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Ingredients
- 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
- 1 1/3 cup superfine sugar
- 8 oz cake flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp ground mace
- 7 oz almond paste, broken up into small pieces
- 8 oz unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into half ounce (tablespoon-sized) pieces
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 egg yolks, room temperature
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 tsp orange blossom water
Details
Servings 1
Preparation
Step 1
1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Prepare the cake pans by greasing the bottoms and sides with melted or softened butter. Place a parchment circle on the bottom of each cake pan. Set aside.
3. Split and scrape the vanilla bean. Use the dull side of a paring knife to scrape out the vanilla bean seeds and add them to the sugar. Use your fingers to disperse the vanilla bean seeds throughout the sugar. Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, salt, ground cardamom, and ground mace. Set aside.
5. In a measuring cup combine the buttermilk and orange blossom water. Set aside.
6. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix the vanilla sugar and almond paste on medium-low speed until the mixture takes on a sandy appearance. Begin to add the butter pieces, waiting until each piece has been mostly incorporated before adding the next. Once all of the butter has been added, cream on medium speed for 3-5 minutes, stopping halfway through to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
7. Scrape down the sides of the bowl before adding the eggs. With the mixer on medium speed add the eggs in a slow stream, stopping halfway through to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Raise the speed to medium and mix for 3-5 minutes or until the mixture is almost tripled in volume, stopping halfway through to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Set aside.
8. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredient mix to a clean bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low speed until just combined. Add 1/2 of the liquid ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add all the next 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Proceed in the same fashion until all of the remaining ingredients have been used up. After the last addition, mix on low speed until mostly incorporated. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and finish the batter by folding by hand so as to not overmix.
9. Divide evenly between the two pans and bake for 20 minutes. Check the pans at this point and rotate. The cakes are done when the surface of the pan springs back when (lightly!) touched and a 1/8" gap forms between the cake and the sides of the pan.
Makes one 8" layer cake. Suggested filling/frosting: Rhubarb Buttercream.
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