The almond cake with mascarpone cream is one of those striking and elegant desserts that can be made with minimal effort. The base of this cake is prepared without flour, using only eggs, sugar, chopped almonds, lemon zest and melted butter, and is therefore suitable for those who are gluten intolerant.
The cream also requires only a few ingredients: white chocolate, cream, mascarpone and lemon zest. Nothing else. I assure you that the combination of the sweet, velvety cream with the coarser base from the chopped almonds is really excellent!
If you like almond desserts, also try these recipes of mine:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Rest time: 3 Days
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 10 pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup almonds (finely chopped)
- 3 eggs
- 6 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 lemon (zest)
- 4 tbsp butter (melted)
- 4.4 oz white chocolate
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 8.8 oz mascarpone
- 1 lemon (zest)
- to taste lemon zest (optional)
Steps
To prepare the almond cake with mascarpone cream, line the bottom of a cake pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 356°F (conventional).
Put the almonds in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, but not reduced to powder.
Separate the yolks from the whites and whip the whites to stiff peaks with 2 tbsp of sugar.
In another bowl, beat the yolks with the remaining sugar (4 tbsp) and the grated zest of the previously washed lemon until you get a creamy mixture. Add the melted butter and continue beating for a few minutes until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
Add the chopped almonds and stir briefly with the beaters.
Finally, gently fold in the whipped egg whites using a spatula, making lifting motions from the bottom upward.
Pour the batter into the cake pan, spread evenly and bake at 356°F for 25–30 minutes. Do the toothpick test to check doneness.
Remove from the oven, wait about fifteen minutes, remove the cake from the pan and let cool on a rack.
To prepare the mascarpone cream, chop the white chocolate and place it in a bowl.
Heat the cream until it just begins to simmer and pour it over the chopped white chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
When the mixture has completely cooled, add the grated zest of the previously washed lemon and beat with electric beaters until creamy and airy. Add the mascarpone and beat again until you obtain a velvety cream.
Spread the mascarpone cream over the cooled cake base. You can do this simply with the back of a spoon, without being too precise. Finish by garnishing with some lemon zest.
Store the almond cake with mascarpone cream in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
