Almond Sponge Cake
- 1 pint flour, sifted
- 2 heaping tsps baking powder
- 2 ounces sweet almonds
- 2 ounces bitter almonds
- 10 eggs, separated
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Blanch the almonds in scalding water, repleneshing with hot water if necessary. When the skins are all off, wash the almonds in cold water (mixing the bitter and sweet) and wipe dry. Pound to a fine, smooth paste, one at a time, adding, as you proceed, water or egg white to prevent their boiling. Set in a cool place. Beat the eggs, the whites and yolks separately, until very smooth and thick. Then beat the powdered sugar into them gradually alternating with the pounded almonds. Lastly, add the flour with the baking powder added to it and mixed well. Stir it round slowly and lightly on the surface of the mixture, as in common sponge cake. Have a buttered deep square pan ready. Put the mixture carefully into it. Set in the oven and bake until thoroughly done and risen very high. When cool, cover with plain white icing flavored with rose-water or with almond icing.
With sweet almonds, always use a small portion of bitter almonds. Without the bitter almonds, the sweet almonds have little or no taste though they add to the richness of the cake.
With sweet almonds, always use a small portion of bitter almonds. Without the bitter almonds, the sweet almonds have little or no taste though they add to the richness of the cake.
Submitted by Jun 15, 2009
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