A cake to go nuts over!

If staying in from the heat feels familiar, well, I find myself doing just as I did when COVID first came on, staying in, finding productive ways to pass the time, etc.

I like almonds, and have tried more than one almond cake recipe. One of the joys of cooking most of your meals for yourself is stumbling across or scrolling to recipes that resonate with the way you like to cook, and what you know about working with the ingredients. And when its principal ingredient is a favorite, well, if “sometimes you feel like a nut”, the itch is scratched.

This particular recipe comes from an Aussie gent, Arman Liew. It’s easy, not messy, and doesn’t cook so long that you think you’ve brought the outside heat indoors. Too, it’s gluten free, and truly not too sweet. According to the posted recipe, a serving has 1g of net carbs. Not bad at all!

It’s not a tall cake (as you can see in the picture), making it perfect for lighter summer eating, whether for dessert at lunch or dinner, or even as a cake to go with brunch staples. Don’t overlook the suggestions, below.

Now, let’s go nuts!

Almond Flour Cake
courtesy thebigmansworld.com

INGREDIENTS

1-1/2 cups almond flour (get one that’s finely ground)
4 large eggs, at room temperature, and separated
1/2 cup sugar (I like caster sugar; it’s finer, and incorporates more easily)
1 tablespoon lemon zest (fresh, from one medium size lemon)
Sliced almonds (approximately 1/4 cup)
Powdered sugar (for dusting)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Grease a 9″ round pan. (I used butter, and put a parchment round in the bottom of the pan after buttering the pan.)
Separate the eggs, putting the yolks in a large mixing bowl, and the whites in another somewhat large bowl. (Using a small glass bowl to catch the whites will help to ensure that you don’t get any yolk in the whites; that would prevent the egg whites from performing as you want them to in later steps.)
Add the sugar to the egg yolks, and beat until thick and creamy. (The color will lighten to a pale yellow to let you know when it’s done.)
Add the almond flour and the lemon zest, folding until incorporated. Set it aside.
Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold the egg whites into the batter until combined. (I find it easier to do this in stages, using about 1/3 of the whites in each stage. Let me emphasize gentle folding. It’s the egg whites that will give your cake some lift as it cooks, so you want as much air in the batter as your can get.)
Pour the batter into the pan, and using a spatula, gently spread to be sure it’s even and level.
Sprinkle the sliced almonds over the top. (The top won’t be completely covered.)
Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, until the top is golden and firm.
Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes.
Turn the cake out of the pan onto your hand, then place it on a cake plate so that the almonds are on the top. Removing the parchment is up to you.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

SUGGESTIONS

If you want to ramp up the almond flavor, you can add about a 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract as you’re mixing in the flour and lemon zest.

If you like slightly boozy cakes, use Amaretto in place of the almond extract, and use a teaspoon, or a little more.

I like the combination of peaches and almonds, and when peaches are in season, a fresh peach compote poured over a slice would send this cake into the stratosphere.