Almond semolina cake

Here I go with another almond recipe.  I can never try too many because I just love almonds!  I particularly love pastries with nuts.  This is one of those cakes that I can enjoy any day (and any time) and never get sick of; it's not too sweet and just totally delicious. That's why you see me lingering on this theme, making many renditions of this cake.  This one is special with a bit of semolina flour and a slightly jazzed-up topping.

It was worth running around a few supermarkets to find the semolina flour I needed for this cake. I've never baked with semolina before though we used it once in a cooking class to make pasta. There's regular all-purpose flour in this cake but the addition of semolina gives it a unique little twist that I liked.  I think I expected a gritter texture, like cornmeal or even almond meal, but finely-ground semolina blended right in yet added a very subtle bit of texture and a hint of nuttiness that works really well with almonds (and other nuts, I'd imagine).

Like any surefire great almond cake, this one has some almond paste (another one of my favorite things) tucked inside.  It's moist and so fragrant and flavorful.  The topping is fun and delicious at the same time.  Instead of just scattering sliced almond on top before baking (though nothing wrong with that!), you kick it up a notch by stirring it with a little bit of frothy egg whites and brown sugar. That produces an extra crunchy, sweet topping that's pretty addictive!

This cake is also light and fluffy thanks to folding separately whipped egg whites into the batter.  It reminded me of one of our all-time favorite treats on earth - tri-color cookies, which is made the same way with whipped whites folded into the batter.  When we had this cake for dessert one night, my 8-year old said "mmm...it tastes just like tri-color cookies!"  I couldn't help but beam with pride...maybe he does take after his mama just a little!

I'm really happy I bought that 6-inch round cake pan with the removable bottom.  I used it to scale down the original recipe and make a small version.  It's just right for my small family and gives me the chance to try out more recipes and play more often in the kitchen.  That said, my little guy honestly said he loves this cake and wish there was more!  (Though in all fairness, there are obviously plenty of times when he tells me he doesn't like something - he can be quite blunt.)

This recipe requires a couple of extra steps, including folding separately whipped egg whites into the batter.  This creates a lighter, fluffier cake that justifies the extra effort.

The other notable thing is the almond topping.  Instead of simply using sliced almonds, the almonds are mixed with a little bit of foamy egg whites and brown sugar.  Since I only needed about 1 teaspoon of egg whites for the topping in my scaled down cake, I "cheated" by just taking it from the 2 egg whites in the cake batter instead of cracking open an extra egg.  I also used 1/3 cup of almonds, a little less than the recipe, because that's all I had on hand.  It worked out very well and I think it's a perfect amount for the 6-inch cake.  I also used a touch less brown sugar and these adaptations are reflected in the recipe below.

This topping gets added about midway during baking.  Return the cake to teh oven and watch carefully in case the topping browns too much, too quickly (in which case tent with foil; I didn't need to).  

The end result is an extra crispy, slightly sweetened, almond topping that is just wonderful!  I will need to use this trick to jazz up my almond toppings going forward.  It makes the cake taste a bit like a streusel topping on a coffee cake.

The center is moist and fragrant with almond flavor.  I added a touch of almond extract with vanilla. That, along with the almond paste and topping, delivers the almond punch.

In the recipe below, I've included notes on the adjusted baking time to make this into a 6-inch cake like I did.


Recipe:

Almond Semolina Cake
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cakes

- One 9-inch cake (or divide the recipe in half like I did and bake in a 6-inch cake pan with removable sides or bottom)-

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing pan
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon plus a pinch of salt, divided
1/2 cup finely ground semolina flour (you could substitute with yellow cornmeal but cake will be a bit crumblier)
4 large eggs, separated, plus 1 large egg white*
Rounded 2/3 cup sliced almonds with skins (in other words, a generous 2/3 cup)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
1/3 cup almond paste
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
2/3 cup whole milk

* You need an extra 2 teaspoons of frothy egg whites for the almond topping.  For my 6-inch cake, I only needed 1 teaspoon and, instead of cracking open an extra egg, I simply remove a teaspoon from the whites used in the batter.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 9-inch springform pan generously.  Sift all-purpose flour, baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt together into a bowl.  Whisk in the semolina flour.

In a small bowl, whisk an egg white until foamy.  Remove 2 teaspoons to a bowl.  Stir in almonds, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt.  Set aside.

Beat butter, 1 cup of the sugar, and almond paste together in a standmixer until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.  Add egg yolks, vanilla extract and almond extract (if using).  Beat together for about 2 minutes.

With mixer on low, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with 2 batches of milk (starting and ending with the dry ingredients).  Mix until just combined.  

In a clean bowl of a standmixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip 4 egg whites until foamy. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar into the whites until it reaches soft peaks, about 2 minutes. Fold half the egg whites into the cake batter.  Gently fold in the remaining whites until just incorporated.

Transfer batter into prepared cake pan, smoothing out the top.  Bake until cake begins to turn golden (more so along the edges) but is still wobbly in the center, about 15-20 minutes [approximately 15 minutes for a 6-inch cake].  Remove cake from the oven and scatter the almond topping evenly over the surface.  

Return cake to the oven to bake until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, roughly 25 minutes [about 20 minutes for a 6-inch cake].  Check on the cake after 10-15 minutes to make sure the almond topping is not browning too quickly.  If so, tent loosely with foil.  

Transfer cake to a wire rack to cool completely.  Run a knife around the sides of the pan to remove and transfer to a cake plate.  The cake can be stored, at room temperature, covered, for up to 4 days.