Almond Sponge Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place almonds in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet; toast until golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack, and let almonds cool.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Place the cooled almonds and the cornstarch in bowl of a food processor. Process until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Set aside.
• Butter two 6-inch-round layer-cake pans. Line pans with parchment paper, and butter again. Flour pans, and set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix together egg yolks and vanilla. With mixer on high speed, gradually add 1/4 cup sugar. Beat until pale, thick, and light, about 5 minutes. Transfer egg-yolk mixture to a large bowl; set aside. Wash and dry mixer bowl and attachment.
• Place egg whites and salt in the clean mixer bowl. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Increase the speed to high, and gradually add the remaining sugar. Beat until stiff and glossy, about 4 minutes.
• Fold the egg-white mixture into the egg-yolk mixture. In three additions, fold the reserved ground-almond mixture into this new mixture. Divide the batter between the two prepared pans, and smooth the tops with an offset spatula.
• Bake cakes until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool, about 25 minutes. Turn out cakes, and cover with plastic wrap until ready to use.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Grind almonds in electric blender or pound in mortar to fine paste. Beat three whole eggs and three yolks with sugar and salt until thick and light yellow.
• Fold in three egg whites beaten to stiff peak. Gradually sift in flour mixed with ground almonds.
• Fold no more than necessary to make an evenly blended mixture. Pour into 9-inch loaf pan either lined with wax paper or lightly buttered and sprinkled with flour.
• Bake 25 to 30 minutes in 375F oven or until toothpick inserted in middle of cake comes out clean.
• Invert cake over rack or wax paper sprinkled with powdered sugar.
• If you have used wax paper, cake will come out instantly; wait until it cools to remove the paper on which it baked. If you have not used wax paper, leave cake inverted in pan until cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.
• Makes one 9-inch loaf cake.

Steps:

• Whip the egg whites till very stiff with salt and baking soda. Add the sugar a little at a time while continuously beating. Mix cornstarch and almonds. Fold into meringue. Spread batter into two circles, roughly 21 cm in diameter, on baking paper. Bake in the middle of the oven at 150 degrees Celcious for about an hour. Let cool on a grill.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, cake flour and baking powder. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and almond paste on high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add vanilla extract and slowly pour in confectioners' sugar. Mix until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Raise speed to high and add the egg yolks and whole eggs, one at a time. Reduce speed to medium and add the sour cream and dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.
• Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. Bake in the lower third of the oven for 35 minutes, or until the cake is golden and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool. Remove from pan and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and make sure there's a shelf ready in the middle. Butter and line the bases of two 20cm round sandwich tins with baking paper.
• Using electric beaters, beat together all the cake ingredients with a pinch of salt until smooth, then spoon into the tins and level the tops. Bake for 30 mins or until golden and springy. Don't open the oven before 25 mins cooking time has passed.
• When they're ready, cool the sponges for a few mins, then tip out of the tins and cool completely on a wire rack. Make sure the top of one of the cakes is facing up as you'll want a smooth surface for the icing later on.
• When cool, put one sponge on a serving plate, then spread with jam. Sandwich the second sponge on top. Sieve the icing sugar into a large bowl. Add the water or lemon juice, then stir until smooth and thick. Spread evenly over the top and let it dribble over the sides. Scatter with the nuts and leave to set for a few mins before cutting.

Steps:

• Butter two 20cm loose-bottomed round sandwich tins and line with baking parchment. Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 4. Tip the butter and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer and beat for 10 mins, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt and the milk. Spoon the batter into the prepared tins and bake in the centre of the oven for 22-25 mins, or until risen and firm to the touch. Leave to cool in the tins for 5 mins before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• Put the cherries, vanilla, sugar, lemon juice and kirsch or liqueur (if using) in a pan and bring to a simmer over a low heat. Cook for 5 mins, turn up the heat to medium and cook for 5-7 mins more until the liquid becomes syrupy. If the cherries are softened but the liquid isn't yet syrupy, strain the liquid into a separate pan and simmer until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
• Beat the cream and icing sugar together using an electric whisk until the cream has thickened, then fold in the custard and chill for 1 hr.
• Put one of the sponges on a cake plate or stand and spread over the custard cream. Spoon over the cherries, then top with the second sponge. Dust with more icing sugar and serve immediately. Leftovers will keep chilled for two days and are best served at room temperature.

Steps:

• Line a greased jelly-roll pan, 15 1/2 by 10 1/2 by 1 inches, with wax paper, grease the paper, and dust the pan with flour, knocking out the excess. Into a bowl sift together the flour, the salt, and the baking powder and whisk in the almonds. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together the egg yolks, 3/4 cup of the sugar, and the zest until the mixture is very thick and pale, beat in the lemon juice, the vanilla, and the almond extract, and beat the mixture for 3 to 5 minutes, or until it forms a ribbon when the beater is lifted. Add the flour mixture and beat the batter until it is just combined. In another bowl with cleansed beaters beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form soft peaks, beat in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, a little at a time, and beat the whites until they form stiff peaks. Whisk one third of the whites into the batter to lighten it and fold in the remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake it in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cake is golden and a tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, invert it onto a rack, and discard the wax paper. Invert the cake onto another rack and let it stand, uncovered, overnight to dry out. Cut the cake with a serrated knife into 3/4-inch cubes.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat egg whites in small bowl with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar, beating until stiff and shiny; set aside.
• Beat egg yolks and remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 10 min. or until thick and lemon colored. Add almonds, orange zest and juice; beat 1 min. or until well blended. Gently stir in matzo cake meal and potato starch. Add egg white mixture; stir gently until well blended. Spread into ungreased 10-inch tube pan.
• Bake 50 min. to 1 hour or until golden brown. Invert cake onto wire rack; cool completely in pan. Loosen cake from pan; remove from pan to serving plate. Sprinkle with the powdered sugar.