Almond Lingonberry Cake Recipes

ALMOND CAKE

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.

ALMOND LINGONBERRY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter four 9-inch round cake pans, dusting them in flour to ensure the batter does not stick to the pan.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. In another medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg whites until incorporated. Set aside.
• In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until very light, about 3 minutes. Beat in the almond and vanilla extracts. Continue to beat on medium speed and add 1/3 of the sifted flour mixture until incorporated. Add 1/2 of the buttermilk mixture, again beating until incorporated. Again, add 1/3 of the sifted flour and, once incorporated, add the rest of the buttermilk mixture until homogeneous. Finally, add in the remaining flour mixture and continue beating the batter on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes to insure the ingredients are well mixed.
• Divide the batter evenly among the four pans and smooth the tops with a spatula. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the cakes are springy to the touch, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Place the cakes on a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife between the rim of the pan and the cake to insure the cake will cleanly detach. Remove the cakes from the pans and invert on the rack until completely cool.
• To assemble the cake:
• Level each layer of almond cake with a cake leveler or serrated knife. Place a spoonful of buttercream on your serving plate, followed by your first layer of cake, cut-side up. Place the remaining buttercream in a pastry bag with a frosting tip.
• Evenly cover your first layer with about 1/3 cup of creme frangipane. Next create a moat of buttercream around the layer of cake with the piping bag in preparation for the lingonberry jam. Evenly spread 1/3 cup lingonberry jam within the moat. Finish the layer by piping icing over the layer, about a 1/4 inch thick.
• Add the next layer of cake and repeat the previous steps. Repeat with the third layer of cake. Complete the cake with the 4th layer of cake, cut-side down. Frost the cake with the remaining buttercream and top with a few lingonberries from the jam.
• Be sure all tools are thoroughly degreased before beginning. (I usually use lemon juice or vinegar to remove all traces of grease.)
• In a small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons of water with the almond and vanilla extracts and set aside. In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks on medium speed for 1 minute. Set aside.
• In a small saucepan, place 1/2 cup water and the sugar on the stove. Bring the sugar and water to a boil until it reaches 238 degrees F. DO NOT STIR. Stirring will cause the sugar crystals to adhere to the edge of the saucepan, causing the syrup to become grainy. Be sure not to overcook the sugar, as it will crystalize and form brittle chunks in your frosting. Once the syrup is heated to 238 degrees F, immediately remove from the heat. Slowly and steadily stream the syrup into the eggs while mixing on low, avoiding the edge of the bowl as well as the whisk. Once the eggs and syrup are incorporated, add in the extract mixture and beat on medium speed until completely cool, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Beat in the butter, one piece at a time until silky smooth. (If your buttercream curdles, do not despair! Simply heat the bowl over the stove until slightly warmed, 10 to 20 seconds, until the buttercream becomes slightly melted near the edge of the bowl. Return the bowl to the mixer and beat on medium-high speed until smooth.)
• In a food processor, pulse the almond paste until crumbly. Add the cream, sugar, butter, flour, almond extract, vanilla extract and salt and pulse until the mixture forms a smooth paste. Cover tightly and refrigerate until needed.

LINGONBERRY-CARDAMOM CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Sprinkle 1/2 cup almonds onto bottom of a greased 10-in. springform pan. In a large bowl, combine cake mix and cardamom; cut in margarine until crumbly. Reserve 1 cup mixture for topping. To remaining mixture, beat in sour cream, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon almond extract. Spread over almonds., In another large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar substitute and remaining 1 teaspoon almond extract until smooth. Gently beat in remaining egg. Alternately drop cream cheese mixture and jam over cake mix. Sprinkle with reserved topping. Bake for 40 minutes., Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup almonds. Bake until edges are golden brown and center is almost set, 30-40 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen sides from pan with a knife. Cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerated until chilled, at least 4 hours, covering when completely cooled. Remove rim from pan. Serve with whipped cream, if desired. Refrigerate leftovers.

ALMOND CAKE WITH KIRSCH CREAM AND LINGONBERRY PRESERVES

Steps:

• Make cake:
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter pan generously and dust with flour, knocking out excess.
• Break almond paste into pieces and pulse in a food processor until finely ground. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and very fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add almond paste and vanilla and beat until combined well, about 2 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and occasionally scraping down side of bowl. Add flour mixture and mix at low speed 30 seconds. Finish mixing batter by hand with a rubber spatula, scraping bottom of bowl.
• Pour batter into tube pan, smoothing top. Bake in middle of oven, rotating pan halfway through baking, until a tester comes out clean and edges begin to pull away from pan, 55 minutes to 1 hour total.
• Cool cake completely in pan on a rack. (Cake may shrink and buckle slightly, but don't worry. This won't be visible once cake is inverted.) Run a thin knife around outside and inside edges and invert a plate over pan, then invert cake onto plate.
• Make kirsch cream:
• Just before serving, beat together cream and kirsch in a chilled bowl with cleaned beaters until soft peaks form.
• Serve cake with kirsch cream and lingonberry preserves.

CHOCOLATE AND ALMOND TIGER CAKE

Steps:

• Make the cake: Center a rack in the oven and heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan and fit a circle of parchment paper at the base.
• Bring the butter just to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Turn off the heat and leave the saucepan on the burner to keep the butter warm while you make the cake batter.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt until thoroughly blended. Add the almond flour and whisk. If the almond flour is lumpy, use your fingers to break up the clumps. Switch to a spatula and add the egg whites in 3 additions, stirring until the batter is smooth and easily flows off the spatula. Stir in the vanilla until incorporated. Add the butter in 3 additions, folding until it is completely incorporated and you've got a smooth batter with a light sheen. Stir in the chopped chocolate, mixing well. Scrape the batter into the pan and spread evenly.
• Bake until golden brown, evenly risen and pulling away from the sides of the pan, 37 to 40 minutes. A tester inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and leave for 5 minutes. Run a table knife around the sides of the pan, flip the cake over, remove the pan, peel away the parchment and invert the cake onto another rack. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving or covering with ganache.
• If you'd like, make the topping: Put the cream in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the chocolate. Gently stir the chocolate and cream together until blended, thick and shiny. Pour the ganache over the top of the cake and use an offset spatula or kitchen knife to spread it across the cake. Scatter over the toasted almonds. Either leave the cake on the counter to allow the ganache to set a bit (it will never be really firm) or refrigerate the cake for 15 minutes to set the chocolate. The cake is best at room temperature. Covered, it will keep for about 3 days at room temperature.