Almond Cake

Recipe from Elizabeth Friend

Adapted by Amanda Hesser

Almond Cake
Craig Lee for The New York Times
Total Time
1 hour 45 minutes
Rating
5(2,230)
Comments
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This exquisite recipe came to The Times in a 2001 article by Amanda Hesser about the first meal her now mother-in-law, Elizabeth Friend, prepared for her. The meal ended with this simple almond cake. Ms. Hesser wrote: “It had a crust, fragile like a dry leaf, that led to a moist, downy layer of ground almonds and sugar. It was a perfect dessert. And it punctuated one of the great meals of my life.” It's not the prettiest cake in the world – Ms. Friend called it “the Shar-Pei of cakes” because it crumbles on the edges and falls in the middle – but it is flawless otherwise. If you care about looks, dust it with confectioners’ sugar and top it with fresh berries as we've done in the picture. It also improves with age and can be made 1 to 2 weeks ahead. Store it covered in or out of the fridge. Finally, this recipe makes two 8-inch cakes, so give one away or freeze one for a rainy day. —Amanda Hesser

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Ingredients

Yield:2 8-inch cakes, 8 servings each
  • 2sticks butter, softened, more for buttering pan
  • 2cups sifted all-purpose flour (measured after sifting)
  • ½teaspoon salt
  • 1½cups granulated sugar
  • 7-ounce tube almond paste
  • 4egg yolks, room temperature
  • 1teaspoon almond extract
  • 1cup sour cream
  • 1teaspoon baking soda
  • Confectioners’ sugar, for sifting over cake
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

663 calories; 37 grams fat; 19 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 77 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 49 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 322 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter sides and bottoms of 2 8-inch cake or springform pans; line sides and bottoms with parchment paper. Butter paper. Place pans in freezer.

  2. Step 2

    Sift flour and salt into a small bowl. Set aside. In a mixer fitted with a paddle, beat butter and granulated sugar at high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add almond paste, a little at a time at medium speed, and beat 8 minutes. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, and almond extract. Mix sour cream and baking soda and add to butter mixture. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add flour mixture, just until blended.

  3. Step 3

    Divide batter between prepared pans and spread evenly. Bake about 40 minutes to an hour, until tops are golden and spring back when lightly pressed and cakes shrink from sides of the pans. Cool in pans on wire rack. Remove sides of pans and remove paper. When ready to serve, sift confectioners’ sugar on top and slice like pie.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
2,230 user ratings
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Comments

Jeff Johnson

I love this. In 2001, I found the NYT magazine lying around in the Seattle airport and tore out the recipe pages. I still have them, right now they are stuck to the front of the fridge because I am about to make it again to send to a family member who has gotten it many times on her birthday. Only modifications: skimp a little on the sugar; be generous with the almond flavoring; yogurt instead of sour cream; all in one 10" pan.

The Best!

I love this recipe so much. I make it all the time. It’s great to bring to a party or just to eat at home with the family for a nice treat. Or, since it makes two, do both! The is nearly perfect as-written but I do recommend slightly less sugar (I use just one cup). Also, no need to buy pricey almond paste: 1 cup almond flour (bulk section is a cheap way to buy), 1/2 cup powder sugar, 1/2 tsp almond extract, 1 egg white, pinch of salt. Put all in a food processor and voila! 7 oz almond paste.

CJ

226 g butter 240g all-purpose flour 300g granulated sugar 200g almond paste 240g sour cream Hope this helps for bakers outside of US

C.E.A.

Question: what's the purpose of adding the baking soda to the sour cream, versus adding it to the dry ingredients?

Suzy

@C.E.A. It seems the sour cream/baking soda combo gives a kind of buttermilk effect which adds tenderness to the cake. If you did add the baking soda to the flour, it would probably be just fine.

cookingkh

Made ten of these cakes from the David Lebovitz website for my daughters wedding at the shore. They freeze beautifully. As he recommends, combine almond paste and sugar in the food processor. We decorated them with powdered sugar and one each dinner plate dahlia( wedding was in September) placed on various heights of white cake stands. Placed a huge bowl of fresh berries and a punch bowl of whipped cream alongside. Wedding cakes were a hit!

Eric

anybody know if this would work with chestnut cream rather than almond paste? I bought some in France... thanks

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Credits

Adapted from Elizabeth Friend

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