Almond Cake

By exdircomp

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar plus 1/4 teaspoon for topping
• 1/4 tsp grated lemon rind
• 1/2 lb Marcona almonds, finely ground
• 7 eggs, separated
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 pint whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon brandy (optional)
• Chopped or ground toasted almonds for garnish

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Preparation:
- Cream 1 cup sugar, lemon rind, and egg yolks until the mixture is light and fluffy.

- Stir in the almonds and cinnamon.

- Beat the egg whites until they are stiff, but not dry.

- Stir a few tablespoons of the egg white into the almond mixture, then fold in the rest of the egg whites.

- Pour into 2 greased 8-inch layer pans and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes or until the cakes are well browned. Cool briefly, then remove the cakes from the pans.

- To make topping, whip 1/2 pint of whipping cream, 1/4 teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon very strong brandy (optional) until stiff.

- Spread between the cake layers, then coat the top and sides of the cake. Garnish with chopped almonds.

- An alternative is to use the filling inside, then sprinkle the top with powdered sugar after placing a 4-inch Cross in the center. The end result is a brown cross on a field of powdered sugar.