Cakes, Pastries & Pies > Greece > Ravani >
Almond Cake
2-1/2 C sugar
3 C cold water
1 stick cinnamon
4 whole cloves
Zest of 1 orange
14 TBS (7 oz.) unsalted butter
6 eggs
2/3 C flour
1 C plus 2 TBS fine semolina flour
1 TBS baking powder
3/4 C blanched almonds, finely chopped
1 tsp. vanilla
2 TBS brandy
Whole blanched almonds (for garnish)
In a saucepan, combine 1-1/3 C of sugar with the cold water; simmer over low heat until sugar has dissolved. Add the cinnamon stick, cloves and orange zest; simmer for another fifteen minutes. Remove cinnamon stick and cloves; allow mixture to cool. Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Place butter in a bowl; beat until soft and light (use a whisk or electric mixer). Slowly add the remaining 1 cup of sugar. Add eggs individually, beating thoroughly after each addition. In another bowl, sift together flour, semolina and baking powder. Add finely chopped almonds; mix well. Gradually add mixture to the butter-sugar-egg batter, beating continuously. Add vanilla and brandy; mix well. Pour batter into a buttered rectangular baking pan. Bake for about thirty minutes; remove from oven. Using a sharp knife, score cake into diamond shapes. Spoon cooled syrup over the cake; allow to cool. Garnish each portion with a whole blanched almond.
*Ravani image (C) Aldousari (2012). Used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license, a freely licensed media file repository.
Related Link:
Food Fare Culinary Collection: Greek Culinaria
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