M Cunninghams Almond Butter Cake Recipes

NANA'S ALMOND BUTTER CAKE

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl, then blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Add 1 whole egg and 2 yolks to flour mixture, reserving whites, then knead in bowl until a soft dough forms, about 5 minutes. Put 3/4 cup dough between 2 large sheets of plastic wrap and roll out into a 9 1/2-inch round, then chill 15 minutes.
• Transfer remaining dough to springform pan and cover surface with another large sheet of plastic wrap. Press dough (through plastic wrap) evenly onto bottom. Discard plastic wrap.
• Blend almond paste, cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon water in a food processor until crumbled (paste may be hard). Add remaining 3 tablespoons water, a little at a time, processing until paste is smooth.
• Beat together reserved whites and remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until they just hold stiff peaks, then fold in almond paste mixture gently but thoroughly.
• Spread almond mixture on top of dough in pan, tapping side of pan gently to smooth surface.
• Remove top sheet of plastic from remaining dough and cut dough into 1/2-inch-wide strips, then arrange 6 strips 1 inch apart diagonally across almond mixture. Trim ends of strips flush with edge of pan. Arrange 6 of the remaining strips 1 inch apart diagonally across first strips to form a lattice with diamond-shaped spaces. (If dough becomes too soft, chill until firm.) Repair any broken strips of dough by carefully pressing them together and trim ends of strips flush with edge of pan. Discard any remaining strips.
• Bake until pale golden, about 45 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around edge of cake to loosen if necessary, then remove side of pan and cool cake completely, about 30 minutes.

LEMON-ALMOND BUTTER CAKE

Steps:

• For the curd, combine zest, juice, sugar and eggs in a heatproof bowl, and beat well. Add butter, and place over a saucepan full of simmering water. Cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, until mixture thickens into curd, about 5 minutes. Strain into a bowl, and press plastic wrap onto surface to keep skin from forming. Refrigerate until cool, at least 1 1/2 hours.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9-inch spring-form pan with 1 tablespoon butter, and dust with 1 tablespoon flour, shaking out excess.
• With an electric mixer, cream the remaining butter and 1 cup sugar together until light and fluffy. Sift together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt, and stir in. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs until they start to foam. Do not overbeat or the cake will be tough. Add eggs and ground almonds to batter, and mix well.
• Scrape batter into the prepared pan. Drop 8 individual tablespoons lemon curd around perimeter of batter, leaving a 1-inch border, and taking care to space drops evenly. Drop 3 to 4 tablespoons curd into center of batter. Refrigerate remaining curd for another use. Sprinkle cake with toasted almonds and 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar, depending on taste.
• Bake until cake is toasty brown on top and a toothpick inserted into cake (not curd) comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let cool on rack 10 minutes, then remove sides of pan, and cool completely.
• Whip cream with almond liqueur. Present cake at table, and offer whipped cream on the side.