Simple, rich almond cake makes an advanced and delicately candy dessert, but traditional European versions tend to be heavy and dense.
We swapped out the usual almond paste for a slightly cakier model with masses of nutty flavor for toasted blanched sliced almonds (we disliked the slight bitterness imparted by using skin-on almonds). We introduced a piece of almond extract for additional intensity.
A generous quantity of lemon zest furnished subtle brightness. We accelerated the flour slightly for a lighter crumb and introduced baking powder — an untraditional aspect — to ensure the right upward thrust.
Making the batter in a meal processor broke down a number of the protein shapes in the eggs, ensuring that the cake had a level, no longer domed, pinnacle, which became especially important for this unfrosted dessert. We swapped some butter for oil and diminished the oven temperature to supply a frivolously baked, wet cake.
We crowned the cake with sliced almonds and a sprinkle of lemon-infused sugar for a crunchy entirety. If you can not locate blanched sliced almonds, grind slivered almonds for the batter and use unblanched sliced almonds topping.
3/4 cup (three/four oz) all-purpose flour
three/four teaspoons salt
1/four tsp baking powder
1/eight tsp baking soda
four big eggs
One 1/four cups (8 3/4 oz) plus two tablespoons of sugar
1 tbsp plus half of tsp grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
three/4 tsp almond extract
5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Start to finish: 90 minutes
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to three hundred F. Grease a nine-inch spherical cake pan and line it with parchment paper. Pulse 1-half cups of almonds, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in the food processor until almonds are finely ground at 5 to 10 pulses. Transfer the almond mixture to the bowl.
Process eggs, 1 1/4 cups sugar, one tablespoon lemon zest, and almond extract in a now-empty processor until very light yellow, about two mins. With the processor going for walks, add melted butter and oil in constant move till included. Add almond combination and pulse to mix, 4 to five pulses—transfer batter to prepared pan.
Using your hands, integrate the final two tablespoons of sugar and the last half teaspoon of lemon zest in a small bowl until fragrant, 5 to 10 seconds. Sprinkle the top of the cake calmly with 1/three cup of almonds, followed by sugar-zest aggregate.
Bake until the center of the cake is ready, bounces returned while lightly pressed, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, fifty-five to sixty-five minutes, rotating the pan after 40 minutes. Let the cake cool in a pan on a twine rack for 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge of the pan. Invert the cake onto the greased wire rack, discarding parchment, and reinvert the cake onto the 2d cord rack. Let cake cool absolutely on a shelf, approximately two hours, before serving. (Cake may be saved at room temperature for up to 3 days.)
