Buckwheat Cake (Torta Di Grano Saraceno)

blucoat's Note:

A simple, moist, and delicious cake with a light crumb and a deep, nutty flavour. This would probably work well as a bundt cake too. This modified Northern Italian recipe is from Melissa Kronenthal's great blog, "The Traveler's Lunchbox". You can enjoy it plain or split and filled with jam (as is traditional). Or, you can serve with stewed or poached apples, vanilla ice cream, or a dollop of whipped cream.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 25 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 55 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 16

• 1 cup whole almond , blanched or natural (6oz/175g)
• 1 ½ cups buckwheat flour (200g)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 large lemon, zest of , finely grated (or two medium)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ cup unsalted butter , at room temperature (6oz/175g)
• 1 ½ cups sugar , divided (300g)
• ¾ cup milk (180ml)
• 4 eggs , at room temperature, separated

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/175°C Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast until golden and fragrant, about 10-12 minutes. Cool completely.
2. Grease a 9-inch/23cm springform pan and set aside. In a food processor or clean coffee grinder, grind the almonds as finely as possible with 1/4 cup (50g) of the sugar. In a medium bowl, stir together the ground almonds, buckwheat flour, salt, cinnamon, lemon zest and baking powder.
3. In another bowl, beat the butter and 1 cup (200g) of the sugar until fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the dry mixture alternately with the milk until everything is well combined.
4. In a clean mixing bowl and using spotlessly clean beaters, whip the egg whites with the remaining 1/4 cup (50g) sugar until they form stiff, glossy peaks. Stir one-quarter of the whites into the cake batter to lighten it, then gently fold in the rest. Scrape the batter into the greased pan, smoothing the top.
5. Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, covering the top loosely with foil if it begins to darken too much. Cool the cake for ten minutes on a rack, then carefully remote the outer ring and cool completely. Store, covered, at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. Dust with a little powdered sugar before serving, if you like.