This delicious Italian-style almond cake is so easy to make, yet has a professional look, with its topping of flaked nuts. Almonds are a big favourite in Italian desserts, sweets and even liqueurs, and the ground almonds in this cake is an absolute dream to eat.
Ingredients:
- 225g butter, softened
- 225g soft brown sugar
- 4 medium eggs
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 125g self raising flour
- 175g ground almonds
- 30g flaked almonds
- 50g dark or milk chocolate, for decoration
Method:
Preheat the oven to 170ºC/150ºC for fan assist oven. Grease and line the base and sides of an 8" deep sided loose bottom cake tin or spring form cake pan, with baking paper.
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go along.
Add the eggs one at the time, adding a little flour between each one to help prevent curdling. Add the remaining flour, Almond extract along with the ground almonds, mix until well combined.
Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pan, scattering the flaked almonds on the top.
This is a slow baked cake. Bake in the centre of the oven for 55-60 minutes or until baked a golden in colour, testing the centre of the cake with a skewer until it comes out clean.
Leave the cake in the tin for 5-10 minutes before turning out onto a cake rack to cool completely.
While the cake is cooling, melt the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water until all the chocolate has melted and is nice and smooth with no lumps.
Using a spoon, drizzle the chocolate over the top of the cake in a zig zag fashion. If you have any left over flaked almonds, scatter them over the top of the melted chocolate before it sets.
Wait until the chocolate has set and the cake has cooled completely before slicing
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