Jam and Almond Cake is easy to make ideal for breakfast or as an afternoon snack. The jam filling can be omitted and it becomes a cake for dipping into coffee or milk in the morning.
This recipe just like the Amaretto Pineapple Upside Down Cake comes from one of my grandmother’s recipe notebooks.
My grandma used to write down recipes in these notebooks, with her tiny and meticulous handwriting typical of a rigorous French teacher.
In her notebooks she also liked to write comments like the one below….
In the highlighted comment “she says it’s delicious..” I totally see my grandmother.
Rosina, her name, made friend with everyone and she could chat for hours on end. She was a French language teacher in the small tuscan town of Borgo Sansepolcro. Every person who studied French was a former pupil. When we walked together around town she stopped to talk to everyone. A 5 min walk would take 1 hour.
It wouldn’t surprise me if this recipe were given to her by some lady met at the table next to her in some random Alpine hut.
In truth I don’t know the exact sources of these recipes. Some of them are hers, and some other seemed to be suggested by someone else, like “Luisa’s Coffee Bomb”, whereas other recipes are cut from magazines.
Nevertheless it is fun leaf through her recipe notebooks looking for something delicious to try. This jam and almond cake recipe is easy and versatile.
I usually incline towards more creamy cakes, but this one has that toasted almond and jam combination that makes it luscious.
Or maybe is just the aroma of toasted almonds that brings back memories…
Jam and Almond Cake
Ingredients
- 150 g flour 5.3 oz
- 150 g cornstarch 5.3 oz
- 150 g butter room temperature (5.3 oz)
- 90 g sugar 3.2 oz
- 4 eggs
- 100 g almond flour or finely ground almonds (3.5 oz)
- 100 g almonds peeled (3.5 oz)
- fresh lemon juice half lemon
- 1 shot glass of Brandy 30g /1 oz
- 2 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- jam for filling to your liking
Instructions
- In a big bowl beat butter and sugar using a handheld mixer, until creamy (about 10 minutes).
- Separate the egg yolks from the whites, put the latter in the fridge.
- Add the yolks one at the time to the butter and sugar, and keep beating until each one is absorbed.
- Add Brandy and lemon juice, and mix well.
- Preheat the oven at 180° (355° F).
- Sift together the flour, the cornstarch and the baking powder. Add salt.
- Finally add the almond flour (or ground almonds) and stir.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine.
- Whip the egg whites to a firm consistency. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the rest of the ingredients.
- Grease and flour the cake pan (or just use non-stick spray), and pour the dough in the pan.
- Back in the preheated oven at 180° (355° F) with the open valve for 45 minutes. If your oven does not have the valve, leave the oven door slightly open using a wooden spoon or a small ball made of aluminum foil.
- Take the pan out of the oven and let it cool off.
- Preheat the grill at 180° (355° F).
- Coarsely cut the almonds with a kitchen knife and place them on an oven tray lined with baking paper.
- Cook under the grill for 5 minutes, or until golden (not burnt).
- Once cold cut the cake in half horizontally and fill it with the jam of choice.
- Cover with the other half. Spread a thin layer of jam on top of, and all around the cake.
- Cover with the crumble of toasted almonds.