This almond cake with mascarpone cream makes for a delicious dessert or afternoon tea. Add billows of lush mascarpone cream and top with your favourite seasonal fruit.
The cake batter is a simple melt and mix recipe so all you need is a bowl, spoon and spatula, a cake pan and an oven in which to bake it.
The combination of cream and mascarpone along with a little sugar and vanilla for the topping makes for a luscious, stable cream. Top with your favourite berries or seasonal fruit.
Almond Cake
A delicious buttery almond cake
Ingredients
Cake batter
- 70 g plain flour
- 200 g icing sugar, sifted
- 120 g almond meal
- 1 tbsp desiccated coconut
- 2 tsp lemon or orange zest
- 5 egg whites
- 175 g butter, melted & cooled
Mascarpone cream
- 250 g mascarpone
- 300 ml thickened cream
- 50 g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
To garnish
- 2 punnets fresh blueberries or raspberries
- 1 punnet edible flowers (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160C. Grease and line the base of a 24 cm fluted tart pan (for fluted edges) or a 24 cm round springform pan for a smooth finish.
- In a mixing bowl combine the flour, icing sugar, almond meal, coconut and zest. Use your hands or a whisk to ensure the dry ingredients are mixed well and evenly dispersed.
- Add egg whites and stir to combine.
- Add melted butter and mix until well incorporated.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Allow the cake to sit for 15 minutes before removing it from the pan.
Mascarpone cream
- Meanwhile, prepare the mascarpone cream. Place all ingredients in a bowl, either of a stand mixer or use a regular mixing bowl, and whisk until the mixture is thick and can be dolloped. You will notice that the whisk will start to leave a trail in the cream, at which point stop whisking and check the consistency.
- When the cake has cooled, dollop the cream evenly on top leaving a border of approximately 3 cm. Use the spatula to create small peaks and troughs for added texture and visual appeal.
- Decorate with your chosen berries and edible flowers (if using).
Notes
This is my go-to friand recipe, originally sourced from an early Donna Hay cookbook.Â
The recipe can also be made into individual friands. Instead of the single cake pan, use a 12 hole muffin or friand pan. Grease each hole with softened butter and line with a strip of baking paper with the ends extending above the pan by 2 cm on each side. This acts as a sling to easily lift the cake from the pan after baking. Stud the batter in each hole with 2 or 3 berries and sprinkle over some flaked almonds if you like.
Reduce baking time to 22-25 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in the centre of the cakes comes out clean.
