Marzipan Cake—Gateau d’Amande
This dense, moist cake was inspired by the “Calissons d’Aix,” a fifteenth-century confection made in Aix-en-Provence and traditionally served three times a year—on Christmas, Easter, and September 1 (in honor of Saint Giles, a renowned hermit-monk who founded a monastery in Provence during the eighth century). To ensure a moist, chewy consistency, remove the cake from the oven when golden brown and glaze it while still warm.
Marzipan Cake
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Provencal
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8
Ingredients
- 7 ounces almond paste
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup ground almonds
- 2 eggs
- ¼ teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1 cup unbleached white or pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons water
- ¼ cup apricot conserves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Butter and flour a 9-inch cake pan.
- Cream together the almond paste, butter, and sugar.
- Mix in the ground almonds.
- In a small bowl, beat the eggs lightly with the almond extract and add them to the creamed mixture.
- Combine the flour and baking powder and stir them into the liquid ingredients.
- Mix together in as few strokes as possible.
- Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Do not over-bake; the cake should be fairly dense, very moist, and golden brown on top.
- In a small saucepan, stir the water into the conserves and gently heat until it's thin enough to easily brush on the top of the warm cake.
- Variation: Omit the apricot glaze and serve with Raspberry Sauce