Portuguese almond and potato cake
10 servings
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | large | Baking potato, about 10 ounces |
| 1 | cup | Almonds, with skins |
| 2 | teaspoons | Baking powder |
| 3 | larges | Eggs, separated |
| ¾ | cup | Sugar |
| ¼ | cup | Unsalted butter, softened |
| 1 | tablespoon | Brandy |
| ½ | teaspoon | Almond extract |
| Powdered sugar | ||
| Marzipan \"potatoes,\" optional (see recipe) | ||
Directions
Bake or microwave potato until soft. Force pulp through a coarse sieve or potato ricer. There should be 1 cup lightly packed. Set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 350F. Butter sides of an 8½-inch spring form pan, line base with a circle of baking parchment; butter the parchment.
Using a nut mill, grind almonds to powder, stir in baking powder; set aside.
Beat egg whites until they start to stiffen, sprinkle with half of the sugar, a little at a time, and continue beating until stiff and glossy.
Beat butter with remaining sugar, then beat in egg yolks, brandy, and almond extract. Using a large rubber spatula, fold in potato, ground almonds and egg whites.
Spoon into prepared pan; bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a tester comes out dry. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes.
Run a knife blade around edge before releasing sides of pan. Place cake, on the base, on a rack and let cool completely. Cake will sink slightly in the middle. Reverse cake onto a plate, peel off paper and place right side up on a serving plate. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
MARZIPAN "POTATOES": You'll need 4 ounces marzipan or almond paste and powdered unsweetened cocoa. Pinch off pieces of marzipan and roll into elongated balls, each about the size of a large marble. Make these slightly irregular, like tiny new potatoes. Roll in cocoa to simulate brown potato skin.
Cut several in half to show the white interior. Arrange a little group on top of the cake, and place the rest in twos and threes around the edge of the plate.
Serves 10.
PER SERVING: 235 calories, 5 g protein, 23 g carbohydrate, 14 g fat (5 g saturated), 76 mg cholesterol, 131 mg sodium, 2 g fiber.
From an article by Jacqueline Mallorca, San Francisco Chronicle, 2/24/93.
Posted by Stephen Ceideberg; March 2 1993.