From “Fast Food My Way” by Jacques Pepin. Serves 6-8.
Ingredients
For the cake:
1/3 cup tightly packed almond paste
3/4 cup sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, 1/2teaspoon reserved to butter the cake pan
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
Dash of salt
1 cup cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
For the syrup:
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons whiskey, rum or cognac
1/4 cup sugar
Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the almond paste, sugar, butter and vanilla in a food processor and process for about 10 seconds. Add the eggs, milk and salt and process for 5 seconds. Add the flour and the baking powder and process for another 5 to 10 seconds, or until smooth.
Butter an 8-inch round cake pan (2 inches deep) with the reserved butter.
Pour the cake batter into the pan and bake for 45 minutes. Cool on a rack.
At serving time, place the cake on a serving platter. Moisten with syrup (below).
For the syrup:
Combine the ingredients in a small bowl. Using a spoon or pastry brush, moisten the cake with the syrup.
Serve with crème fraîche or sour cream.
