Warm Almond Cake
After trying the warm almond torte at Giulia (one of the best desserts I've ever had), I was inspired to try and recreate it. While several components didn't quite turn out right, I was really happy with how this turned out. In all honesty, each of the three major components (almond cake, maple sabayon, caramelized apples) can be a dessert in of itself. I was happiest with the cake, which had an incredible taste and texture. It was warm, soft, and fluffy, with a subtle almond flavor. This pairing of ingredients is divine - each ingredient plays off of the others so well. The best part is, the cake itself is incredibly easy to make - it's essentially just adding a lot of stuff into a food processor and pulsing. I'll definitely be making this again in the near future for a party!
Active Time: 1 hr 30 min
Total Time: 2 hr
Ingredients
Almond Cake:
> blanched almonds (1 cup)
> powdered sugar (1 cup)
> egg white (2/3)
> granulated sugar (1 1/4 cup)
> unsalted butter (2 sticks)
> vanilla extract (1/2 tbsp)
> eggs (6)
> flour (1 cup)
> baking powder (1/2 tbsp)
> salt (pinch)
> powdered sugar (for dusting)
Maple Sabayon
> egg yolks (6)
> maple syrup (1/2 cup)
> whiskey (1/4 cup)
Caramelized Apples:
> apples (4)
> honey (5 tbsp)
> butter (3 tbsp)
> cinnamon powder
Toasted Almonds:
> sliced almonds
Instructions
Almond Cake:
1. Make the almond paste. Process blanched almonds (1 cup) and powdered sugar (1/3 cup) in a food processor until very fine. Add the remaining powdered sugar (2/3 cup) and continue pulsing until well incorporated. Finally, add the egg white (2/3), and pulse until it comes together into a somewhat sticky almond paste.
2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
3. Beat granulated sugar (1 1/4 cup) with almond paste (7/8 cup) in food processor.
4. Beat in butter (2 sticks) and vanilla extract (1/2 tbsp). Cream mixture until light and fluffy.
5. Beat in whole eggs (6), one at a time.
6. Mix in flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat thoroughly until completely mixed.
7. Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Pour the batter into it, and smooth the top.
8. Bake for roughly 60-75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and center feels springy.
9. Let cool for 20 minutes before releasing from the springform pan. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Maple Sabayon:
1. Over a double boiler, combine egg yolks, maple syrup, and whiskey.
2. Whisk continuously until the mixture becomes thick and creamy, roughly 8-10 minutes.
Caramelized Apples:
1. In a pan, heat honey and butter over medium-high heat until it caramelizes.
2. Add apples. Cook to desired doneness, occasionally flipping/stirring. Dust with desired amount of cinnamon powder.
Toasted Almonds:
1. Place toasted almonds on a baking sheet. Bake in an 350 degrees F oven for roughly 5 minutes. Remove.
Notes/Tips:
> As a note, this is a pretty big recipe. The cake will be quite thick. Good for at least 8-12 people.
> This maple sabayon recipe didn't quite produce the texture that I was going for. It's very possible that I messed up by not having sufficiently high heat for the double boiler. But I might recommend using less liquid or going for a different recipe.
> The whiskey seems like a strange ingredient to add, but I found that it adds an amazing touch/spice to the maple sabayon!
> Make sure to use an apple that has relatively high acidity (e.g. granny smith) when making the caramelized apples. Otherwise, using an apple like Fuji will lead to an unbalanced, overly sweet taste.
> Consider also using brown sugar instead of honey. It just so happened that my brown sugar completely solidified so I couldn't really use it.
> As usual, make sure to take the butter and eggs out of the fridge early on to ensure they come to room temperature before use.
> Consider using these desserts individually in separate dishes as well! For example, maple sabayon with caramelized pears.
> Here's a link to the recipe I used, in case you're curious: https://alexandracooks.com/2012/12/14/chez-panisse-almond-torte/