Damp Apple and Almond Cake

Damp Apple and Almond Cake
 
Recipe from Feast by Nigella Lawson
Notes: In the days leading up to Passover, I looked through many different books to find new ideas for desserts. Most Pesach sweets are either meringue-based or cakes made with ground nuts. The recipe I ended up using incorporated the puree of cooked apples to keep the cake moist. Lawson also makes it super easy by allowing everything to be whizzed in the food processor. Because there's no flour, and hence no issue with gluten formation, I let the machine run for a good five minutes in order to whip up as much air as possible into the eggs, hoping for an airier cake. Sure enough, the cake rose beautifully and didn't sink too much as it cooled. Slices of the cake were nice and clean and even with the reduced sugar (I cut about 1/3 out), it tasted great. The apple flavour is very much in the background, but its main contribution is keeping the cake from being too dry.

Besides this cake, the first Seder's desserts included two lemon curds (one made with sugar, the other with Splenda) served over pavlova nests, chocolate dipped meringues and chocolate dipped strawberries. A note on the latter: using pure bittersweet chocolate results in a coating that doesn't adhere well. I'd add some cream, or use semisweet chocolate next time.

Leave a comment