I tend to bake a lot more during the holidays. Unlike cooking, where recipes can be loosely interpreted and still come out great, baking is about being accurate and using the precise amount of the specific ingredients called for. That puts even more emphasis on selecting the best of the limited ingredients you have control over, whether it’s flour, eggs or butter.
Today I made an almond cake flavored with ginger and lemon-flavored white chocolate. The main ingredient is almond meal, which makes the dessert gluten-free. Since it’s the holidays, I splurged on more decadent elements by topping the cake with a ginger lemon whipped cream and garnished it with sliced almonds as a reminder of the flavor of the cake.
1. Info for Ginger Lemon Cake Recipe
- Cook Time: unavailable
- Total Time: unavailable
- Servings: 6
- Calories: unavailable
2. Ingredients for Ginger Lemon Cake Recipe
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup almond flour (see tips)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1-½ tablespoons freshly grated ginger (see tips)
- 5 ounces lemon apeels (see tips), chopped
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon canola oil (or any neutral oil)
- 1 pint heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon pure lemon extract
- 1 pinch yellow food coloring powder (optional)
- 3 tablespoons sliced almonds, slightly dry toasted
3. Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Separate the eggs.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks with ¼ cup of sugar until you get a pale yellow foam; the texture of the egg yolk will be thicker. Add 1 tablespoon grated ginger and vanilla extract.
- Make a "double boiler" (a pot filled with hot water, covered with a piece of cloth) and place a stainless steel bowl filled with lemon apeels on top. Make sure the bowl circumference is larger than the pot, so there isn’t any splatter of water in the lemon mixture. Slowly melt, stirring frequently. Turn off the heat and add the butter. Stir well until the mixture is uniform.
- Combine the egg yolk mixture, melted lemon apeels and the almond flour .
- In another bowl, add salt to the egg whites and whisk for about 2 minutes at low speed. Add ½ cup of sugar, increase the speed of your mixer and keep beating for another 2-3 minutes until it forms soft peaks. Don’t over-beat or the texture will become grainy.
- Using a silicone spatula, mix 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into the lemon mixture to soften it. Add the rest of the whipped egg whites and gently fold them in to get an airy batter.
- Apply a thin layer of oil to a 8" non-stick square cake pan, previously lined with parchment paper. Pour the cake batter; even it out using a spreader or spatula. Bake for 10 minutes at 375°F; lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for about 35-40 minutes until the top is crackly.
- Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes.
- Clean your handheld mixer in hot soapy water. Always make sure the beater blades are completely clean prior to whipping cream for optimum results. The whipping cream should also be whipped cold. In a chilled mixing bowl, whip the cream (at low speed) for 2-3 minutes until creamy and smooth. Add the powdered sugar. Add the remaining ginger, food coloring (if used) and lemon extract. Increase to maximum speed and keep beating for another 2-3 minutes, until it forms soft peaks. Do not over-beat or the texture will become grainy.
- Cut or spoon a piece of cake onto a serving plate. Spread a dollop of whipped cream onto the cake and sprinkle with toasted sliced almonds.
- Serve immediately.
- Bon appétit!
