Chamomile-and-Almond Cake
Published December 16, 2006
Tony Cenicola/The New York Times. Food Stylist: Jill Santopietro.
- Total Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus additional for pan
Flour for pan
¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted
3 ½ tablespoons chamomile tea leaves
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole blanched almonds
¾ cup sugar
Salt
4 large eggs, 1 separated
Grated zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon baking powder
Cooking-oil spray
Confectioners' sugar
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
19 grams carbs; 72 milligrams cholesterol; 220 calories; 7 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 14 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 151 milligrams sodium; 6 grams protein; 14 grams sugar
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
Preheat the oven to 320 degrees. Butter a 9-inch cake pan, then dust with flour. Shake out excess flour. Sprinkle the sliced almonds on the bottom of the pan.
- Step 2
In a food processor, grind the tea, whole almonds, sugar and a large pinch of salt into a paste. If the mixture is dry, add 1 egg white to form a paste. Otherwise, add the white at the end of the processing.
- Step 3
Transfer the almond paste to a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add 1 yolk and 1 egg and beat on medium-low for 1 minute. Add another egg and beat for another minute. Add the last egg and the lemon zest and beat on medium for 5 minutes.
- Step 4
Using as few strokes as possible, fold in the cornstarch and baking powder with a rubber spatula until mostly combined. Pour in the melted butter, a little at a time, folding just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Step 5
Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake until the top is just set, about 40 minutes. Let cool for 3 minutes. Grease a cake plate with cooking-oil spray. Turn the cake out onto the plate. Cool fully, then cover with foil until ready to serve. Dust with confectioners' sugar.
Private Notes
Comments
Could I use almond flour instead of grinding whole almonds? Any idea of how much?
Do you actually use chamomile leaves? Usually it's chamomile flower heads that are used for tea.
Was thinking about adding a touch of cardamom to this - does anyone who has tried it think this might/not work?
Its simple and hard to mess up, the zest is critical, goes fantastic with an unsweetened herbal tea.
Hint: don’t sprinkle the confectioners sugar on top until the day you serve it. I did it the day before, and it soaked into the cake by the next day.
Used Sleepy Time tea bc I was out of pure chamomile & still delighted at the unique chamomile flavor coming through. Definitely use the cooking spray because the inverted cake is a bit sticky at the bottom and I expect it would cut & serve better. I used an 8" ceramic cake form w flower & button design on the bottom and had to bake quite a bit longer to get it to set, but it turned out beautifully for a GF family member. Made a ring of the sliced almonds so the flower would show. Fun GF option!