Ingredients
- For the cake:
- 2/3 cup slivered almonds
- 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- grated zest of 2 lemons
- 1 tbs baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tbs cold unsalted butter
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- For the filling:
- 4 oz semisweet chocolate
- 3 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
- grated zest of 1 orange
- 1 tbs golden rum
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- For the almond brittle:
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup almonds
Preparation
Step 1
To make the almond cake, preheat oven to 325F. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast until light brown, 8-10 minutes. Transfer to food processor. Add 1/4 cup of the flour and process until flour forms.
In a bowl, combine the remaining 3 cups flour, the nut flour, brown sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, salt. Mix with mixer until fine crumbs form. In small bowl, whisk egg and vanilla then add to flour mixture. Mix lightly, batter should be crumbly.
To make the filling, coarsely chop the chocolate. Combine the ricotta, zest, rum, and sugar in a bowl. Beat until light and fluffy. Fold in chocolate and almond brittle until just distributed.
Grease a 10 inch springform pan. Increase the oven to 350F. Pour half of the batter into the pan, using a large rubber spatula, mound it slightly higher around the edges than in the center. Gently and evenly tamp down to flatten any bubbles. Spread the cheese filling over the batter in an even layer, leaving a 1 inch margin around the edge. Spread the remaining batter in an even layer over the cheese right up to the pan sides. Gently and evenly tamp to flatten the batter.
Bake until the top is golden brown, 40-45 minutes. Cool and dust with powdered sugar.
For almond brittle:
Grease a large baking sheet and a large metal spatula. In a large heavy frying pan over medium heat, cook the sugar, shaking gently, until it liquefies and turns golden. Remove from the heat and stir in the almonds. Pour onto the prepared sheet and press with the spatula into a single layer. Let cool to room temperature, then break into 1/2 inch pieces.