ingredients together on stovetop in a medium size sauce pan. When fruit is soft, turn off heat and cool for about 15 minutes. Puree in food processor until smooth. Spread on cake while it is still warm. Decorate the cake by sprinkling the toasted sliced almonds on top of the cake in a 1 inch band.
Cool thoroughly before serving.
Just before serving, lightly dust the top of the cake with confectioner’s sugar.
Notes:
Yields: Serves 10-12
Recipes: Passover, Desserts, Cakes, Parve, Kosher