Almond Cake with Orange Creme Fraiche

Almond Cake
from Ellen's kitchen, with thanks to Cook's Illustrated

Almond Cake!

Ingredients for cake:

• 1 1/2 cups plus 1/3 cup blanched sliced almonds, toasted
• 3/4 cups flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tbs sugar
• 1 tbs plus 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest (1-2 lemons)
• 3/4 tsp almond extract
• 5 tbs unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Ingredients for orange creme fraiche:

• 2 oranges
• 1 cup creme fraiche (creme fraiche recipe also on Forkcraft)
• 2 tbs sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt

Adjust:

• oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees.  Grease 9" round cake pan and line with parchment paper. 

Pulse:

• 1 1/2 cups almonds, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in food processor until almonds are finely ground, 5-10 pulses.  Transfer almond mixture to bowl.

Process: 

• eggs, 1 1/4 cups sugar, 1 tbs lemon zest, and almond extract in now empty processor until very pale yellow, about 2 minutes.  With processor running, add melted butter and oil in steady stream, until incorporated.  Add almond/flour mixture and pulse to combine, about 4-5 pulses.   Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Using:

• your fingers, combine remaining 2 tbs sugar and remaining 1/2 tsp lemon zest in small bowl until fragrant, 5-10 seconds.  Sprinkle top of cake evenly with remaining 1/3 cup toasted almonds followed by sugar-zest mixture.  

Bake:

• about 55-65 minutes, or until center of cake is set and bounces back when gently pressed and toothpick comes out clean.  Let cake cook in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes.  Run knife around sides of pan, and invert cake onto greased wire rack, discard parchment, and reinvert cake onto second wire rack.  Let cake cool, about 2 hours.  (store cake in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days).  

Orange Creme Fraiche

Remove:

• 1 tsp zest from 1 orange.  Cut away peel and pith from oranges.  Slice between membranes to release segments and cut segments into 1/4 inch pieces.  Combine orange pieces and zest, creme fraiche, sugar, and salt in bowl and mix well.  Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Almond Cake Slice - Yum!