With friends coming for dinner who love cake for dessert and my navel orange tree full of fruit, I turned to an old favorite recipe – Orange Almond Torte. The recipe is from the February 1995 issue of Bon Appetit Magazine. I can’t believe I’ve been making it for so many years. Once you make it, it may become part of your standard repertoire too.
Orange Almond Torte is a single layer cake that’s easy to put together. It can even be made a day ahead which is always a good thing. This cake has a delicate orange flavor and nice texture as it’s a torte. Tortes use a combination of ground nuts and less flour in the batter, a bit different than a traditional cake recipe which uses all flour. I like to serve it with just a dusting of powdered sugar and skip the sauce, but both the Orange Sauce and Marsala Cream recipes that accompany the original recipe are sublime.
I’ve found that making both the sauce and the cream is a lot for just 6 people, so if you like the idea I’d suggest you choose one. The orange sauce can be made a day ahead. The Marsala cream needs to be made just before serving. If you decide to experiment and make both to offer your guests or family, any leftover orange sauce is good over ice cream, Angelfood cake, waffles or pancakes. Another option is to serve the cake with softly whipped cream flavored with a little almond extract instead of the sweet Marsala (a sweet fortified wine).
I grind my almonds in a food processor, although in a pinch I’ve used what is called almond flour – pure finely ground almonds. With almonds, any nuts or nut flour, keep them stored in the freezer for freshness. Stale or rancid nuts will spoil whatever you are making.
As this recipe is for a single layer cake the recipe makes a smaller amount of batter than a traditional double layer cake recipe. I’ve found that it’s easily made with a hand mixer. When I made this recipe in my big KitchenAid standing mixer the flat beater did not do the best job with such a small amount of batter. One new tool I plan to purchase is a third-party KitchenAid accessory called a self-scraping beater blade. It looks like this would work well, and it’s always nice to use a standing mixer so your hands are free.
In terms of tools, you’ll need an 8″ springform pan and some parchment paper to make the torte. For dusting the finished cake with powdered sugar, use a powdered sugar shaker with a fine mesh top or a larger fine sieve to get a nice even layer across the top.
Orange Almond Torte with Orange Sauce and Marsala Cream
Bon Appétit Magazine, February 1995
Serves 6
Orange Almond Torte
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus a little more for the pan
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
1 cup almonds, toasted, finely ground (6 ounces, ground)
1/2 cup plus all purpose flour, plus a little more for the pan
2 tablespoons orange juice, fresh squeezed
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
Pinch of table salt
2 large egg whites (at room temperature so they will whip better)
Powdered sugar as needed to dust top of cake
Torte Directions
1) Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter an 8-inch springform pan. Cut a circle of parchment (or use the pre-cut rounds which are handy to have on hand) to fit inside and line the bottom of pan. Butter parchment; dust with flour.
2) Beat 1/2 cup butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add sugar, beating until blended. Add egg, then yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. At low speed, beat in almonds, flour, orange juice, zest, coriander and salt, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally.
3) Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in medium bowl until stiff but not dry. Stiff whites will hold a tip straight up when you turn your beaters upside down. Gently fold whites into batter in 2 additions with a flexible spatula. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
4) Bake cake until top is golden and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes. To be safe, check early as ovens vary. Cool cake in pan on rack.
The cake can be made 1 day ahead. Cover well with plastic film and let stand at room temperature. Cut cake into wedges, dust with powdered sugar and serve with Orange Sauce or Marsala cream. You could even serve with softly whipped cream flavored with a little almond extract.
Orange Almond Torte with Orange Sauce and Marsala Cream
Marsala Cream
Makes plenty for 6 servings
Ingredients
1 cup chilled whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons sweet MarsalaDirections for Marsala Sauce
1) Beat whipping cream and 2 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Mix in Marsala. Serve with cake.
Orange Almond Torte with Orange Sauce and Marsala Cream
Orange Sauce
Makes about 1 1/4 cups
Ingredients
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange peelDirections for Orange Sauce
1) Whisk juice and cornstarch in bowl until cornstarch dissolves.
2) Melt butter in small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in sugar, orange peel and orange juice mixture. Whisk until sauce boils and thickens slightly, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
This sauce can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the great recipe! Definitely get the KA self-scraping beater blade – I have 2 and use them all the time.
Pictures look wonderful, Kent and the content was perfect! Miss you all! Andre
Oh and it sounds soooo yummy!!
Sally looks delectable and can’t wait to try it!!!
I really love your site! Thanks for sharing and keep it up. I will be back again!