CAKE FEATHER FROSTED LAYER

By gaster16

Ingredients

• Filling:
• 1 cup sifted all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds, ground
• 1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup rum
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Topping:
• 1/3 cup orange marmalade
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) almond paste (not almond filling or marzipan)
• 1-1/4 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons hot water
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds

Preparation

Step 1

Grease and flour an 8" springform pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking powder and salt onto wax paper. Heat milk with butter in a small saucepan until small bubbles appear around edge, cool slightly.

Beat eggs in a small bowl with mixer until foamy. Add the granulated sugar gradually while continuing to beat until mixture is very thick and fluffy. Stir in vanilla.

Fold flour mixture, a third at a time, into eggs, alternating with warm milk, and ending with flour. Pour into pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven fro 35 minutes or until top springs back when lightly pressed with fingertip. Remove to wire rack, cool 10 minutes. Loosen cake around side with a knife, remove side of pan, cool completely.

Split cooled cake carefully into 3 thin layers. Put bottom layer on a cake plate. Mix ground almonds, the 1/4 cup powdered sugar and half of the rum in a small bowl, spread evenly over bottom layer. Press middle layer on top. Mix orange and lemon juices with remaining rum in a cup, sprinkle over middle layer, allowing it to soak in. Put third layer on top.

Heat marmalade in a small saucepan, press through sieve, reserving jelly and discarding fruit pieces. Brush warm jelly over top and side of cake.

Roll out almond paste on a powdered sugar coated surface to a round to fit top of cake. Press round lightly on cake. Blend the 1-1/4 cups powdered sugar with enough hot water to make a smooth frosting. Remove 2 tablespoons of the frosting to a cup, stir in cocoa powder, reserve.

Spread frosting evenly over almond paste. Put cocoa frosting in a wax paper cone or cake decorator fitted with a small round tip. Pipe a spiral of frosting from center of cake outward Using a knife or skewer, draw lines outward forming a feather pattern. Press roasted almonds onto side of cake.