Lemon-Almond Butter Cake

Serves: 2

Destiney Bartoletti

1 January 1970

Based on User reviews:

52

Spice

57

Sweetness

52

Sourness

40

mins

Prep time (avg)

5.1

Difficulty

Ingredients:

1 tsp

Kosher Salt

Directions:

1

Combine the lemon zest and juice in a nonreactive saucepan with the sugar and eggs and beat well

2

Add the butter and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens into curd

3

Be sure to keep scraping the bottom of the pan during the few minutes this takes you; you don't want the eggs to scramble before the curd forms

4

If you're the nervous type, make the curd in a heatproof bowl over a pot of boiling water (the bowl shouldn't touch the water)

5

The curd will take just a little longer to thicken, about 5 minutes

6

Strain the crud into a bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface so a skin doesn't form

7

Refrigerate until cool, at least 1 1/2 hours

8

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

9

Grease a springform pan with 1 tablespoon of the butter and dust it with 1 tablespoon of the flour

10

Cream the remaining 8 tablespoons butter in a large bowl with 1 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy

11

Sift the remaining 1 cup flour, the baking powder, and salt together and stir into the creamed butter

12

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until they start to foam

13

Do not overbeat, or the cake will be tough

14

Add the eggs and ground almonds to the flour and butter mixture, mixing well

15

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan

16

Drop 8 individual tablespoons of lemon curd evenly around the outside of the cake, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge

17

Try to place the curd so there's an even amount of cake batter between each dollop of curd

18

Drop 3 tablespoons curd in the center

19

Refrigerate any remaining curd for another use (hint: breakfast toast)

20

Sprinkle the top of the cake with sliced almonds and 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar, according to taste

21

Bake until the cake is toasty brown on top and a toothpick or knife inserted into the cake comes out clean (be sure not to insert it near the curd), about 40 minutes

22

Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove the sides of the pan and let cool completely on a rack

23

If serving the cake with whipped cream, add the almond liqueur to the heavy cream and beat until the cream is stiff

24

Sift a thin, even layer of confectioners' sugar over the top of the cake

25

Present the cake at the table and offer the almond whipped cream on the side