Cooking Lesson #1077: Magical Southern Italian Almond Cake

…from the Perspectives’ Kitchen

How you doin’? In America we talk a lot about farmhouse cooking, but other countries have their own agrarian recipes, too. In the case of my Italian Almond Cake, it comes from the south of Italy. I found this Italian farmhouse recipe when working with one of my favorite Italian chef friends—Celestino Drago. It is based on his Torta di Noci, a Calabrian nut cake that is made with minimal ingredients—my recipe is somewhat enhanced.
 
It’s kind of magical—you basically only need eggs, brandy, ground almonds and sugar to make this delicate and delicious cake. It not only works with almonds but with walnuts and hazelnuts, too.
 
Use blanched nuts—without their peel. The skin tends to get bitter when exposed to heat. I love the flavor of roasted almonds, and this recipe is one of my favorites for flavor. It's great for beginner bakers and though simple, it’s elegant. Try it once and you'll keep coming back for more.
 
Ingredients 
12 ounces blanched almonds
4 large eggs
1 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 ounce brandy (optional)
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Confectioners’ sugar for serving
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350° F.
2. Line an 8 X 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, letting it hang over two sides so that you can use it to lift the cake out of the pan after it's baked.
3. Process the nuts in a food processor until they’re coarsely ground and set them aside.
4. Separate the egg whites and yolks.
5. Add about half the sugar (1/2 cup) to the egg whites and beat to stiff peaks with an electric mixer.
6. Add the remaining sugar (1/2 cup) to the yolks, brandy (if using) and almond extract and use the same electric mixer to beat until pale and doubled in size. Note: you are not yet combining the whites and the yolks. When you lift the beaters, the mixture should drizzle down slowly and hold its shape for a few seconds.
7. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the ground nuts into the egg yolk mixture until fully combined.
8. Then, gently fold in half the egg whites until you can't see any white streaks.
9. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Try not to mix it for too long—just until you no longer see the egg whites.
10. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and bake for 35 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
11. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes before running a knife around the edges to release it from the pan.
12. Use the parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan and onto a wire rack.
13. Let the cake cool completely before dusting it with powdered sugar to serve.
14. Wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, this cake will keep at room temperature for up to four (4) days.

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ChefSecrets:  

• Don’t overprocess the nuts. They should not start to form a paste (you are not making almond butter) but be ground just long enough to produce a coarse texture, like wet sand. Once the sound from the food processor softens as it’s processing the nuts—this only takes about 10 seconds—it's ready.

 

• The air that's whipped into the egg whites and yolks is the key to getting a light cake. The egg whites are beaten until stiff—they should hold their shape when you lift the mixture up with the mixer. And the egg yolks should be thick, glossy, yet airy.

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Quip of the Day:  Q. Why did almond break up with the walnut?  A. It just couldn’t crack it.
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food
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