Cook: 50-60 minutes
Serves: 6
I am a huge fan of pine nuts and love them in cakes. Here, I combine them with almonds and lemon (two other favourite ingredients of mine), and the result is a delicious cake, bursting with flavour and moist texture. I use regular almonds with the skin on as they give extra colour and texture to the cake, but you could used ready-ground or blanched almonds (same quantity) if you already have them to hand. Chag sameach!
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 50-60 minutes
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
100g almonds
150g pine nuts – 120g for the cake mixture, 30g for decorating
160g caster sugar
Zest of 1 lemon (for the cake mixture), plus zest of ¼ lemon to decorate (optional)
¼ tsp vanilla extract
4 large egg whites (approx. 160g if using store-bought egg whites)
20g flaked almonds, to decorate
Icing sugar, to decorate
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 160°C fan / 320°F.
- Grind the almonds in a food processor until fine. Add the pine nuts and pulse again until just combined – do not over-process, as pine nuts are oily.
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the sugar, lemon zest and vanilla extract.
- In a separate, clean bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric hand mixer (or in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment) until they form stiff peaks.
- Gently fold the nut and sugar mixture into the egg whites until you have a thick and homogeneous batter.
- Pour the mixture into a 20cm (8in) round springform cake tin, with the base lined with baking parchment (the parchment held in place by the springform ring) lined cake tin. Sprinkle the flaked almonds and remaining pine nuts over the top.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and, while still hot, gently run a knife around the inside edge of the tin to help release the cake (this will help it keep its shape and prevent it from collapsing in the centre).
- Leave to cool in the tin on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes, then carefully remove from the tin. Serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with icing sugar and a little extra lemon zest for an extra lift.
Picture: Inbal Bar-Oz and Leyla Freedman
Instagram: silvia_nacamulli
To get more recipes, click here to sign up for our free JC food newsletter.
Support the world’s oldest Jewish newspaper
Ingredients
100g almonds
150g pine nuts – 120g for the cake mixture, 30g for decorating
160g caster sugar
Zest of 1 lemon (for the cake mixture), plus zest of ¼ lemon to decorate (optional)
¼ tsp vanilla extract
4 large egg whites (approx. 160g if using store-bought egg whites)
20g flaked almonds, to decorate
Icing sugar, to decorate