Description
Adapted from Chez Panisse Desserts
Author Lindsey Shere’s notes: Serve this torte with a cup of coffee or tea or a glass of Sherry, or better, an Italian Aleatico or Passito. It is also good with sliced peaches or nectarines and crème anglaise.
Be sure to buy almond paste versus marzipan, which are often placed next to each other in the baking aisle. Second, the recipe in Chez Panisse Desserts calls for 8 oz. of almond paste, but we have always just used one of those tubes that usually weighs 7 oz. If you don’t have a scale and can’t find a 7-oz tube of almond paste, measure out the 7/8 cup, but don’t pack it too tightly.
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups sugar
- 7/8 cup (7 oz./200g) soft almond paste, see notes above
- 1 cup (2 sticks) softened unsalted butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp. almond extract (optional)
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup (4.5 oz/130g) flour
- 1½ tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Beat the sugar with the almond paste until the almond paste is in fine pieces. Or, better, pulverize it in a food processor. Beat in the butter and the vanilla, then cream the mixture until it is light and fluffy. Beat in the whole eggs, one at a time — the eggs should be at room temperature — beating well after each addition so the eggs are thoroughly mixed in.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt, and beat in just until thoroughly blended.
- Butter a 9-inch springform pan and turn the batter into it, smoothing the top evenly. Bake for 1 to 1¼ hours (mine baked for 1¼ hours) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the center feels springy when you push it gently.
- Let cool for about 20 minutes before releasing the sides of the springform pan.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American/French
