Lemon-Almond Butter Cake

Lemon-Almond Butter Cake

from cooking.nytimes.com
Brunch, snack, cakes, dessert
626 kcal / serving

This buttery almond cake with lemon curd baked inside is like the ultimate citrus tart, without the heartbreak of pie crust. It's fancy enough to be served as a dinner party dessert, yet substantial enough to be served with Sunday brunch. (Bonus: you'll have several tablespoons of lemon curd left over. It's delicious on toast or pancakes.)

Ingredients

  • 2grated zest and juice of
  • ¾ cupplus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 4extra-large eggs
  • 6 tablespoonsunsalted butter, cubed
  • 9 tablespoonsunsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cupplus 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 cupplus 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoonbaking powder
  • ½ teaspoonkosher salt
  • 2extra-large eggs
  • ½ cupground toasted almonds
  • 2 tablespoonstoasted sliced almonds
  • about 1/2 cup heavy cream for garnish
  • 1 tablespoonalmond liqueur (optional)

Directions

  1. 1

    For the curd, combine zest, juice, sugar and eggs in a heatproof bowl, and beat well. Add butter, and place over a saucepan full of simmering water. Cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, until mixture thickens into curd, about 5 minutes. Strain into a bowl, and press plastic wrap onto surface to keep skin from forming. Refrigerate until cool, at least 1 1/2 hours.

  2. 2

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9-inch spring-form pan with 1 tablespoon butter, and dust with 1 tablespoon flour, shaking out excess.

  3. 3

    With an electric mixer, cream the remaining butter and 1 cup sugar together until light and fluffy. Sift together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt, and stir in. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs until they start to foam. Do not overbeat or the cake will be tough. Add eggs and ground almonds to batter, and mix well.

  4. 4

    Scrape batter into the prepared pan. Drop 8 individual tablespoons lemon curd around perimeter of batter, leaving a 1-inch border, and taking care to space drops evenly. Drop 3 to 4 tablespoons curd into center of batter. Refrigerate remaining curd for another use. Sprinkle cake with toasted almonds and 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar, depending on taste.

  5. 5

    Bake until cake is toasty brown on top and a toothpick inserted into cake (not curd) comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let cool on rack 10 minutes, then remove sides of pan, and cool completely.

  6. 6

    Whip cream with almond liqueur. Present cake at table, and offer whipped cream on the side.