CookEat Recipe
German Rye-Crust and Almond Cake
A light almond cake containing finely grated rye-bread crust and cognac, finished with a soft chocolate coating.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 125 g blanched sweet almonds; 125 g caster sugar; 60 ml cognac; 3 heaped tablespoons finely grated dry rye-bread crust, about 30 g depending on texture; 5 eggs: 2 left whole and 3 separated; 35 g butter: 5 g for the tin and 30 g for the chocolate coating; 35 g icing sugar: 5 g for the tin and 30 g for the chocolate coating; 5 g plain flour for the tin; 100 g plain dark chocolate, chopped.
Step 2
Heat the oven to 170°C. Grease a 20 cm cake tin with 5 g butter and dust with the reserved 5 g each of icing sugar and flour. Grind the almonds finely with one tablespoon taken from the measured caster sugar. Grate the dry crust from rye bread finely; use the crust, not an equal volume of fresh soft crumb.
Step 3
Beat the remaining caster sugar with the two whole eggs until light. Add the ground almond mixture and beat again. Work in the grated rye crust and the three separated yolks, then the cognac. Whisk the three reserved whites to firm peaks and fold in gently.
Step 4
Transfer to the prepared tin and bake for about 30–40 minutes until risen and set, with a skewer coming out without wet batter. Cool briefly in the tin, then unmould and cool completely on a rack.
Step 5
For the chocolate coating, melt the chopped chocolate gently with the remaining 30 g butter, then stir in the remaining 30 g icing sugar. Let it cool until warm and spreadable rather than bubbling hot. Spread evenly over the cold cake and let set softly. Keep covered in the refrigerator at 4°C or colder and use within 2–3 days.
Step 6
For the coffee-butter covering instead, omit all three chocolate-coating ingredients: the 100 g chocolate, 30 g butter and 30 g icing sugar. Brew 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 100 g softened butter until very light, about 30 minutes by hand or 5–8 minutes with an electric mixer, then beat in 100 g icing sugar until smooth. Add the cool coffee half a teaspoon at a time, stopping when the flavour is pronounced and the cream remains smooth; not all the coffee may be needed. Spread this light coffee-coloured covering evenly over the cold cake and smooth with a clean palette knife warmed in hot water and dried. Keep refrigerated as above.
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