Italian Almond Cake - Giada De Laurentiis

"The FoodTV chef Giada De Laurentiis prepared this recently on her show "Everyday Italian." The episode featured a "Polenta Party" but this light cake sounded so much like it could be a great addition to Thanksgiving or Christmas menus that I wanted to get it down and post it for folks that might want it for their holiday tables. :) It would also be good for Easter! We made the cake for a recent Italian dinner party, and it was a nice, light ending to the meal."
 
Download
photo by Gaby L. photo by Gaby L.
photo by Gaby L.
photo by Julesong photo by Julesong
photo by Julesong photo by Julesong
Ready In:
55mins
Ingredients:
11
Serves:
6-8
Advertisement

ingredients

Advertisement

directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Butter and lightly flour an 8-inch round cake pan (or use vegetable spray).
  • In a medium bowl, combine the cornmeal, cake flour, and baking flour, whisking well to mix; set aside.
  • In an electric mixer and using a paddle beater, beat together the softened butter and almond paste on high speed until very smooth, about 5 minutes.
  • Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the confectioners' sugar, mixing until well combined and the mixture is light and fluffy.
  • Increase the speed to high, then add the vanilla, whole eggs, and the egg yolks one at a time; mix until incorporated well.
  • Reduce the speed to medium then add the sour cream and the cornmeal mixture, and mix until just blended (don't overmix- only mix for a couple of minutes, tops).
  • Pour the cake batter into the greased pan and smooth the top with the back of a large spoon or a spatula.
  • Bake at 350 degrees F in the lower third of the oven for 35 minutes, or until the color of the cake is golden and the batter pulls away from the side of the pan.
  • Remove from oven, place pan on wire rack, and let cool.
  • Turn the cake out from the pan, place on serving platter or dish, and dust with confectioners' sugar.
  • Serve with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Questions & Replies

Got a question? Share it with the community!
Advertisement

Reviews

  1. I made this for Christmas and the whole family agreed that this was the best thing served that evening! A huge success! I can't get almond paste in Poland, so I made my own using this recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/almond-paste-15869.
     
  2. this was really good. it does taste kind of like a sweet cornbread cake. i served it with a dollop of whipped cream. my dh and i both enjoyed it. i think it would be really great with a scoop of ice cream. i liked that it was a light cake, not too heavy or sweet. this is definetly a keeper. it would be nice to serve guests after dinner.
     
  3. i've made this before...and was just looking for a version to print. in any case..i love it! the cornmeal gives a different texture to it.
     
  4. This is a really great dessert. It is perfect just like it is and doesn't need to be eaten with anything. This is going to be one of those special desserts for us that is made around the holidays to keep it special. Easy, light, and very tasty. It was not heavy at all and was a perfect end to a big meal. When I saw Giada making it I knew it was something I wanted to try. We all loved it. Even my three young sons. Thanks.
     
Advertisement

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

<p>It's simply this: I love to cook! :) <br /><br />I've been hanging out on the internet since the early days and have collected loads of recipes. I've tried to keep the best of them (and often the more unusual) and look forward to sharing them with you, here. <br /><br />I am proud to say that I have several family members who are also on RecipeZaar! <br /><br />My husband, here as <a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/member/39857>Steingrim</a>, is an excellent cook. He rarely uses recipes, though, so often after he's made dinner I sit down at the computer and talk him through how he made the dishes so that I can get it down on paper. Some of these recipes are in his account, some of them in mine - he rarely uses his account, though, so we'll probably usually post them to mine in the future. <br /><br />My sister <a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/member/65957>Cathy is here as cxstitcher</a> and <a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/member/62727>my mom is Juliesmom</a> - say hi to them, eh? <br /><br />Our <a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/member/379862>friend Darrell is here as Uncle Dobo</a>, too! I've been typing in his recipes for him and entering them on R'Zaar. We're hoping that his sisters will soon show up with their own accounts, as well. :) <br /><br />I collect cookbooks (to slow myself down I've limited myself to purchasing them at thrift stores, although I occasionally buy an especially good one at full price), and - yes, I admit it - I love FoodTV. My favorite chefs on the Food Network are Alton Brown, Rachel Ray, Mario Batali, and Giada De Laurentiis. I'm not fond over fakey, over-enthusiastic performance chefs... Emeril drives me up the wall. I appreciate honesty. Of non-celebrity chefs, I've gotta say that that the greatest influences on my cooking have been my mother, Julia Child, and my cooking instructor Chef Gabriel Claycamp at Seattle's Culinary Communion. <br /><br />In the last couple of years I've been typing up all the recipes my grandparents and my mother collected over the years, and am posting them here. Some of them are quite nostalgic and are higher in fat and processed ingredients than recipes I normally collect, but it's really neat to see the different kinds of foods they were interested in... to see them either typewritten oh-so-carefully by my grandfather, in my grandmother's spidery handwriting, or - in some cases - written by my mother years ago in fountain pen ink. It's like time travel. <br /><br />Cooking peeve: food/cooking snobbery. <br /><br />Regarding my black and white icon (which may or may not be the one I'm currently using): it the sea-dragon tattoo that is on the inside of my right ankle. It's also my personal logo.</p>
 
View Full Profile
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Find More Recipes