Sara’s Almond Cake with Fresh Strawberries and Summer Cream

Source: Sara Perry, December 2005 — The Seattle Times

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces almond paste (see note)
• 10 tablespoons butter, at room temperature (1¼ sticks)
• 1¼ cups granulated sugar, preferably superfine
• 6 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon almond extract (for less almond flavor, substitute vanilla)

Strawberry Sauce

• 1 quart fresh strawberries
• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Strawberry Garnish

• 1 quart fresh strawberries
• Granulated sugar, as needed
• 1 teaspoon rose water, or more to taste

Summer Cream

• ½ pint whipping cream
• 3 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon rose water, or more to taste
• ½ cup Strawberry Sauce

Method

1. To make cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Use nonstick cooking spray to lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan or 9-inch cake pan with 2-inch sides; lightly dust with flour. Line the bottom with parchment or wax paper. Grease paper with cooking spray and lightly dust with flour.
2. In a small bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
3. In a stand mixer set on medium-low speed, beat the almond paste and butter until blended. Add the sugar and beat until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time and beat on medium speed after each addition, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl after every two eggs (you can briefly increase the speed to medium-high after each egg is first incorporated to make sure it’s really blended). Beat in the almond extract until blended. Add the flour mixture, in two additions, and beat until smooth and just blended, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl. The batter should be light in texture and color.
4. Pour the batter in the prepared pan, using a spatula to evenly spread the batter. Bake until the cake is golden or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan. Gently loosen the edges with a thin knife before inverting the layer onto a wire rack. Let the cake cool thoroughly before carefully peeling off the paper. Meanwhile, prepare sauce, garnish and Summer Cream as directed below.
5. To make sauce: Wash and hull the strawberries. Add to the bowl of a food processor with the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Puree and set aside for 30 minutes.

Makes about 2-⅔ cups.

1. To make garnish: Wash, hull and slice the strawberries. Place them in a bowl and sweeten with sugar as needed; set aside. Right before serving sprinkle with rose water, if desired, and lightly toss.
2. To make Summer Cream: In a medium mixing bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and rose water, if desired, and continue to whip until stiff peaks just begin to form. Fold ½ cup strawberry sauce, ¼ cup at a time, into the whipped cream, using a rubber spatula to make a swirling pattern. Leave some “ribbons” of sauce visible.
3. To assemble and serve: For each slice of cake, spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons sauce over the top, followed by a dollop of Summer Cream. Spoon the strawberry garnish next to the cake and serve.

Notes

I prefer the canned almond paste by Solo, instead of the Odense almond paste that comes in a tube. The Solo brand is moister and seems to give the cake a more even finish. (Remember, almond paste is not marzipan.)

If you forget to take the butter out of the refrigerator, simply grate the chilled butter into the mixing bowl. Let stand for 15 minutes and continue as directed.