Happy Mother’s Day!

Your mother is your first friend. Your best friend. Your forever friend! Happy Mother’s Day, my dear Mom and best friend! To honour all of our Moms, I've got a quick and delicious dessert for you - almond cake. It's wonderfully fragrant, has a citrussy flavour and is extra juicy.

Even if there's a lot of money being thrown at Mother's Day and it seems that nowadays, it's just whole bunch of business and marketing - it's still the original thought that counts: to thank the most important person in your life from the bottom of your heart! Mother's Day was invented by Anna Jarvis, an American, who suggested this day of celebration in 1905 in a memorial ceremony.

In Catholicism, the month of May honours the Virgin Mary.
What a beautiful spirit in which to celebrate our mothers.

I want to take this opportunity to thank my own Mom for her patience, love and understanding. THANK YOU!

 

Photos (c) Julia Stix.

The images and recipe were created for the March issue of MAXIMA Gourmet Extra.

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Juicy Almond Cake

1 springform

Ingredients:

  • 200g almond meal
  • 1 lemon
  • 200g soft butter
  • 160g sugar
  • 2 pinches of salt
  • 4 eggs
  • 60g buckwheat flour
  • 1-2 tsp baking powder
  • icing sugar for dusting

Preparation:

  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan) or 180°C (upper/lower). Take a 26cm ovenproof springform, grease it and dust it with 2 tablespoons of almond meal. Juice the lemon and set aside (you should have 5-6 tablespoons).
  2. Combine the butter, 110g sugar and a pinch of salt with a handmixer and mix until you have a creamy white batter (this will take around 5 minutes).
  3. Separate the eggs and whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt and the rest of the sugar until they form soft peaks. Mix the egg yolks into the butter cream one by one. In a separate bowl, combine the buckwheat flour, baking powder, the rest of the almond meal and lemon zest. Stir the flour mixture into the butter and sugar batter, alternating with the lemon juice, and carefully fold in the egg whites at the end.
  4. Pour the batter into the springform and bake the cake on the 2nd shelf from the bottom in the oven for 35-40 minutes. Leave the cake to cool while still in the form, then pop it out, dust it with icing sugar, cut it into pieces and serve.

Preparation with the Thermomix:

  1. Add the almonds to the mixing bowl, chop for 15 seconds at speed 5 and set aside. Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan) or 180°C (upper/lower). Take a 26cm ovenproof springform and dust it with 2 tablespoons of almond meal.
  2. Rinse the mixing bowl well. Separate the eggs, put the stirring whisk in the Thermomix and stir the egg whites for 2 minutes at speed 4.  Set aside.
  3. Add the zest of the lemon and chop for 15 seconds at speed 10.
  4. Add the sugar, egg yolks and butter and mix for 2 minutes at speed 4. Then add the almond meal, buckwheat flour and baking powder and combine for 5 seconds at speed 3. Carefully fold in the egg whites, then pour the batter into a greased and dusted springform and bake for 35-40 minutes. Leave the cake to cool while still in the form, then pop it out, dust it with icing sugar, cut it into pieces and serve.
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