Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Almond Cake with Fleur de Sel - Mandelkuchen mit Fleur de Sel


This is a recipe for an incredibly moist and nutty almond cake. If you are a devoted almond lover like me and appreciate the combination of sweet and salty in a dessert, this Almond Cake with Fleur de Sel is most definitely the right cake for you.
Hier mal ein Rezept für einen unglaublich saftigen, nussigen Mandelkuchen. Dieser Mandelkuchen mit Fleur de Sel ist für all diejenigen der richtige Kuchen, die nicht nur wie ich auch gerne Mandeln essen, aber auch die Kombination von süß und salzig schätzen.




The ground almonds in the batter as well as the coarsely chopped almonds in the topping lend a very agreeable sweetness to the cake. While, at the same time, the fine Fleur de Sel in the batter as well as the coarse Fleur de Sel in the topping lend a wonderful saltiness and crunch to the cake. The Ceylon cinnamon as well as the pure vanilla sugar harmonize so well with the taste of the almonds. And the light Muscovado sugar adds a taste of caramel. A memorable combination of flavors not to be missed! 
Die gemahlenen Mandeln im Teig und die gehackten Mandeln im Belag verleihen dem Kuchen eine angenehme Süße. Zugleich verleiht das feine Fleur de Sel im Teig und das grobe Fleur de Sel im Belag, dem Kuchen eine unvergleichlich angenehme salzige Note. Und der Ceylon Zimt und die Vanille harmonieren ganz wunderbar mit dem Geschmack der Mandeln. Und der helle Muscovado-Zucker hat eine leichte Karamellnote, die sich vorzüglich mit dem Fleur de Sel ergänzt. Geschmacklich einfach ein wunderbares Erlebnis.




If you need more convincing and to make things even more agreeable, you shoud know that this cake comes together in no time and requires a mere 45 minutes of baking time.
Zudem ist der Kuchenteig ist im Handumdrehen zusammengerührt und der Kuchen braucht weniger als eine Stunde Backzeit.




Almond Cake with Fleur de Sel

Ingredients
  • 75 grams unsalted butter, plus some for greasing the baking pan
  • 110 grams superfine baking sugar
  • 110 grams light Muscovado sugar
  • 1 ½ tsps pure vanilla sugar
  • 3 eggs (M), free range or organic
  • 1 tbsp Amaretto or dark rum
  • 200 grams ground almonds, skins on or off* (according to your personal taste)
  • 50 grams light spelt flour
  • 1 ½ tsps  baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (preferably Ceylon cinnamon)
  • ½ tsp Natural Fine Sea Salt, such as  "Sel fin de Guérande"
  • 50 grams chopped natural almonds
  •  ¼ to ½ tsp (according to your personal taste) Natural Flower Sea Salt, such as "Fleur de Sel de Guérande"
Mandelkuchen mit Fleur de Sel

Zutaten
  • 75 Gramm ungesalzene Butter, plus etwas für die Backform
  • 110 Gramm feinster Backzucker
  • 110 Gramm heller Muscovado Zucker
  • 1 ½  Bourbon Vanillezucker
  • 3 Eier (M), Freiland oder Bio
  • 1 EL Amaretto oder Rum
  • 200 Gramm gemahlene Mandeln, mit oder ohne Haut* (je nach persönlichem Gesckmack)
  • 50 Gramm helles Dinkelmehl (Type 630)
  • 1 ½ TL Backpulver
  • ½ TL Ceylon Zimt
  • ½  TL feines Meersalz, z. Bsp. "Sel fin de Guérande"
  • 50 Gramm ganze Mandeln mit Haut, grob gehackt 
  • ¼ bis ½ TL (je nach persönlichem Gesckmack) Fleur de Sel, z. Bsp. "Fleur de Sel de Guérande"



In addition
  • a springform or round baking pan (24-26 cm)
  • baking parchment
Außerdem
  • Springform 24-26 cm
  • Backpapier



Preparation
  1. Pre-heat your oven to 180° Celsius or 365 ° Fahrenheit.
  2. Using a pastry brush, lightly butter the cake pan and line with baking parchment.
  3. In a small saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat, take off the heat.
  4. Add the melted butter to a mixing bowl, then add the baking sugar, Muscovado sugar and vanilla sugar to the same bowl and mix all the ingredients together.
  5. Add the eggs, one after the other, making sure to stir the batter after each egg.
  6. Then add the Amaretto or dark rum and stir again.
  7. In another mixing bowl, mix together the ground almonds, the spelt flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and the fine Fleur de Sel.
  8. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir everything together.
  9. Finally, add the batter to the prepared baking pan and top with the coarsely chopped almonds as well as the coarse Fleur de Sel.
  10. Bake the cake for about 45 minutes. The cake is done when a wooden skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out with no doughy crumbs attached.
  11. Take the cake out of the oven and let it rest for a few minutes, then with the help of the baking parchment, lift it out of the cake pan and transfer it to a cooling rack. *NOTE: To blanch the almonds and remove their skins, place the almonds in a bowl. Pour boiling water to barely cover the almonds. Let the almonds sit for about one minute. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again. Pat dry and using your fingers slip the skins off. If you would like to remove the skins from a whole bunch of almonds at the same time, you can also use a clean tea towel to rub the skins off the almonds after you blanched them and rinsed them under cold water.

