Accompany slices of cake with fresh berries and cups of hot tea or espresso.
This recipe courtesy of Williams-Sonoma.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma, Complete Entertaining Cookbook, by Joyce Goldstein (Time-Life Books, 1998).
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 12 ounces almond paste
- Grated zest of 1 orange
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon kirsch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 eggs
- 2 tablespoons apricot jam, warmed with 1 tablespoon water
- 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
Preparation
- 1 Preheat an oven to 325ºF. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan and line it with parchment paper.
- 2 Over a sheet of waxed paper, sift together the flour and baking powder; set aside.
- 3 In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the almond paste, orange and lemon zests, almond extract, kirsch and vanilla, and beat until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs and beat until smooth and blended, about 1 minute more. Reduce the speed to low and fold in the flour mixture until smooth and lump-free. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
- 4 Bake until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
- 5 Transfer the cake pan to a wire rack and cool for 1 hour. Turn the cake out onto a plate. Brush the top with the apricot jam and sprinkle with the toasted almonds.
