Almond Cake with Mocha Buttercream

Ingredients

6 eggs separated

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

3/4 cup fluor

1 cup whole almonds blanched or natural ground

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp almond extract

Beat egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar, until light and fluffy.  In another bowl with cream of tartar, gradually adding 1/4 cup sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form.  Mix fluor, almonds, baking powder and almond extract into egg yolk mixture.  Fold in egg whites.  Turn into two 8" round layer pans that have been lined with brown paper greased, on bottoms.

Bake at 350ºC for 25 to 30 minutes, until light touch in the center doesn`t leave imprint.

Cool until cake sinks below top edge of pan.  Turn pans over and cool in pans upside down.  Loosen edges, peel paper.  Carefully slice each layer into 3 thin layers.  Stock with 1/3 Buttercream spread onto each layer except top.

Reserve 1/3 cup buttercream for pipping.

Spread remainder of side cake.  Pipe border arount top edge.  Spread 2/3 cup apricot jam on top.  Garnish with whole almonds and chocolate curls.

Store cake in refrigerator.

Remove 20 to 30 minutes before serving.  Should be cool when served.

Mocha Buttercream from The Essential Baker by Carol Bloom

Makes enough to cover and fill a 9-inch cake

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup water

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 pound (2 cups, 4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, very finely chopped, melted over a double boiler and cooled to room temperature

2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

1 tablespoon water

In a small sauce pan fitted with a candy Thermometer, bring the 1 1/4 cups sugar, water and cream of tartar to a boil over medium-high heat. If any of the sugar crystals get onto the side of the pan, be sure to wipe them down with a wet clean pastry brush. The sugar needs to cook until it hits 242° F on the thermometer. This takes several minutes. While that is boiling,

Place the eggs, egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer and whip on medium speed until they are thick, pale in color and hold a ribbon when the beater is lifted. Once the sugar syrup has reached its temperature of 242° F,

then slowly pour it into the bowl of whipped egg yolks while the beater is going on slow. Be sure to pour it along the bowl so that the hot syrup doesn’t hit the beater and splatter! Allow the eggs and sugar mixture to beat on medium high speed until the eggs have cooled, about 8 minutes.

Add the butter 2 tablespoons at a time.  The buttercream will go through a stage that looks soupy and curdled, but continue to add all of the butter and it will come together.

The finished buttercream will be smooth and silky.

Add a tablespoon of water to the espresso powder and dissolve.  Add the melted and cooled chocolate to the buttercream.  Mix to combine and decorate your cake.

The buttercream will freeze if you have any left, wrapped really well in plastic. Just allow it to come bake to room temperature and whisk it on low speed to smooth it out.