For its flavor, this cake has been one of our favorites since the first time I made it ten years ago for Mark's birthday. Filled with apricot jam, and glazed with orange blossom water, it is a winner. But the original recipe for the cake itself is flawed. It sinks badly.
For these ten years, I have made this almond butter cake and have experienced frustration each time. It tastes so good that we generally don't care what it looks like, but there are times that I want it to look beautiful, too.
I sent the recipe to my friend Billy (who went through culinary school) for his input, and he suggested beating the heck out of the batter to aerate it. I did, but it continued to sink.
Pat, a research scientist here in Tucson, made some suggestions about temperature and pan size. I gave those a try, even changing the oven temperature midway through the baking, but none of his suggestions did the trick.
No one single bit of advice seemed to make a difference.
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| David put out a beautiful spread in our honor... |
In July of 2013, after 18 years together, Mark and I got married and this cake was our choice for the wedding cake. We sent my recipe to our friend David (also a culinary school graduate) - he and his partner David hosted the wedding at their home in San Diego. (The minister was also David...)
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| David's touch of whimsy using the tomato can, and perfect groom cookies from Heather! |
He had the same sagging issue with the cake, and brilliantly masked the problem but putting more apricot jam in the middle to hoist up the center of the round cake. It tasted wonderful, and everybody asked for the recipe... but it still sinks each time. I vowed to make the cake again and again, with different variations each time, until I got it perfect. I decided that once I perfected the recipe, I would share it with you.
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| Gorgeous photos of the wedding taken by OFB (Our Friend Barbara). |
My attempts continued.
When whining about it to our friend Lynn in New York, she found a website that suggested I might be overbeating it. I tried this advice - and it worked. But I had to admit that with that version I also used a combination of different egg sizes - 4 large and 2 jumbo. The next time, I used only large eggs and it sank just a little. I wasn't fully happy...
Then, professional chef Michelle, visiting her parents here in Arizona, reiterated something Mark had once suggested: beating the whites separately, then folding them in. I tried again, this time beating the whites of 3 eggs until stiff, and folding them into the batter. Still, it sank a bit, if only just enough to frustrate me.
So, for our one month anniversary I made it again combining many bits of the advice given by friends above. (My fifth time since the wedding.) I thought I finally had it down, but no such luck. It sank worse than ever.
My attempt last week - and what has turned out to be my most successful to date - was to put together the batter in a food processor à la David Liebowitz and then bake it in two rectangular loaf pans (my idea). It actually worked! So this is the recipe you are getting today. (Note: it really worked pretty well for a round cake pan, as well - it only sank a little...)
San Diego David, by the way, "upgraded" the finishing of the cake for the wedding by adding toasted and sliced almonds on top of the orange-blossom glaze... It looked beautiful and added much to the final presentation, texture and taste. We will make it this way from now on.
In the end, I guess this post could also have been called, "It Takes a Village." From the original recipe (from Odense), to my addition of the apricot jam, to Mark's suggestion to use orange blossom water in the glaze, to the advice I received from Billy, Pat, Michelle, and Lynn, to San Diego David's addition of the sliced almonds, to David Liebowitz's method of processing it, to just figuring it all out, this cake HAS taken a village... but it was worth all the calories in our trials and errors.
However it looks, it remains Mark’s favorite cake, and I made it yet again for his birthday, the version you see here.
~ David
Wedding Almond Butter Cake
1 1/3 cups sugar
7 ounces almond paste
3/4, plus 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 large eggs, at room temperature
1 jar best quality apricot preserves
2 cups confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed and strained orange juice
1 tablespoons orange flower water
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Grease 2 9-inch x 4-inch loaf pans and dust it with flour. Line the bottom and the two long sides of both pans pan with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a food processor, process the sugar, almond paste, and 1/4 cup of flour until the mixture resembles sand. Add the butter and vanilla extract, then process until the batter is very smooth and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, processing a bit before the next addition, scraping the sides down to make sure the eggs are getting fully incorporated.
In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 3/4 cup flour, baking powder, and salt. Add half the flour mixture and pulse the machine a few times, then add the rest, pulsing the machine until the drying ingredients are just incorporated, but do not overmix.
Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pans and bake the cake for 50 minutes, or until the top is deep brown and feels set when you press in the center.
Remove the cake from the oven and run a sharp or serrated knife around the ends that do not have parchment to loosen the cakes. Let the cakes cool 10 minutes in the pan.
Once cool, tap the cakes out of the pan, remove the parchment paper, and set each on a cake plate until cool.
Using a serrated knife, cut the two cakes in half horizontally. Slater the bottoms with an ample amount of apricot preserves, then replace the tops.
Mix confectioners sugar and orange juice over low heat until smooth and evenly blended. Add the orange flower water and mix well. Cool slightly.
Pour glaze evening over both cakes, using a spatula to smooth it out. Allow some drips to go over the sides. Top with sliced almonds.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Each cake serves 6-8. Labels: almond, Almond paste, butter, eggs, food processor, glaze, orange flower water, sliced almonds, wedding cake
