This cake is ridiculously good. When taking a taste, for the first time, I turned to Fabien and said, “I cannot believe I just made something THIS good.” And I’m not bragging, it’s the cake! You can make it too. It’s gluten free, made in the ease of just one bowl, and French in origin. What’s not to like?
You can tweak this recipe in so many ways. You can use almond extract in the sponge and almond milk in the glaze. You can keep it vanilla, which is anything but boring. You can even use orange juice in place of the milk to add a hint of citrus. Or add a splash of rum to the glaze. Options are seriously endless.
It’s a dense frangipane cake. Essentially a whole slice of the filling that you always savor in an almond croissant or Galette de Rois, King Cake. Similar to a British Bakewell Tart, with neither the shortcrust pastry shell nor the layer of fruit jam. You will also notice its sister recipe, Le Namandier – Dense Almond Cake. While similar, the recipe below incorporates more eggs, for a richer cake, and most importantly, a thin layer of glaze on top. So this is a better one to serve after dinner to impress your guests, while the recipe mentioned above is perhaps better served at a picnic, because it is more portable. Or perhaps with tea, as it’s sweet and decadent but less so without the glaze.
One final note, slice narrow pieces, as this cake is very rich. And very, very good.
A Bee Bakes 
3 Comments