White chocolate and almond cake.
Cook time: 25 mins | Prep time: 15 mins | Serves: 6
Ingredients.
4 large free-range eggs, room temperature. See note 4
150g (2/3 cup) caster sugar
250g (2 cups) almond meal, coarse texture
1 teaspoon baking powder
100g white chocolate, (1/2 cup) roughly chopped. See note 5
Serve with:
fresh berries
icing sugar to dust cake
300ml pouring cream, whipped
Method.
1. Preheat oven to 170°C fan force (340°F). Grease and line a 20 cm round cake tin.
2. In a large glass bowl, whisk eggs on high for 30 seconds with an electric hand beater.
3. For a further 3-4 minutes, beat on high speed, gradually adding the sugar in 4 lots. The mixture will turn pale, creamy and foamy in appearance (See cooking notes for more details.)
4. Gently sift in almond meal, baking powder and fold through chopped white chocolate with a spatula.
5. Pour into the cake tin. Place in the oven on the bottom shelf and bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown and spongy on top. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes if the top is still wobbly and not yet set.
6. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes before turning it out onto a platter. Dust with icing sugar. Serve with whipped cream and fresh berries.
COOKING NOTES:
1. The egg and sugar mixture should be foamy, creamy and pale after 5 minutes of beating. It should not be separated. If mixture does not come together and separates your cake will not work.
2. If the eggs and sugar are not creamy, pale and foamy in texture you may have added the sugar too quickly or the eggs may have been cold.
3. Make sure you gradually add the sugar over the 5 minutes in 4 lots and that the eggs are at room temperature and fresh.
4. Use 60-70g eggs. If you have small eggs add 1 more egg to step 2
5. Use chocolate from a bar of chocolate as white chocolate buttons will not melt in the cake as well.
6. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate. It will last for two days.
