Almond/ Marzipan Cakes

(All Recipes have Gluten-Free Options)

Almond Amandines

These make such a tasty treat. They are quite sweet so you only need a small square although the problem is that they’re rather moreish! The recipe, from Claudia Roden’s ‘Med: A Cookbook’ is super simple. The recipe calls for a shallow baking tin around 30 x 30cm, I didn’t have a tin but used a pyrex square dish and they came out fine!

6 eggs

400g caster sugar

500g ground almonds

200ml whole milk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

5 drops almond extract

100g pine nuts

150ml apricot jam, to glaze

*You will need a baking tin about 30x30cm (or dish – see my note above), lined with baking parchment

  1. Using a fork, lightly beat the eggs with the sugar then add the ground almonds, milk, vanilla and almond extracts and mix thoroughly. Pour into the prepared tin. Sprinkle the pine nuts on top and bake in a preheated oven, 160’c fan, for 1 hour or until the top is brown and the cake feels firm. If it is browning too early cover the tin with foil.
  2. While the cake is still warm, melt the apricot jelly with 1-2 tablespoons of water and brush it over the top. Leave to cool.
  3. To serve cut into small squares and lift out the amandines from the tin one by one.

Marzipan Loaf Cake (with or without Raspberry Marzipan Icing!)

This is one of the cakes which will end up as a family favourite as not only is it delicious but super simple to make – you literally throw all the ingredients into a processor and blend. The flavour of marzipan is not overpowering, so even if you’re not a lover of marzipan do try it – you won’t regret it! The icing is optional, it’s very good simply unadorned as an everyday, anytime cake. It’s become my go-to recipe when I want something sweet in the house, I more often than not serve it plain, but when I want something a little more ‘wow’ I top it with the icing – it also photographs better with the icing! The recipe for the cake is from Nigella Lawson’s ‘Cook, Eat, Repeat’ cookbook whilst the icing is from Skye McAlpine’s ‘A Table Full of Love’.

150g marzipan (white or yellow) or almond paste, at room temperature

125g soft unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla paste (or extract)

50g caster sugar

75g plain flour (gluten-free if required)

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon baking powder (gluten-free if required)

1½ teaspoons ground cardamom

3 eggs at room temperature

Raspberry Marzipan Icing:

150g fresh raspberries

110g icing sugar, plus 1 tablespoon

1 tablespoon boiling water

40g marzipan, grated

60g unsalted butter, softened

You will need a loaf tin, lined with baking paper or a loaf-tin liner

  1. Put all the ingredients (tearing up the marzipan into lumps first) into the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides a couple of times.
  2. Pour the mixture into a loaf tin lined with baking parchment (or easier still use loaf-tin liner). Bake in a preheated oven, 150’c fan, for 40-50 minutes (cover with loose foil after 30-or-so minutes if it is becoming too brown) until the cake is beginning to come away from the sides and a cake tester comes out clean. It will ruckle a little on the top as it cools.

For the butter cream icing:

  1. If you are serving it with the butter icing:  Combine 70g of the raspberries in a food processor with 1 tablespoon of icing sugar and blitz to a smooth puree. Pass the puree through a sieve to remove the seeds and put the deep pink puree to one side.
  2. In a small bowl add the tablespoon of boiling water to the grated marzipan and stir to melt it slightly (this will stop it going lumpy when you add it to the buttercream).
  3. In a second bowl use a hand-held electric whisk to mix 110g of the icing sugar and butter until pale and fluffy, then add the marzipan and beat until smooth. Finally add the raspberry puree and beat.
  4. Spread the icing over the top of the cake and decorate with the remaining raspberries.

Absolutely Almond Slices

If like me you love almonds and marzipan then you will definitely love these! My friend introduced them to me – she was so adamant that I should try them that she cooked me some. I was sold. The recipe on paper is super easy, but I will warn you that rolling out the marzipan requires some elbow grease; I must admit that I nearly gave up – but believe me it’s worth it! They are super sweet so are best cut into small slices (although I ate many more than one!). They are fantastic with an espresso or a strong cup of tea…

250g butter, melted

400g marzipan

4 eggs

350g ground almonds

225g caster sugar

4 teaspoons almond extract

Zest of orange (optional)

50g flaked almonds

(Baking tin – 30 x 23cm, lined with baking parchment)

  1. Knead the marzipan to soften it. Then roll it between two pieces of baking parchment; I found that starting off this way was easiest and then finished rolling without the top sheet of parchment. Roll to a rectangle that will fit the baking tin.
  2. Put the eggs into a large mixing bowl. Add the ground almonds, sugar and almond extract and then add the melted butter. Beat with an electric mixer at high speed until smooth and creamy. Add the grated orange zest if using and mix well.
  3. Pour half of the mixture into the prepared baking tin and smooth over with a palette knife. Gently place the rolled-out marzipan on top then pour over the remaining mixture, smoothing it over, taking care to cover all of the marzipan.
  4. Bake in a preheated oven, 180’c fan, for 30 minutes until a light golden colour.
  5. Allow to cool in the tin before cutting into small slices. (Keeps for up to five days in an airtight tin).

