I needed a desert to take to Sue's for dinner and one of the guests is very lactose intolerant. This has no dairy in it at all. The liquid in this cake is orange juice so it is also a great desert if your keeping Kosher and have a meat dish for dinner. This is a very quick and easy recipe and very very good!Serves 16
3C ground almonds (almond meal)
1/2C matzo meal
1/4tsp sugar
1/4tsp salt
2Tbsp vegetable oil
11/4C sugar
11/3C brown sugar
3 eggs separated
11/2tsp almond extract
1tsp vanilla extract
2/3C orange juice
2/3C brandy
13/4C powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar)
1C sliced almonds
Preheat oven to 350
lightly greased a 9X13 pan
In a small bowl combine the ground almonds,matzo meal and salt.
In another bowl combine the oil,sugars, egg yolks,almond extract and vanilla extract,orange juice and half of the brandy. Combine well, add the almond meal mixture to make thick batter, it may be a little lumpy. In another bowl whip the egg whites into stiff peaks. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it up then fold in the rest of the egg whites.
Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan. Bake 25-30 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.While the cake is baking combine the confectioners sugar and the remaining brandy, it should be the consistency of light cream, if too thick add a little water.
When the cake comes out of the oven poke all over the top of the cake with a skewer or pick. Pour the icing evenly over the cake, sprinkle with the sliced almonds then return the cake to the oven for another 10 minutes or until the top is crusty. Cool the cake in the pan.
If possible let the cake sit at least a day or two before serving to let the flavors combine.Cut into squares to serve.
I thought this would be a heavy dense cake since it was made with matzo meal and almond meal but it seems the beaten egg whites lighten it up.
OK, so yes it has a very delicate texture..too delicate. I tried to take the squares out of the pan and it's too soft. I think the ratio of flour (almond and matzo) is too low for the amount of liquid? Whatever, this did not turn out. The flavor is delicious so it won't go to waste, it will just have to be spooned out of the pan. Maybe if I leave it uncovered for a day or so it might dry up a little. I will try this again because like I said it tastes really really good. I know on some of the cake recipes the ratio of flour is a little off due to this was a publication for Europe and the flour is different there. I'll play around with it and when I find the right ratio I'll repost.. don't let this stop you from making the cake, just serve it as a pudding instead.. so very tasty! A dollop of whipped cream would be excellent with this also, for those not lactose intolerant.
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