Friday, January 23, 2015

Our Beloved Almond Cake


Really, this is "The Composer's Beloved Almond Cake." Because everyone else can eat, you know, regular dessert, but his treats have to be gluten-and-dairy free.

Also, this is the cake that powered him to a Boston-qualifying marathon time this winter. That's right,  he ate a whole cake each day the two days before his race, and qualified for Boston. Your results may vary. I know mine would.

I can't remember the source for this recipe, but here's how we do:

•Luxurious Almond Cake•

Line a 9-inch cake pan or springform pan with parchment paper, and spray it with Pam. Preheat the oven to 350.

Separate the yolks and whites of 5 eggs.
In a large bowl, whisk the yolks together with 1 cup of sugar, from which you have removed 2 T.
Also whisk in a pinch of salt and 1 t. vanilla.

Using an electric mixer, whip the whites until they are almost soft peaks.
Then add the 2 T. sugar and whip until they are legitimate soft peaks.

Take your whites over to the bowl with the yolks. Dollop a big spoonful of whites into the yolks, and with a rubber scraper, gently stir them in to lighten the yolk mixture. Then scrape the rest of the whites in, and fold them in lightly. Now sprinkle 1 c. almond meal over your batter, and fold it in. Sprinkle another 1 c. almond meal into the bowl and fold that in as well.

Scrape into your prepared pan and bake for about 35 minutes, or until the top is barely firm and springy to the touch. The cake gets moister the second day (ha! if it comes to that!).

Also, one of these days I'm going to stir some cocoa in and see what happens.

14 comments:

  1. Go Composer!

    I'm always up for an "alternative" cake, thank you Anna. Perhaps I'll see the Composer in Boston...if I do I'll be the Aussie on the sidelines shouting "Go Composer!"

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  2. Oooh....yum~!
    Then you may also love Nigella's "Clementine Cake", our newly discovered fave for Advent this past year. Made with what we call satsumas, I've found it can be made with, or without the 'two hour cooking of the clementines'.
    Sounds like these recipes may be inter-changable. I'm going to try your version this week.♥

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  3. Awww that looks delicious. Unfortunately, my daughter is also egg-free in addition to being dairy-free and gluten-free. We do have a delicious pancake though that is made with almond flour. Tastes buttery to me although there's no dairy in it. In case you are interested, here's the link to the recipe. This lady experimented with all kinds of gluten-free flours. We loved using almond flour. They freeze great. http://www.thedailydietribe.com/2011/11/how-to-make-gluten-free-vegan-pancakes.html
    Katherine in Atlanta

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  4. We eat gluten free mostly...we just found out my oldest daughter is gluten free. It makes life easier if we all eat the same way : )

    Thank you so much for the recipe!!!

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  5. Please, how is Fitzwilliam doing?

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  6. FW is doing so much better! He has regained almost full control of his back half and was allowed to stay in the house last night without being shut in the bathroom. He's made it to about 80% of normal, with 100% of his usual affection level evident.

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  7. I didn't realize he was also having to be dairy-free - poor man, no more daily ice cream!

    Lisateresa

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  8. Between the egg and the almond the cake sounds like it's a high protein treat! Glad FW is on the mend.
    Nancy

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  9. Oh, so good to hear about Fitzwilliam. I am so happy for you and him.

    How long is it likely to take for the effects to wear off completely? I sure hope they do.

    I had a cat who reacted badly to a flea medication. After that I used combing to keep fleas under control. I think combing works just as well.

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  10. Congratulations to The Composer on his qualifying time!

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  11. I just make a cake almost exactly like this except that it had 4 oranges cooked and pureed added to it and less sugar. From The Simple Things magazine, husband is eating it as I write this and loves it!

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  12. Wow! I can't believe he at two whole cakes or that he qualified for Boston -- he must be fast! Are you still running?

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  13. Oh, my hearty congratulations to the Composer! And the cake.

    Truly,
    Kara in Texas

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