Almond, Pear and Ricotta Cake

This is the most delicious, delicate tasting cake. It’s not overly sweet and is quite light, but be warned it is very moreish! I have taken this recipe from Nina Parker; she mentioned that she first tasted it in Capri, where she had it for breakfast….So, how could I resist, I had to try it myself for breakfast, and yes, it’s indulgent, but, oh my, it really is a great start to the day – try it! In her recipe, Nina poaches fresh pears for the filling, however I have tried it with both fresh poached and tinned pears, and there really is little difference, so now I always make it with tinned pears, which of course makes life a lot easier. The cake itself is rather flat looking, don’t expect a risen ‘victoria sponge’ like cake, but as you know looks can be deceiving and in this case they really are – it is a dream cake and it’s gluten free!

190g caster sugar

5 eggs, 4 separated, 1 left whole

170g ground almonds

1 tablespoon rice flour

½ teaspoon almond extract

For the filling:

250g ricotta cheese, drained of any water

100ml whipping cream

A few gratings of nutmeg

Seeds from ½ vanilla pod

Zest of a lemon

70g caster sugar

400g tin pear halves, drained and cut into small cubes

Icing sugar to dust

*2 x 10 inch cake tins

  1. First of all grease two 10 inch cake tins and line the bases with baking parchment.
  2. Using an electric whisk, whip the 4 egg whites until just light and fluffy and then slowly begin whisking in the sugar until it is all mixed in.
  3. In a separate bowl lightly beat together the 4 egg yolks, 1 whole egg and the almond extract, then add the ground almonds and rice flour – the mixture will be dry.
  4. Use a spatula to mix in ¼ of the egg whites, to loosen the mixture and to help get rid of lumps. Carefully add another ¼ of the egg whites and finally, fold in the remaining whites until the mixture is well combined – it may still appear a little ‘lumpy’, but don’t worry too much.
  5. Divide the mixture between the two tins and bake in a preheated oven, 170’c fan, for about 25 minutes until they are light and springy to touch and golden on top. Allow to cool completely on cooling racks.
  6. Meanwhile make the ricotta filling. Whisk the ricotta, whipping cream, nutmeg, vanilla pod seeds, zest of lemon and the caster sugar until it forms soft peaks, the consistency of whipped cream, then gently fold in the cubes of pear.
  7. Spread the ricotta cream over one of the cake bases and place the remaining cake on top. Dust generously with icing sugar and serve. (This cake keeps well in the fridge)

Almond and Apricot Cake

Admittedly this is not the most attractive of cakes, it’s rather flat and tends to go at little ‘golden’ around its edge…but remember, looks can be deceiving! It is a beautifully moist cake, with a slightly chewy crust, the sweet flavour of the apricots is complemented by a lemony syrup which you pour over the cake when it is still warm. It is a recipe that I have taken from an old book, ‘The Gastro Pub Cookbook’. At the time it was published in 2003, the gastropubs from which it takes its recipes, were some of the best in the UK, although some of these pubs might not have survived the recipes are still as delicious. Interestingly, the book was researched by Diana Henry who these days is a very successful cookery book writer in her own right. Henry described this cake as ‘one of the most delicious cakes I have ever tasted’, and I’m not going to argue with her! It was a recipe which she took from ‘Ballymore Inn’ in Co.Kildare, Ireland, which in fact, is still a very successful gastropub – one which I have on my bucket list to visit…!

If you are gluten free, like me, this cake can be easily adapted by using gluten free flour (I used Doves) – the cake in the photo is gluten free!

225g butter, plus extra to grease the tin

100g dried, ready to eat apricots

225g caster sugar

1 lemon, juiced

80g ground almonds

3 large eggs, beaten

100g plain flour (gluten free if required – see note above)

For the Lemon Syrup:

1 tablespoon caster sugar

1 lemon, juiced

To serve: crème frâiche or whipped cream

  1. Butter a 23cm round cake tin and line the base.
  2. Roughly chop the apricots.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the lemon juice, ground almonds and beaten eggs, then mix thoroughly. Finally, fold in the flour and apricots.
  4. Put the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake in the oven, 180’c fan, for about 35 minutes until the cake is firm and golden and leaving the sides of the tin.
  5. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes then lift out onto a plate.
  6. To make the lemon syrup, gently heat the sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. Pour over the cake while it is still warm.
  7. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or crème fraiche.