If you celebrate Passover or eat gluten-free, you’ll agree: Baking without all-purpose flour is no piece of cake. Our test kitchen chefs tweaked this recipe 10 times to get it right. At first the cake turned out too dry and dense (like many flourless cakes). Upping the potato starch gave the cake a softer texture, but without any leaveners the result was like a thick cookie. Then the chefs discovered the secret: They folded beaten egg whites into the batter, and the cake became light and airy.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr 15 min |
| Active: | 50 min |
| Yield: | 8 to 10 servings |
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan
- 1 3/4 cups almond flour, plus more for the pan
- 1/3 cup potato starch
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2/3 cup honey
- Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons, plus 1 lemon, halved, very thinly sliced and seeded (preferably Meyer lemons)
- 4 large eggs, separated, plus 2 egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
- Chopped almonds and pomegranate seeds, for topping
Instructions
- Make the cake: Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Brush the bottom and side of a 9-inch springform pan with olive oil and line the bottom with parchment. Brush the parchment with more olive oil and dust with almond flour, tapping out the excess.
- Whisk the almond flour, potato starch and salt in a medium bowl. Combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup honey, the lemon zest, 4 egg yolks, vanilla and almond extracts, and the olive oil in a large bowl; beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low; beat in the almond flour mixture until just incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, beat the 6 egg whites with a mixer on medium speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Gradually beat in 1/2 cup sugar until stiff glossy peaks form, about 3 more minutes. Gently fold about one-third of the beaten egg whites into the batter, then fold in the rest until just incorporated (it’s OK if some white streaks remain). Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is golden and springs back when lightly pressed, 50 to 55 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. (Don’t worry if the cake falls slightly in the center.)
- Meanwhile, make the topping: Place the lemon slices in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a simmer over high heat, about 3 minutes; drain and return to the pan. Cover with fresh water; bring to a simmer and drain. Repeat one more time with fresh water. Return to the saucepan and add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup honey, the lemon juice and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lemon slices are tender and the liquid is syrupy, about 20 minutes. Set aside.
- Run a thin knife around the edge of the cake, then remove the springform ring. Use a spatula to transfer the cake to a serving plate (remove the parchment). Remove the candied lemon slices from the syrup with a fork. Brush the cake all over with some of the lemon-honey syrup, then top with the candied lemon, almonds and pomegranate seeds. Serve with the remaining syrup on the side.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 401 |
| Total Fat | 17 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 58 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 50 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Cholesterol | 74 mg |
| Sodium | 156 mg |
Reviews
Saw this recipe in your magazine and thought it would be perfect for a allergy free (gluten/dairy) desert for Easter. I did a tester cake a week before the holiday and it was amazing in flavor and really moist.
The only issue I had was that when making the candy lemons, they disintegrated and I was left with lemon rinds in the glaze. Thinking I must have missed something in the instructions, when I made it for Easter, I made a point of re-reading the instructions, but the same result. Took out the lemon rinds and just put on the glaze and almond slivers, but no pomegranates(since they are out of season).
This was a huge hit! Moist and flavorful – especially if you love marzipan, like me. I used Trader Joe’s roasted sliced almonds, and left off the pomegranate seeds. I sliced the lemons too thin so they kind of disintegrated. Next time I’ll do “thin” not “very thin” like they said! But I highly recommend this cake. One of the best Passover desserts I’ve ever tasted. And love that you can make it the day before.