Friday, October 19, 2012

Wow, Mr. Latte's Almond Cake is GOOD

On a recent visit to the Berkeley Bowl, arguably the world's best grocery store, a special item caught my eye. Not the bargain basement heirloom tomatoes or the 45 varieties of apples, but the bricks of almond paste piled high in the bulk section. I am always on the lookout for quality marzipan after a year's sojourn in Berlin, where I gorged on the good stuff, so a light bulb flickered in my head.

What to do with a pliable lump of almonds and sugar?? Then I remembered a recipe filed away long ago: Amanda Hesser's almond cake. (Actually her mother-in-law's cake.) The recipe first appeared in the pages of Hesser's food memoir Cooking for Mr. Latte, and has since then reached celebrity status, at least on the baking blogs. Almond paste imparts a sweet, nutty flavor that is reminiscent of marzipan while the cake's sugary-ness is kept in check by the addition of sour cream. 

I am picky about cakes and prefer them not too sweet, rich, or artificially flavored. This one is a real winner. Plus, it lasts at least a week and miraculously stays nice and moist. Recipe can be found here with one important caveat: watch the typo. The ingredients suffice for 1 cake (not 2), which should be baked in a 9-inch springform cake pan. (Btw, I used my electric mixer - not a stand mixer with a paddle attachment - and did not encounter any problems.)


Back to marzipan...How did Germany's Baltic coast became famous for a confection made of almonds which, last time I checked are not cultivated anywhere in northern Europe? Turns out the candy's origins are old and very much in dispute. One theory has marzipan entering Europe from Persia through present-day Turkey, making a pit stop in the Republic of Venice before traveling north to the Hanseatic city of Lubeck. Today, the designation "Lubeck Marzipan" is protected by the European Union.


The other theory, probably more convincing, is that medieval cooks in Toledo, Spain are responsible for marzipan. One Thousand and One Nights features "a mixture of almonds and sugar" eaten for the duration of Ramadan. Yum.

2 comments:

  1. I was a happy recipient of this cake this past weekend. Actually, Evelyn, my grandmother, and I all enjoyed this cake.

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