Almond Cake
Updated February 20, 2018
Craig Lee for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 1 hour 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
2 sticks butter, softened, more for buttering pan
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour (measured after sifting)
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
7-ounce tube almond paste
4 egg yolks, room temperature
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon baking soda
Confectioners’ sugar, for sifting over cake
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings each)
77 grams carbs; 150 milligrams cholesterol; 663 calories; 13 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 19 grams saturated fat; 37 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 322 milligrams sodium; 7 grams protein; 49 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 oven to 325 degrees. Butter sides and bottoms of 2 8-inch cake or springform pans; line sides and bottoms with parchment paper. Butter paper. Place pans in freezer.
- Step 2
Sift flour and salt into a small bowl. Set aside. In a mixer fitted with a paddle, beat butter and granulated sugar at high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add almond paste, a little at a time at medium speed, and beat 8 minutes. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, and almond extract. Mix sour cream and baking soda and add to butter mixture. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add flour mixture, just until blended.
- Step 3
Divide batter between prepared pans and spread evenly. Bake about 40 minutes to an hour, until tops are golden and spring back when lightly pressed and cakes shrink from sides of the pans. Cool in pans on wire rack. Remove sides of pans and remove paper. When ready to serve, sift confectioners’ sugar on top and slice like pie.
Private Notes
Comments
I love this. In 2001, I found the NYT magazine lying around in the Seattle airport and tore out the recipe pages. I still have them, right now they are stuck to the front of the fridge because I am about to make it again to send to a family member who has gotten it many times on her birthday. Only modifications: skimp a little on the sugar; be generous with the almond flavoring; yogurt instead of sour cream; all in one 10" pan.
I love this recipe so much. I make it all the time. It’s great to bring to a party or just to eat at home with the family for a nice treat. Or, since it makes two, do both! The is nearly perfect as-written but I do recommend slightly less sugar (I use just one cup). Also, no need to buy pricey almond paste: 1 cup almond flour (bulk section is a cheap way to buy), 1/2 cup powder sugar, 1/2 tsp almond extract, 1 egg white, pinch of salt. Put all in a food processor and voila! 7 oz almond paste.
226 g butter 240g all-purpose flour 300g granulated sugar 200g almond paste 240g sour cream Hope this helps for bakers outside of US
Given all the 5 star reviews I expected this cake to blow my taste buds away, it didn’t. Has the flavor of any almond croissant… which I like… but it is too gooey to be called a cake…the middle collapse is annoying and again… so gooey, wet and dense in the middle. Just meh.
The "ingredient substitution guide" does not have any substitute for the massive amount of sugar in this (and other) recipes. Any suggestions???
Question: what's the purpose of adding the baking soda to the sour cream, versus adding it to the dry ingredients?
@C.E.A. It seems the sour cream/baking soda combo gives a kind of buttermilk effect which adds tenderness to the cake. If you did add the baking soda to the flour, it would probably be just fine.