The AMARETTI AND ALMOND CAKE is a simple yet particularly fragrant and soft cake, perfect for many occasions, from breakfast to an afternoon snack, and also to serve as a dessert at the end of a meal — perhaps accompanied by a delicate zabaglione made with Moscato or Marsala or even just a small glass of these delightful Italian wines.
The cake’s main characteristic is its aroma: the almond is present both mixed into the flour and in the well-known dry biscuits that are crushed and added to the batter. This enhances the fragrance and flavor, making the cake soft and tender, really rich and very indulgent. Preparing this cake requires little effort and takes little time, as you will see.
If you watch the video, you will also be able to see all the steps and reach the goal without troubles, to the compliments of all your guests.
SEE ALSO:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 6-8 people
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 467.34 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 51.69 (g) of which sugars 27.23 (g)
- Proteins 8.75 (g)
- Fat 25.64 (g) of which saturated 11.43 (g)of which unsaturated 13.70 (g)
- Fibers 2.35 (g)
- Sodium 96.38 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (≈4.4 oz / 125 g) butter (softened)
- 3/4 cup (≈5.3 oz / 150 g) sugar
- 3 eggs (medium, at room temperature)
- 3.5 oz (about 2/3 cup / 100 g) almonds
- 3.5 oz (about 1 cup crushed / 100 g) amaretti cookies
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp (≈5 oz / 140 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 tsp (≈5 g) baking powder for cakes
- 2 tbsp (1 fl oz / 30 ml) rum
- as needed powdered sugar (for dusting)
FOR THE AMARETTI AND ALMOND CAKE YOU WILL NEED
- 1 Cake pan
- 1 Food chopper
- 1 Hand mixer
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Sieve
- 1 Spatula
PREPARATION FOR AMARETTI AND ALMOND CAKE
First of all, take the butter out of the fridge 30 minutes before you start preparing the cake. In this case you will need it softened.
Place the almonds on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven at 356°F for 5 minutes or until, when touched with your fingers, they feel quite warm. Remove them, let them cool and put them in a food processor together with the amaretti.
Put the softened butter in a bowl and work it with the sugar until you obtain a smooth cream.
Separate the yolks from the whites and keep the whites aside. Add the yolks one at a time to the butter cream and mix well.
Add the chopped almonds and amaretti, the sifted flour and baking powder. Begin to fold in the dry ingredients and add the rum. Then finish mixing with a spatula. It will be easier because the batter will be fairly firm.
Whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form stiff peaks.
Fold them into the egg mixture with slow movements from the bottom up to avoid deflating them.
Butter and flour an 8-inch pan. Pour in the batter and level the surface. Bake the amaretti and almond cake in a preheated conventional oven at 338°F for 50 minutes.
Do the classic skewer test to check for doneness.
Once baked, let it cool slightly in the oven with the door ajar, then remove it from the oven and let it cool completely.
When cold, unmold it and dust with powdered sugar and perhaps serve with a zabaglione or a custard.
