Lemon Curd Almond Torte

I’d like to thank all the people who made this cake possible.

Thanks to Rachel of Chez Nous Bistro for the original recipe inspiration.

Thanks to all the chefs and home cooks on YouTube who posted videos on how to make a lemon curd without burning it.

And special thanks to the Team Member at Whole Foods who took pity on me and gave me a $15.99 bag of gluten-free Cup 4 Cup flour to try out for free!

Note: The lemon curd should be made several hours ahead of the cake to allow it to cool, or even better, refrigerated overnight.

Ingredients:

Lemon Curd:

4 eggs, room temperature
1 cup pure cane sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, strained

8 oz. salted, grass-fed butter, cut into small pieces

Zest of 3 lemons

Almond Torte:

1/2 cup almond flour

1 cup gluten-free flour, preferably Cup 4 Cup

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 oz. salted grass-fed butter, room temperature, cut into small pieces

1 cup pure cane sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup lemon curd (from above)

1/3 cup sliced almonds

Directions:

Lemon Curd:

1. Heat 2”- 3" of water to a simmer in a sauce pan that will later be used as the bottom of a double boiler.

2. While the water is heating up, select a stainless steel pan that will fit over the sauce pan without the bottom touching the water.  Add the eggs to the stainless steel bowl and whisk to break them up.

3.  Whisk in the sugar with the eggs; then whisk in the lemon juice.

4. Put the bowl over the simmering water and whisk constantly until the mixture becomes thickened, like sour cream or a hollandaise sauce. When a candy or instant-read thermometer measures 170 degrees F, the curd is finished (about 8 - 10 minutes). 

5. Take the lemon curd off the heat and add the butter pieces and lemon zest. Stir or whisk until the butter is melted. Taste for sweetness and tartness.

6. Put a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the lemon curd to prevent a skin from forming. Let the curd cool to room temperature, and then put in refrigerator to cool a couple of hours, or preferably overnight. Lemon curd will keep 5 - 7 days in the refrigerator.

Almond Torte:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Prepare a springform cake pan: butter the bottom of the pan; add parchment paper to cover the bottom and up the sides; butter the bottom and sides of the paper.

1. Sift the dry ingredients together and set aside.

2. In a stand mixer with the flat beater, cream the butter, then add the sugar.

3. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. The batter eventually will get fluffy, doubling in volume (8 - 10 minutes).

4. Remove the mixing bowl from the stand. Add in the vanilla and the dry ingredients and gently fold it all together.

5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Put 2/3 cup lemon curd on top, leaving a 1/2" border. 

6. Scatter 1/3 cup sliced almonds over the mix and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the sides of the cake turn brownish and a toothpick comes out clean on the cake part. The center of the cake with the curd will be a bit bubbly.

7. Place the cake on a wire rack and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Remove the cake in the parchment paper and put on the rack to further cool down. When it is cooled, transfer the cake to a serving plate, or put in an air-tight container in the refrigerator to eat later. The cake will keep in the fridge for several days.

#dessert #glutenfree #lemon #torte #cake #tuscan