Almond Cake

I’ve been putting off writing this entry for some time. Not because of any concern regarding the recipe, which is perfectly straightforward and worked really well.

Actually, come to think of it, that IS the problem: the recipe is perfectly straightforward and works really well. Given that, what do I have to say? Not much. I mean, my gig here is to dazzle you with my poor-man’s-Oscar-Wilde-style witticisms while giving you helpful tips and tricks to make your culinary life easier. But that typically means that there are rough patches that I have to smooth over, or moments where the recipe or technique seems tricky. And that just isn’t the case here.

I mean, I can tell you a bit about the chef who created the recipe, Lidia Bastianich. She has a number of cooking shows on PBS, all of which highlight her charming demeanor and present her as everyone’s favorite Italian grandmother. Except that the phrase “Italian grandmother” implies home cooking, housewifery, and the domestic sphere—not that there’s anything wrong with those things. But in addition to being an Italian grandmother, Bastianich is also a master chef who owns six restaurants and two gourmet food stores in four different cities. But whether by accident or design, this is downplayed on the TV shows, which showcase her in her home kitchen, and almost never in her restaurant kitchens. There’s probably a conference paper on gender roles in there somewhere.

But that doesn’t really have any bearing on this cake, which I pretty much prepared as written. The only changes were that I used mini chocolate chips in mine, as I thought they would be kind of pretty, and I used orange zest instead of lemon. #YOLO. 

Anyway, you begin by sifting the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. 

 

Next, you need to cream the butter and sugar together. It's best to use an electric mixer for this, as it's quite a chore by hand. This takes about five minutes or so by my reckoning, two by Lidia's—do as you see fit.



Beat in the eggs, one at a time and marvel at the amazing action photography on display.



Add the aforementioned orange or lemon zest as well as some almond extract.



Now beat the hell out of it.



Well, not really. But beat it on high speed for a couple of minutes so that it's rather fluffy. Then we start to add the flours. You turn the mixer speed down to low and add both the sifted flour mixture and almond flour a bit at a time, mixing a bit after each addition. This is pretty standard cake making procedure. 



Quick note on almond flour—it's basically just ground almonds. You can make it yourself by puréeing almonds in a food processor, but you have to be careful, because if you overdo it, you end up making almond butter. Adding some sugar to the almonds helps prevent this. But almond flour (sometimes labeled almond meal) is increasingly available in stores, and I was quite happy to find it at my local Trader Joe's. It can also be mail-ordered from King Arthur Flour and other online vendors. Anyway, after you've added all the dry stuff, you get something like this:



Add the chocolate chips (mini or regular) and you get this:



Forgot to mention it before, but you should've preheated your oven to 350F/175C by now. You also should've generously buttered a 10-inch springform cake pan. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, scatter sliced almonds over the top, and bake for about 45 minutes. I've just realized that Lidia says to toast the sliced almonds first, something I neglected to do. But they toasted in the oven, so it doesn't appear to be crucial. 

After 45 minutes, you get this:



Cool the cake on a wire rack (again, standard cake baking procedure) for a bit before releasing the spring and removing the outer ring of the pan. For reasons that escape me now, I put the cake rack on top of my cast-iron skillet, which is why the final shot looks like I baked the cake in a skillet. Look, I have a small kitchen; these things happen when space is at a premium.



Here is one more point where I differ from Bastianich—and from pastry chefs in general, actually. She has you dust the cake with powdered sugar before serving. I'm tired of this. I mean, I don't mind a light dusting, but a lot of restaurants unleash a blizzard of powdered sugar all over a dessert before it leaves the kitchen. It hides the beauty of the dish (or covers a multitude of sins) and overwhelms its flavor. So a little is fine, but let's not overdo it. And why do they keep putting sprigs of mint on desserts? Is it because mint is the only "dessert herb"? Unless the dessert is mint-flavored, I say don't do it. Desserts do not need these over-elaborate and superfluous garnishes.

Deep breath. Calm down.

This is a really good cake. Try it soon. Bon appetìt, y’all. Or if you prefer Bastianich's tagline, Tutti a tavola a mangiare. 

Lidia Bastianich, Lidia’s Favorite Recipes

Almond Torta with Chocolate Chips

1¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

10 ounces (2 ½ sticks) butter, softened, plus more for the pan

1 cup sugar

5 large eggs

Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated (about 2 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon pure almond extract

2 cups almond flour or almond meal

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

½ cup sliced blanched almonds, lightly toasted

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Arrange a rack in the center of the oven, and heat to 350 degrees F.

Sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the lemon zest and almond extract, then raise the speed to high and beat the batter until very light, a minute or more. At low speed, mix in half of the sifted flour mixture, beating just until it is incorporated; beat in half the almond flour. Scrape the bowl, and mix in the remaining all-purpose flour and remaining almond flour. Beat briefly at medium speed to a smooth batter, then, again on low speed, mix in the chocolate chips, just until evenly distributed.

Scrape the batter into a buttered and floured 10-inch springform pan, and spread it in an even layer. Scatter the sliced almonds all over the top.

Bake the torta for 45 minutes— rotating the pan halfway through the baking time— or until the cake is golden brown on top and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for about 10 minutes on a wire rack. Run the blade of a paring knife around the edge of the cake, then open the spring and remove the side ring.

Cool the cake completely before serving. Cut it into wedges, and dust with confectioners’ sugar.