This flourless almond cake is one of best cakes I have ever tasted and perfect for the Passover holiday. It has 8 ingredients doesn’t need any fancy equipment, is gluten free, extremely delicious, and comes together in less than 10 minutes plus baking time. If I had to compare it to anything I would say it tastes like a big moist almond macaron – and there’s nothing wrong with that!
I don’t usually change ingredients the first time I try a new recipe. However, I misread how much sugar to put in and used less than called for and it was perfect. I love when there are happy accidents! I also sprinkled one less tablespoon of sugar on top just because I was being frugal, and it tasted just right! The sugar and almonds on top add a nice crunch in contrast to the moist and dense cake. All-in-all my family gave this cake a 10 and I agree.
I adapted it from Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street. It’s a take on a Spanish Almond Cake (Tarta De Santiago) and originally contains citrus and cinnamon. On the show, they made two different almond cakes and the minute I saw them, I thought they would be perfect for Passover, and I was right. I can’t wait to try the other one – spoiler alert, it has chocolate in it!!!!!! Serve with lightly sweetened non-dairy whipped cream and some berries. Have a sweet holiday and as always – Enjoy!
ingredients
1 scant cup sugar (meaning 1 tablespoon less than a cup)
3 extra-large eggs plus 3 extra-large egg whites
½ teaspoon almond extract
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
2 tablespoons turbinado or demerara sugar
1/3 to 1/2 cup sliced almonds
optional: serve with lightly sweetened non-dairy or dairy whipped cream and berries
Since it’s tough to get some ingredients, I’ve started adding substitutions and options on my posts at this time: large eggs will work fine too, I only keep extra-large in my house because that’s all my mom used so I do too. If you don’t have kosher for Passover extracts you can skip it all together but then when making it any other time of year, add it. If you don’t have turbinado or demerara sugar you can swap in white sanding sugar or 1 tablespoon regular table sugar. You can also use an 8” pan if you don’t have a 9” it will just be higher which is fine, just sprinkle with 1/3 cup almonds instead of 1/2 cup.
directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and set the rack to the center of the oven. Line the bottom of a 9 inch round cake pan with parchment paper and spray sides and bottom with cooking spray. You may also brush with oil if you would like.
In a large bowl, combine the white sugar, whole eggs and egg whites, salt and both extracts. Whisk vigorously (about 1 minute) until well combined and frothy. Add the almond flour and whisk until incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan then sprinkle with the turbinado sugar and then the sliced almonds.
Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and the crust feels firm in the center when pressed. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
Run a knife around the edges of the cake, then invert onto a place. Remove the pan and parchment then re-invert onto a serving plate. Let the cake cool completely before serving.
