clues
preheat the oven to 350ºf. grease and line the bottom of a 9” springform pan and set aside.
in a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder.
in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and salt to soft peaks and then gradually beat in the sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time. continue beating to stiff peaks and then set aside.
in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (i usually just scoop the whites out of the bowl and transfer them to a separate bowl and then reuse my stand mixer bowl without having to wash it for this step), combine the almond paste and egg yolks and beat on high for 2 minutes until pale and fluffy (but allow some almond paste chunks to remain in tact), scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. mix in the vanilla and almond extract. gently fold the whites into the yolk mixture and then fold in the flour mixture. pour the batter into the pan and then bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. begin checking for doneness at 30 minutes.
cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes and then remove to the rack to cool fully.
to make the whipped cream, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and almond extract to stiff peaks. add a few drops of pink food coloring if desired.
spread the whipped cream on top of the cake. decorate with chocolate and/or sprinkles as desired and enjoy!!
store leftovers in the fridge for up to a few days.
#valentines #day #almond #cake #molly #yeh