Zubereitung
  1. Den Backofen auf 180° Celsius vorheizen.
  2. Die Springform mit etwas Butter ausstreichen und mit Backpapier auslegen.
  3. In einem kleinen Topf auf mittlerer Hitze die Butter schmelzen, dann vom Herd nehmen.
  4. Die geschmolzene Butter in eine mittlere Rührschüssel geben und den Backzucker, Muscovado-Zucker und den Vanillezucker mit einrühren.
  5. Die Eier nacheinander ebenfalls unterrühren.
  6. Den Amaretto oder Rum unterrühren.
  7. In einer weiteren Schüssel die gemahlenen Mandeln, das Dinkelmehl, Backpulver, Zimt und das feine Fleur de Sel mischen.
  8. Die Mehlmischung auf die Eier-Zucker-Mischung geben und alles zu einem Teig verrühren.
  9. In die vorbereitete Backform füllen und mit den gehackten Mandeln sowie dem groben Fleur de Sel bestreuen.
  10. Den Kuchen in zirka 45 Minuten backen. Der Kuchen ist fertig, wenn an einem Holzstäbchen, das man in die Mitte des Kuchens sticht, keine klebrigen Teigrückstände mehr haften bleiben.
  11. Den Kuchen aus dem Ofen nehmen und einige Minuten ruhen lassen, dann aus der Form nehmen und auf einem Kuchengitter abkühlen lassen. *TIPP: Zum Mandeln häuten die Mandelkerne kurz in kochendem Wasser blanchieren. Die blanchierten Mandelkerne kalt abschrecken. Nach dem Blanchieren die Kerne mit den Fingern nun ganz einfach aus ihrer Haut drücken. Möchten man größere Mengen Mandeln häuten, gibt man die blanchierten und abgeschreckten Kerne in ein Küchentuch, dann zum Mandeln häuten im Tuch kräftig durchkneten und die Haut entfernen..



If you enjoy snacking on salted almonds, you can also substitute the coarsely chopped natural almonds that my recipe calls for in the topping with chopped salted almonds instead - just remember to omit the coarse Fleur de Sel from the topping then.
Wer gerne Salzmandeln mag, kann auch diese anstatt der herkömmlichen Mandeln grob hacken und vor dem Backen auf dem Kuchen verteilen. In diesem Fall sollte man dann allerdings das Fleur de Sel auf dem Belag weglassen.




This cake is a fabulous dessert cake, especially if you serve it while still slightly warm. Or enjoy it with a cup of tea or coffee in the afternoon. It is best eaten without whipped cream or ice cream on the side - just enjoy it plain - that´s when it is at its best, giving you a chance to truly savor the different components of this cake, the sweetness of the almonds, the warmth of the vanilla and the cinnamon and the hint of caramel from the Muscovado sugar.
Dieser Kuchen ist eine tolle Nachspeise, vor allem, wenn er noch leicht warm serviert wird. Oder man genießt ihn am Nachmittag mit einer Tasse Kaffee oder Tee. Am besten dann auch ohne Sahne oder Vanilleies, so schmeckt der Kuchen einfach am besten und man kann die einzelnen Geschmacks-Komponenten des Kuchens am besten genießen - die Süße der Mandeln, die Wärme des Zimts und der Vanille und die Karamel-Note des Muscovado Zuckers.




The combination of sweet and salty is unbeatable - this Almond Cake with Fleur de Sel is truly a must-bake recipe, you know that you can trust me on this one!
Die Kombination süß-salzig schmeckt einfach fantastisch. Diesen Mandelkuchen mit Fleur de Sel sollte man auf jeden Fall einmal ausprobieren.



27 comments:

  1. I love that you are serving this without the whipped or ice cream! I prefer many cakes plain, so I can tasted their wonderful, buttery flavor. This is making me so excited for all the German pastries I will be eating there this summer! David

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    1. Dear David, well, whipped cream and ice cream most definitely do not go with this delightfully sweet and salty Almond Cake with Fleur de Sel - it is really best eaten plain - giving you a chance to truly savor the different components of this cake, the sweetness of the almonds, the warmth of the vanilla and the cinnamon and the hint of caramel from the Muscovado sugar.
      I do know that there are lots of fabulous cakes to be tasted in German and Austrian bakeries, but before travelling this summer, there is still lots of time to try this cake at least once.
      Thank you for the kind comment,
      Andrea

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  2. I am drooling as I gaze at every photo! So good! Wish I could bake some right now! Got to try it as soon as I get hold of the ingredients! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Dear Jeannie, if you get a chance to bake this cake, let me know whether you enjoyed it - it is easy to make since it comes together in no time, you do not even need a mixer for this, just use a wooden spoon to stir all the ingedients together and you are all set to enjoy a slice or two of a delightfully sweet and salty dessert cake.
      Thank you for stopping by - nice to hear from you!
      Andrea

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  3. This looks like a great tasty almond cake. It would be an afternoon delight with a cup of tea . I love the taste of almonds when the skin is removed.

