Almond Grape Tea Cake Recipes

SWEDISH VISITING CAKE

Steps:

• Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a seasoned 9-inch cast-iron skillet or another heavy ovenproof skillet, a 9-inch cake pan or even a pie pan.
• Pour the sugar into a medium bowl. Add the zest and blend the zest and sugar together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and aromatic. (I left out the zest)
• Whisk in the eggs one at a time until well blended. Whisk in the salt and the extracts. Switch to a rubber spatula and stir in the flour.
• Finally, fold in the melted butter. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Scatter the sliced almonds over the top and sprinkle with a little sugar. (The recipe says to sprinkle granulated sugar. I chose raw sugar)
• Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it is golden and a little crisp on the outside; the inside will remain moist. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cake cool for 5 minutes, then run a thin knife around the sides and bottom of the cake to loosen it. You can serve the cake warm or cooled, directly from the skillet or turned out onto a serving plate.

ALMOND-GRAPE TEA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter and flour an 3-by-8-inch metal loaf pan. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and 1/2 cup sugar on high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until combined, scraping down bowl as needed. In a food processor, pulse almonds and 1/4 cup sugar until finely ground. Add flour and salt and pulse to combine. With mixer on low, beat almond mixture into butter mixture until combined. Beat in vanilla and lemon zest.
• Transfer batter to pan and smooth top. Press grape halves into batter in rows and bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 1 hour, rotating pan halfway through. Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack. To serve, remove cake from pan and slice. Store cooled cake, wrapped in plastic, at room temperature, up to 3 days.

ALMOND TEA CAKES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs and extract; mix well. Add flour and baking powder (dough will be soft). Chill. , For filling, in a small bowl, stir egg white, sugar, almonds and lemon juice. Remove a portion of the dough at a time from the refrigerator. Place 1-in. balls of dough into miniature muffin cups, pressing slightly into sides and bottom. Place 1/2 teaspoon filling into each. Cover with quarter-sized circles of dough. , Brush with a little milk and top with an almond. Bake at 350° until golden, 14-16 minutes.

ALMOND TEA CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Grease mini muffin tins and set aside.
• Sift 2 ounce of the sugar, ground almonds and cake flour in a bowl. Add 1 egg white to form a paste. In another bowl whip the 3 egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining sugar. Continue to whip until the meringue is strong but not dry. Fold the meringue into the almond paste mixture and add the heavy cream at the end. Mix well.
• Fill the prepared muffin tins half full. Bake promptly in the pre-heated oven until golden, approximately 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the size of the molds. Cool the tea cakes about 5 minutes before unmolding them on a wire rack. Dust with confection sugar before serving. Store the cakes in an airtight container.

WARM ALMOND CAKES WITH GRAPES

Steps:

• Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 400°F.
• If using Cognac, toss grapes with it in a small bowl.
• Pulse half of almonds with 1 tablespoon sugar in a blender until finely ground. Transfer to a small bowl and repeat with remaining almonds and 1 more tablespoon sugar.
• Beat together butter and remaining 6 tablespoons sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low and beat in ground almonds, flour, and salt until just combined.
• Divide batter among gratin dishes and press grapes lightly into batter (discard Cognac). Bake in dishes on a baking sheet until cake is firm and pale golden with slightly darker edges, about 20 minutes.
• Transfer cakes to a rack and cool slightly in dishes before serving.

ALMOND TEA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Melt butter and then add sugar in a mixing bowl.
• Beat in eggs one at a time.
• Add extract.
• Add flour and salt, mixing well.
• Pour batter into a large cast-iron skillet (9-11") that has been lined with foil.
• Sprinkle with almonds.
• Bake for 30 minutes.
• Cool completely and remove foil.