CookEat Recipe
German Almond Cake with Coffee Buttercream
An almond-rich butter cake with a soft pale coffee-butter covering, made with eight yolks and five whites.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 250 g caster sugar; 130 g plain flour: 125 g for the batter and 5 g for the tin; 125 g blanched sweet almonds; 205 g butter: 100 g for the batter, 5 g for the tin and 100 g for the covering; 15 g cream of tartar; 5 g bicarbonate of soda; 8 egg yolks; 5 egg whites: 1 for grinding the almonds and 4 to whip; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 105 g icing sugar: 5 g for the tin and 100 g for the covering; 30 g ground coffee; Water as needed to brew 30–45 ml strong clear coffee.
Step 2
Dry the blanched almonds gently in a low oven, about 120°C for 10–15 minutes, without browning, then cool completely. Grind them very finely with one of the five egg whites. Heat the baking oven to 165°C and grease a deep 24 cm cake tin with 5 g butter, then dust with 5 g each of flour and icing sugar. Mix the cream of tartar and bicarbonate separately.
Step 3
Work 100 g softened butter until light, then beat in the eight yolks one by one. Add the caster sugar and vanilla and work the mixture for at least 30 minutes by hand as in the source, or about 10–15 minutes with an electric mixer until very pale and light, scraping the bowl and observing the appliance’s working limits. To loosen the almond paste smoothly, work a portion of this mixture into it first, then return it all to the main bowl and mix well.
Step 4
Whisk the remaining four egg whites to firm peaks. Fold them into the batter, then sift in the 125 g batter flour, folding gently. Sift the combined raising agents over the mixture last and fold them in evenly. Transfer promptly to the tin, leaving ample room for the cake to rise; do not fill it more than about two-thirds deep.
Step 5
Bake for about 40–50 minutes until risen and set and a skewer emerges without wet batter. Cover loosely with baking paper if the top colours too quickly. Cool briefly in the tin, then unmould and let cool completely before covering.
Step 6
Brew the 30 g ground coffee with just enough water to obtain 30–45 ml very strong clear filtered coffee. Discard the grounds and cool the liquid. Beat the remaining 100 g softened butter until very light, about 30 minutes by hand or 5–8 minutes with an electric mixer, then add the remaining 100 g icing sugar and beat again until smooth. Add the cool coffee half a teaspoon at a time, stopping once the flavour is pronounced and the cream remains smooth; all the brewed coffee need not be used.
Step 7
Spread the covering evenly over the cold cake. It should be soft and pale coffee-coloured. Smooth with a clean palette knife warmed in hot water and wiped dry, rather than using a red-hot implement. Keep refrigerated at 4°C or colder and eat within 2–3 days; allow a short rest out of the refrigerator before serving for a softer texture.
Step 8
For the chocolate-covered alternative, omit the coffee covering entirely: do not use its 100 g butter, 100 g icing sugar, coffee or brewing water. Gently melt 100 g chopped plain dark chocolate with 30 g butter, then stir in 30 g icing sugar. Cool until warm and spreadable, spread over the completely cold cake and let set softly. The batter and tin preparation stay the same; keep refrigerated as above.
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