Gluten Free Almond Cake
This cake is perfect for the gluten free almond lover in your life. It's moist, has crunchy almonds on top and is EASY to make. By using almond meal, it gives this cake the texture it needs and you can tell it's going to have that nutty taste. My husband said that it reminded him of a smooth Amaretto Liquor (which is a compliment from him). The most difficult part of this cake is convincing others that it's gluten free. (Note: I made this for my daughter's birthday, hence the candle in the middle)
I buy almonds when they're on sale and keep them in the freezer. You can find them sliced, chopped and whole in my freezer at all times. Why do you keep nuts in the freezer you say? Cookinglight.com answered that question, "We all know nuts contain fat. The good news is that it’s primarily the “good” unsaturated fat that’s helpful for lowering cholesterol and keeping your heart healthy. The bad news is that these fats are delicate and can turn rancid when exposed to light, oxygen, and heat—the kind of heat that settles in your cupboards all summer. Moisture can also be a threat in humid climates." I keep my nuts in a zip top bag so I can remove what I need and seal the bag again.
The United States dominates the global production of almonds, followed by traditional almond growers Spain and Italy. California, the largest almond producer in the world, is the only place in North America that grows almond for commercial purposes. Did you know that almonds aren't really classified as a nut? Almonds are stone-fruits or drupes, and although they are “culinary nuts”, they are not botanical nuts. Who knew??
Let's get baking you'll need: bake: 340 degrees 30 mins
1 1/2 cups of ground almond meal (I make my own in a food processor)
1/2 c sugar
3 tbsp olive oil (yup that's right, you want a rich flavor)
4 eggs separated
2 tbsp lemon zest
1 tsp almond extract
1 Maraschino cherry (no stem)
In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks, almond extract, sugar and lemon zest. You will have a thick, bright yellow paste like batter.
Add the ground almond meal to the egg yolk mixture stirring until it's incorporated. Make sure you stir from the bottom up with a rubber spatula to get all the goodness off the bottom of the bowl. Set this aside for now.
We're going to beat our egg whites. You want to whip them until you get soft peaks. That means that you get a peak but it doesn't stand up firm on it's own. You'll see small bubbles around the side of the bowl when you make soft peaks. If you want the cake to be on the sweeter side, you can add 1 tbsp of sugar into the egg whites. Be gentle not to deflate them!
Now comes the fun - we're going to FOLD in the egg whites. If you've never done it before it sounds like a waste of time but this is the only thing that will keep your cake light and fluffy. If you deflate your egg whites you will have a dense cake.
You need to fold 1/3 of the egg whites in at a time. I like to put them on the side of the bowl and gently cut them into the mixture. After the first addition of egg whites, it gets easier to fold them gently into the batter.
Spray a cake pan with vegetable spray (so it doesn't stick).
I like to use a disposable pan so once the cake is done and cooled, I'll put the entire pan in a zip top bag and freeze it for future use. Gently pour the batter into the greased cake pan and top with chopped almonds (sliced will do too) and the cherry in the middle. This is the fun part, the cake with bake around the cherry and your guest will find it when you cut the cake. I got this idea from the Mardi Gras King's Cake, only a cherry is better then a plastic baby!
This would make a great cake to use as a basic recipe to add yummy things to. My mind goes to the holidays and would add candied fruit, walnuts and fresh cranberries for modern version of a fruit cake. Chocolate chips and coconut would bring the familiar flavors of a popular candy bar - YUM!
By adding whole pineapple rings, shredded coconut and a hint of rum, you'll have a cake version of a Pina Colada. I would replace the almond extract with rum extract to bring home the flavors.
Like all my recipes, this is only a foundation for you to build your favorite cake and let the World know what a great baker you are. It's our secret that it's an easy cake to make that punches you with tons of flavor.
Enjoy!