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    1. Liebe Gerlinde - herzlichen Dank für deinen netten Kommentar!
      Dir würde der Kuchen sicherlich schmecken - viele Mandeln und ein wenig Salz ist eine tolle Kombination. Du kannst auch die Haut für die Mandeln auf dem Belag weglassen.
      I am sure you would enjoy this cake - when I served it to my guests the other day, they went crazy over it!
      Liebe Grüße,
      Andrea

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  4. I bet the kids were fighting over this one. I would have been!

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    1. Chris, we did indeed enjoy this one quite a bit - just my kind of cake, lots of nuts, not too sweet and hints of vanilla and cinnamon.
      Thank you for your comment!

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  5. Andrea, I admit to always being so impressed with your baking repertoire. The photos are beautiful, as always, but the combinations always seem to develop towards being not too sweet, but with just a perfect touch of combined ingredients. Purchase worthy to be sure!

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    1. Peggy, I am always looking for different kinds of dessert cakes and always the ones that are less sweet and preferably with lots of nuts like this one - I love, love these kinds of cakes with a European touch. They are unbeatable, in our humble opinion, and they let simple but really-good quality ingredients shine!
      Thank you for the kind comment,
      Andrea

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  6. This cake looks fabulous, Andrea! You can keep all those fancy iced cakes, and give me this every time…delectable! I can imagine a slice with my morning tea!!

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    1. Kathy, this cake is excellent with that cup of morning tea - I know, I tried it. And with all those ground nuts it stays moist and utterly delicious for quite a few days.
      Andrea

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  7. The cake looks fantastic! I love the photos with the flowers on top - so pretty and spring-like! Adding fleur de sel is an extra-special touch :-)

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    1. Amy, thank you kindly, adding that Fleur de Sel, coarse as well as fine, certainly tickles those taste buds - which is entirely intended and very satisyfying.
      Thank you for the kind comment,
      Andrea

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  8. This looks fabulous.
    And, as always, a wonderful, artful presentation.
    Love from MN. xx

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    Replies
    1. Kim, you are such a kind person - thank you very much! You know that I always, always appreciate your kind and thoughtful comments!
      Andrea

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  9. Liebe Isabell, ganz herzlichen Dank für deine Nachricht! Dein Blogevent hört sich sehr interessant an und und ist eine ganz wunderbare Idee neue Blogs und Blogger kennen zu lernen und wert zu schätzen.
    Ich melde mich in nächster Zeit!
    Herzliche Grüsse,
    Andrea

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  10. I love reading your description of the food - so convincing and description makes me very excited and inspired to try my own. Such a beautiful cake - salty and sweet.... love that! :)

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    1. Nami, so nice to hear from you again - I know that you have been super busy with your lovely blog - thank you so much for your kind words. I love this combo of sweet and salty - not everyone´s cup of tea but mine/ours.
      I certainly appreciate your picking up on my description...
      Andrea

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  11. Andrea love, this cake is heavenly. I have a similar recipe, but will bake yours tonight!
    I hope everyone there Chez Andrea is doing well. xoox

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    1. Thank you, Colette, everyone Chez Nous is doing very well - just a bit busy these days!

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  12. This has just been added to our Mother's Day menu!

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    1. Sue, then if you do get a chance to make this cake, let me know whether you enjoyed it!
      Thank you for stopping by!
      Andrea

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  13. this is a brilliant idea...we are in so much awe with muscovado sugar,fleur de sel,coarse almonds and almond flour in a cake.....it must taste ambrosial...thanks for inspiring...Have a Beautiful Day! :-)

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    1. Thank you, ladies, the texture and flavor of all the ingredients is quite wonderful, just my kind of cake - moist, sweet, lots of taste from the almonds - utter bliss on a cake platter.

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  14. This is just the kind of cake I love to eat. I will make this next time I serve cake. And I will think of you, my friend.

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    1. Betsy, I have a feeling you will enjoy this cake - as it has a natural sweetness to it that is not cloyingly sweet and it has tons of great, warm flavor and just the right touch of saltiness from the Fleur de Sel. The texture with the crunch form the almonds and the salt on top is also very agreeable.
      If you get a chance to bake this, do let me know how you liked it!
      Andrea

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