SPANISH ALMOND CAKE

By á-6498

Ingredients

• 6 large eggs separated
• 2 cups ground almonds
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 2 tbsp amaretto liqueur
• 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• Pinch of salt

Preparation

Step 1

Butter a 10 x 15 inch jelly roll pan (cookie sheet) and line with wax paper. Butter again and coat with flour, tapping out the excess. Beat egg yolks with the 3/4 cup sugar, until mixture thickens forming a ribbon which leaves a trail when beaters are lifted up. Add almond extract and ground almonds. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until satiny peaks form. Mix a little beaten egg white into the yolk mixture, then fold remainder of the egg white in with a large spatula. Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth it out. Bake at 350 F for 15 - 20 minutes, or until cake pulls away from the sides of the. pan. Cool for a few minutes, then invert pan onto a piece of paper sprinkled with sugar. Peel off the wax paper, and leave cake to become cold. To assemble have ready a square or rectangular serving platter. Divide cake into two equal pieces. Place one piece on platter. Beat cream until softly stiff. Do not overheat. Add 1/2 tsp of sugar. Fold in amaretto and spread about 1/3 of whipped cream on bottom cake layer. Place the other layer on top and coat cake smoothly with another third of the whipped cream. Place remaining whipped cream in a pastry bag fitted with a star tube and squeeze whirls of cream around edge of cake. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and refrigerate. This cake is even better the next day. Makes 10 - 12 servings.
* Another version is to serve it a a roll. Invert cake on a tea towel sprinkled with
sugar. Peel the wax paper from the cake, then roll the cake and towel up loosely
together. When the cake is cold, carefully unroll it and spread with some of the
whipped cream mixture. Reroll and place cake, seam side down, on a serving platter.
Refrigerate until read to serve. Decorate with remaining whipped cream and garnish
with slices of fresh fruit if desired.
* Another version is to use ground filberts instead of almonds and you have a
German dessert instead.