This recipe is the fan-favorite almond layer of a LEGO groom’s cake we concocted for a recent family wedding, but you don’t have to be getting married to enjoy this engagingly sweet treat! You don’t even need fondant or frosting when making your own; it’s already a perfect matrimony of almond paste and corn cake!
What you’ll need:
½ Cup yellow cornmeal
½ Cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick unsalted butter
¼ – ½ Cup almond paste (I use the canned paste)
1 Cup confectioners’ sugar (plus more for dusting)
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 eggs
¼ Cup sour cream
STEP ONE:Â Butter it up!
Butter or use cooking spray on an 8-inch round cake pan. If you are using butter, then you’ll also want to dust the pan with flour.
STEP TWO:Â Dry mix.
Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.
STEP THREE:Â Almond action!
Mix together butter and almond paste until smooth (this takes about 3 to 5 minutes). Then add in the confectioners’ sugar SLOWLY! Mix at a lower speed until the mix is fluffy. Next add the eggs and vanilla, and mix until everything is incorporated.
STEP FOUR:Â Put it all together:
Add your dry ingredients to your wet ones, and mix until just combined. Stir in the sour cream.
STEP FIVE:Â Pan power!
Once it’s all mixed together, pour the mixture into your prepared cake pan. Tap the pan on the table to get out any air bubbles and to even out the mixture. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until the cake is golden on top.
The tooth-pick-in-the-center-of-the-cake-to-see-if-it’s-done test is not the best for this recipe. It’s been my experience that the almond keeps the cake seeming underdone, when in fact it’s just moist. It’s better to judge by the cake’s color, and to watch for when the sides of the cake begin to pull away from the pan.
STEP SIX:Â Cool coating!
Let the tasty cake cool before removing it from the the pan. Once it’s cool, it’s up to you how you want to decorate it. I find that mixing any leftover almond paste into your basic frosting recipe is super-amazing, or just powder the cake with confectioners’ sugar.
If you’re looking to go all out, bake a few more layers, apply some fondant, and tower it up for a wedding cake fit for any LEGO fan!
Recipe: Almond Wedding Cake
What you’ll need:
STEP ONE:Â Butter it up!
Butter or use cooking spray on an 8-inch round cake pan. If you are using butter, then you’ll also want to dust the pan with flour.
STEP TWO:Â Dry mix.
Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.
STEP THREE:Â Almond action!
Mix together butter and almond paste until smooth (this takes about 3 to 5 minutes). Then add in the confectioners’ sugar SLOWLY! Mix at a lower speed until the mix is fluffy. Next add the eggs and vanilla, and mix until everything is incorporated.
STEP FOUR:Â Put it all together:
Add your dry ingredients to your wet ones, and mix until just combined. Stir in the sour cream.
Once it’s all mixed together, pour the mixture into your prepared cake pan. Tap the pan on the table to get out any air bubbles and to even out the mixture. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until the cake is golden on top.
The tooth-pick-in-the-center-of-the-cake-to-see-if-it’s-done test is not the best for this recipe. It’s been my experience that the almond keeps the cake seeming underdone, when in fact it’s just moist. It’s better to judge by the cake’s color, and to watch for when the sides of the cake begin to pull away from the pan.
STEP SIX:Â Cool coating!
Let the tasty cake cool before removing it from the the pan. Once it’s cool, it’s up to you how you want to decorate it. I find that mixing any leftover almond paste into your basic frosting recipe is super-amazing, or just powder the cake with confectioners’ sugar.
If you’re looking to go all out, bake a few more layers, apply some fondant, and tower it up for a wedding cake fit for any LEGO fan!