Flourless Almond Cake

Adapted from From Baklava to Tarte Tatin by Bernard Laurance (Rizzoli, 2016)

Serves 6 to 8

This will be a thin disc of a cake to be served with whipped cream. I usually add a little Amaretto liqueur (Luxardo is the brand I like) to the cream before I whip it. It’s also good with vanilla ice cream.

Don’t use almond flour for this recipe. I blitz my own unblanched almonds not quite as fine as commercial almond flour. I can’t quite decide if I notice the difference between toasting the almonds and not toasting them, which probably means it’s not necessary.

This recipe is for an 8-inch pan. If you want to use a 6-inch pan to make a very small cake, simply cut the recipe in half.

This is best made the day before you are going to serve it, but don’t let that stop you if you want to make it the same day you are going to eat it; just make it early in the day.

Note on Butter: I use Kerrygold Butter and keep both salted and unsalted butter in the house. This recipe calls for unsalted butter, but I have started to use salted butter in my baking recipes so I would say use whichever you prefer.

120 grams unsalted butter, melted and cooled but still liquid, plus more for coating the pan
200 grams unblanched whole almonds (almonds with their skins on), raw or roasted but definitely unsalted
¼ teaspoon salt
100 grams confectioner’s sugar, sifted (I sift through a coarse sieve, not a flour sifter)
100 grams granulated sugar (I like Domino’s Golden Sugar)
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325°F, not convection. If you're going to toast the almonds, now is the time to do it. Toast them in the oven for 8 minutes, stirring at the 4-minute mark. Cool.

Generously butter the sides of an 8-inch cake pan and then line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper cut to fit. Do not butter the parchment paper.

Blitz the almonds in a food processor, but don’t grind them as fine as commercial almond flour. They should not be reduced to a powder.

In a large bowl combine the blitzed almonds, salt, sifted confectioner’s sugar, and granulated sugar.

Beat the eggs with the vanilla extract in a small bowl, then add to the dry ingredients along with the cooled-but-still-liquid melted butter. Mix until smooth and the butter is completely incorporated. The batter should be quite thick. Scrape it into the prepared cake pan and, using a small offset spatula, smooth the top.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out (sort of) clean. (In my oven, 40 minutes is just right.) You want to turn it out of the pan quickly. After 2—but no more than 5—minutes, carefully run a small straight metal spatula or the blade of a thin knife around the cake in the pan. If it seems to be “pulling,” wait a minute and try again. After you have done this, release the cake. If it doesn’t seem to release right away, hold it upside down for a minute and it will release.

Cool before serving.