One of my favorite cooking tasks is blanching almonds. While I know they are available pre-blanched, I find the process calming.

It’s a simple technique. Boil the almonds for 60 seconds, then drain and rinse in cold water. Then, gently squeeze each almond to remove its skin. It’s a technique that anyone can master.

I love doing this each year when I prepare this flourless Passover almond cake, Torta di Mandorla, which is delicious at any time.

 

I first published this recipe in March of 1982 in The New Haven Register.

Almond Cake / Torta di Mandorle

1 tablespoon sweet butter
3 tablespoons matzo meal
5 eggs separated
Pinch of salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) blanched almonds, chopped very fine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
Grated rind of a lemon
Confectioners sugar
Sliced or slivered almonds toasted to garnish

Preheat over to 325 degrees F.

Grease a 10-inch springform pan with the butter and sprinkle with matzo meal. Set aside.

Beat the egg whites with salt in a small bowl until stiff and dry.

In a larger bowl, beat the egg yolks until foamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue bearing until the mixture is light lemon-colored. Gradually add the chopped almonds, the two extracts and the lemon rind. At this point, the mixture should be a very hard paste.

Mix one-third of the beaten egg whites with the almond mixture to make it softer. Delicately fold in the remaining egg white and pour into the prepared pan.

Place in the center of the middle rack of the preheated 325-degree oven and bake for 1 hour without opening the oven door. Then, leave the oven door ajar for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it upside down on a cooling rack. When the cake is thoroughly cool, remove it from the pan and place it upside down over a cake dish.

Top with confectioners sugar using a sifter and sprinkle with toasted sliced almonds.

Serves 12

— Bonnie Tandy Leblang