ALMOND CAKE

Almond Cake image

This is a traditional hard, flat cake like a large cookie, served with ice cream in Italy. It is also served with sweet white wine, such as Vin Santo, at the end of a meal. It is never cut with a knife, but broken into pieces by hand. It is best served the day after baking. The shortbread also keeps crisp and fresh for a long time in an airtight tin box or wrapped in aluminum foil.

Provided by Moira Hodgson

Categories dessert

Time 1h30m

Yield 10 to 12 servings

Number Of Ingredients 8

Ingredients

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups finely chopped almonds
Pinch coarse salt
1 cup, plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons grappa
Grated zest of one lemon
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a round, 12-inch pie tin with low sides, then flour lightly, shaking out the excess flour.
If using an electric mixer, put all the ingredients in the large mixer bowl. Using either the paddle or the dough hook, mix until the dough masses. Wrap a tea towel around and over the top of both mixer and bowl to keep the flour from scattering. The mixture should be crumbly, not smooth. If mixing by hand, use a large spoon and mix all ingredients to the crumbly stage.
Empty the mixture into the prepared tin, smoothing the top with a spatula or with your hands. Bake for about an hour. Check the cake after 50 minutes. It should be light brown, darker around the edges.
Place on a rack and remove from the tin before completely cooled, after about 10 minutes. Replace on the rack to cool completely.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 267, UnsaturatedFat 7 grams, Carbohydrate 42 grams, Fat 9 grams, Fiber 3 grams, Protein 6 grams, SaturatedFat 1 gram, Sodium 11 milligrams, Sugar 18 grams, TransFat 0 grams