Toasted Almond Cake with Strawberries in Rose Water Syrup
contributed by Jenn from Epicurious.com This cake is pretty much a fancy version of strawberry shortcake with a middle eastern twist. It is pretty easy to make and REALLY yummy. I added a bit of sugar to the whipping cream - maybe 1/8-1/4 cup.
Ingredients
Cake
  • 3/4C Whole Almonds with skins (1/4 lb), toasted and cooled
  • 1 1/4C Flour
  • 1tsp Baking Powder
  • 1/2tsp Salt
  • 4 Large Eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 1/4C Superfine Granulated Sugar
  • 3/4C Butter, melted and cooled (1 1/2 sticks)
  • 1/3C Whole Milk
  • 1/4tsp Almond Extract
  • 1/2C Sliced Almonds (2 oz)
Strawberries and Cream
  • 2C Water
  • 1 1/3C Sugar
  • 6Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 2lb Strawberries, trimmed and quartered length-wise
  • 1/2tsp Rose Water or 1 tsp Vanilla Extract (to taste)
  • 1/2C Chilled Heavy Cream
Instructions
  1. Make cake first
  2. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
  3. Butter and flour 9" square cake pan, knocking out excess flour
  4. With blender motor at high speed, add half of toasted almonds through top hole and finely grind (be careful not to grind to a paste).
  5. Transfer to a bowl and grind remaining almonds in same manner, transferring to bowl.
  6. Add flour, baking powder, and salt to ground almonds and whisk until combined well.
  7. Beat eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until foamy, about 15 seconds, then add superfine sugar a little at a time, beating.
  8. Continue beating until mixture is thick, pale, and forms a ribbon when beater is lifted, 7 to 8 minutes in a stand mixer or 10 to 14 minutes with a handheld.
  9. Add butter in a slow stream, beating, then add milk and almond extract and beat until just combined.
  10. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture, mixing until just combined.
  11. Spread batter in pan, smoothing top, then sprinkle evenly with sliced almonds.
  12. Bake until top is golden, cake begins to pull away from side of pan, and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes.
  13. Cool cake in pan on a rack 30 minutes, then run a knife around edge to loosen and invert onto rack.
  14. Turn cake right side up on rack and cool completely, about 30 minutes more.
  15. Make Strawberries in Syrup
  16. Bring water, sugar, and lemon juice to a boil in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then boil, uncovered, until reduced to about 2 cups, 8 to 10 minutes.
  17. Transfer syrup to a bowl and cool completely. Stir in strawberries and rose water and macerate at room temperature 30 minutes.
  18. Whip Cream and Assemble
  19. Beat cream in a large bowl with cleaned beaters until it holds soft peaks.
  20. Cut cake into 4 squares and reserve 2 squares for another use.
  21. Carefully cut each of remaining 2 squares diagonally into quarters for a total of 8 triangles, then halve each triangle horizontally.
  22. Sandwich triangle halves with strawberries, syrup, and whipped cream.
Recipe Notes

• Cake (not cut) improves in flavor if made at least 1 day ahead (up to 3) and kept, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature.
• Strawberries can be macerated in syrup up to 2 hours.
- Rose water can be found at Middle Eastern grocery stores and Whole Foods