Gluten-Free Italian Almond Cake

Be prepared. This cake is not the easiest thing in the world to make, but it is so worth it. And since it's not too sweet or sugary, it's the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea or coffee in the evenings.

Or for breakfast with your first cup of tea or coffee.

I have adapted this recipe from Nancy Harmon Jenkins book, Cucina Del Sole.

First, preheat your oven to 350-degrees, then grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.

Next, toast the slivered almonds in a single layer on a cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes, or until they are nice golden brown.



Cool, then transfer them to a food processor along with 2 tablespoons of sugar.



Process until the almonds are finely ground. Be careful not to over process, else your almonds will turn into almost paste.



Then set this aside while you continue with the rest of the cake.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, and 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar.



Add 1 cup of the almonds to the flour and stir well.







Then you might want to think about separating your eggs.



Set aside two more tablespoons of sugar, then put the rest in a mixing bowl and add the butter. Beat until the butter and sugar form a thick cream.



Add each egg yolk one at a time.



Continue beating until a thick, lemon-colored batter forms.



Carefully fold in 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/3 of the milk. .



Continue alternating between the milk and flour until they are gone, and all ingredients are thoroughly combined.





Set this aside while you work on the egg whites.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks.



Add the 2 tablespoons of sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.



Fold in about 1/4 of the egg whites into the batter.



After that, gently fold in the rest of the egg whites just until they are combined.



Pour the batter into the prepared pan and pop it in the oven for about 40-60 minutes.



The center should be firm to the touch and the sides should pull away from the sides a little bit.

It's best served warm sprinkled with a bit of powdered sugar on top.



To make the almond cake, you will need:

1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups of gluten-free all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of gluten-free cake flour
1 teaspoon of xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature
5 eggs, separated
3/4 cup of milk
confectioners sugar for dusting