Almond Cake With Cardamom and Pistachio
- Total Time
- 1½ hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- ½cup vegetable oil, plus additional for pan
- 7large eggs, separated
- 1cup sugar
- 1tablespoon almond extract
- 4½cups plus 1 tablespoon/420 grams almond flour (see tip)
- 2teaspoons ground cardamom
- 1 to 2tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
- 3 to 4tablespoons finely chopped pistachio nuts, for garnish
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
660 calories; 52 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 21 grams sugars; 21 grams protein; 43 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 9-inch round or square pan and set aside. Using a stand mixer, whisk egg whites until stiff but not dry, and set aside.
- Step 2
In a medium bowl, combine egg yolks and sugar, and whisk to blend. Whisk in almond extract and oil. Add almond flour and cardamom. Gently stir a third of the whites into the batter, then gently fold in the rest until just incorporated.
- Step 3
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and finish cooling on a rack. To decorate, dust with confectioners’ sugar and chopped pistachios.
- If you want to grind your own almond flour, start with 3 cups nuts. Using a large food processor, pulse almonds until very finely ground, stirring once or twice to prevent them from turning into a paste.
Private Notes
Comments
No don't understand what I'm supposed to do with that 1 tablespoon of almond flour. Does it go in the batter with the 4-1/2 cups, is it scattered on top of the finished cake? If it's part of the batter, why the alternative of only 1 tablespoon of matzo meal? I'm confused...
This is a great cake but a couple of cautions: be prepared for a very stiff batter which makes for some heavy folding of the whites; in addition to oiling the pan, cut a circle of parchment paper or waxed paper to line the bottom and oil that too. Otherwise it can be difficult to get the cake out of the pan.
We made this for Easter Sunday dinner. Served it with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. It was fantastic!
A few changes to the recipe:
-Halved the cardamom. I like cardamom, but two teaspoons seemed a bit much. This was the right call. It ended up being subtle, but not overpowering.
-Used a little less than a tablespoon of almond extract, and added a teaspoon and a half of vanilla extract.
-Left in the oven for an hour and ten minutes.
We'll make it again!
Beware the grams to cups conversion. This recipe calls for 420 grams/4.5 cups. I bought 2 bags of almond flour, each package says, 16 oz/453 grams. If you go with the 16oz, you will assume 2 cups, and the recipe calls for 4.5 cups. I should have gone with the grams measurement, not cups. The batter became too stiff to use a mixer after the first bag so I hand-kneaded in 1/2 cup more. I should have only used a little less than one bag.
A good, not yet great-for-me cake. I did like the simplicity of the recipe. Made as is, with the exception of adding ½ teaspoon salt, since there was none. Mixing in the egg whites does take time and effort. Because I ended up with some lumps of almond flour, next time I will sift beforehand. For my tastes, I do think the almond essence is a little overwhelming (and I like almond desserts), so next time I will try ½ almond and ½ vanilla extracts. I also want to try the partial sub of ground pistachio suggestion from another baker, which I think will bring more complexity to the cake.
Delicious, excellent texture. The only change I’d recommend is reducing the almond extract by 50%. It was a bit overwhelming.