Because this almond torte is made without flour, it’s exceptionally moist and dense—just the way the Portuguese adore it. I like to sprinkle it with a bit of confectioners’ sugar or, if I’m feeling truly decadent, I spoon on some preserves and whipped cream.–David Leite
LC Flourless To A Fault Note
Flourless this cake can be, although just be extra careful removing it if you don’t dust the pan with flour. A little extra care is all it should take to keep the cake intact—and the recipe from being flourless to a flop, er, fault.
Almond Torte Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for the pan, at room temperature
- All-purpose flour, for dusting the pan (optional)
- 3 cups blanched slivered almonds
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large egg yolks
- 4 teaspoons grated lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 large egg whites
Directions
- 1. Position the rack in the middle of the oven and crank the heat to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch springform pan with butter, line the bottom with parchment paper, and butter the paper. Coat the pan with flour and tap out the excess.
- 2. Buzz the almonds and 1/4 cup of the sugar in a food processor until the consistency of fine cornmeal. Really lean on that button to make sure the almonds are as finely chopped as possible. Add the butter and pulse to combine. Set aside.
- 3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a handheld mixer in a big bowl, beat 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the yolks on medium-high until very light and fluffy, about 7 minutes. Add the zest, salt, and cinnamon and mix until incorporated. Whirl in the almond mixture and vanilla.
- 4. In an impeccably clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy then slowly whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar until the whites form soft, luscious peaks. Plop a spatulaful into the almond mixture and stir to lighten. Carefully fold in the remainder of the whites until no streaks show. Spoon the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
- 5. Bake until the cake is golden brown and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let rest for 5 minutes before releasing the cake from the pan. Cool completely before serving. The middle will collapse a bit; that is as it should be.
Hungry for more? Chow down on these:
- Flourless Chocolate Almond Torte from Alexandra Cooks
- Sour Cherry Almond Torte from Not Derby Pie
- Chocolate Pecan Caramel Torte from Leite's Culinaria
- Pecan Torte with Bourbon Whipped Cream from Leite's Culinaria
Almond Torte Recipe © David Leite. Photo © Letícia Schwartz. All rights reserved.
Off to the kitchen with this recipe, will post about it later, one thing I have to leave out is the cinnamon, hope it wont make a huge difference. As always David, your recipes make me drool just reading them. Can you imagine the mess I am when tasting. :))
Fabulous! This cake is also perfect for Passover: no flour or levening agents. This one is a keeper, thanks. There is a typo. The recipe calls for “12 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 cups).” It should be “1 1/2 sticks.”
Blima, is there a recipe you haven’t tried! Glad you like it. And thanks for the eagle eye. I’ve changed butter amount.
At first, I was quite skeptical about making this dish..especially when the batter was less than delectable. Do not fear! After baking it, the house permeated with lemon goodness, and I found the entire family gobbling up the confection. I recommend one makes sure to use a fairly large pan to bake this in to ensure that the cake gets fully done. For the adventuresome baker, it is worthwhile!
Monty, so glad you like the bolo. Yes, the cake needs to be baked in a 10-inch spring form pan. Anything smaller will cause the it to be too thick and not cook properly.
Amazing. Have made it three times and everybody loves it. Gets better after a few days if it lasts!
Ro, so glad you like it.
I plan to make this recipe for Passover this year. I have quite a bit of ground almond flour that I bought for other recipes. Is it possible to use this in this cake? If so, how much?
Hi Sandi, I’ve never made it with almond flour, which is finer and would chance the texture of the cake. So to avoid any last-minute surprises, my advice is to grind your almonds.
I made this for Passover last year and it was a huge hit.
Kind regards,
Michelle
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! This is gluten free if you omit the flour for dusting! I made it, it turned out so perfectly, all golden and delicious. MMMMM I highly recommend the recipe!
I have to add, I used blanched almond flour instead of buzzing up the almonds and that worked perfectly.
Baked as directed, I found the cake to be a little greasy. I cut the butter in half and used half granulated sugar and half powdered. Perfect!
David,
I made this cake last year for Passover, as well, and everyone loved it. Do you think it would freeze well? I have so much work to do the few days before the Seder.
Thanks,
Gaby
Hi Gaby, I think it would freeze well, but make sure it completely cools to room temperature and then wrap it very, very well in plastic then foil.
Hello, this recipe looks like the one from the Portuguese cookbook that I used to possess. But, much healthier, as that recipe asked for seven eggs or so. But, would it be possible to tell me in grams the amount of GROUND almonds I would need to include? I live in Spain and am able to buy very nice ground almonds for baking.
If you have this measurement at your convenient disposal, I would be very, very grateful for it.
Thank you :D
Hello, Maya. So glad you like the recipe. Three cups of slivered almonds weigh 12 ounces, or 340 grams. Hope this helps!
If I wanted to halve the recipe, what size pan would you recommend? Could I substitute an 8-inch springform pan or should I use something smaller?
Thanks!
May I use a combination of unblanched and blanched almonds? Also, should they be toasted in the oven before I grind them?
Thanks in advance!
T.
T, you can bake with a combo of almonds; the only thing is the cake may be a bit darker depending on many unblanched almonds you use. And there’s no need to toast the almonds. It won’t hurt, but it certainly could add a layer of flavor–as long as you toast them lightly. If you do toast them, I’d suggest using only blanched nuts.
This recipe is amazing. I have finally been able to master the “pudim” and am so glad that this almond cake came out perfect. It was so good that my boyfriend couldn’t wait for it to cool down before having a taste. It was so good that we ate the whole thing in three days. JUST THE TWO OF US! you cant just have one sliver, its impossible. So now I only bake it to take to someone else’s home, otherwise I would be morbidly obese. i have made two already and now making the third appearance for tomorrows Páscoa feast (Easter feast). This cake and my perfect “pudim” are going to be a huge hit. Thanks so much for the recipe. Keep them coming.
Muito obrigado for your comment! I’m thrilled you enjoy the cake and that it came out so well for you. I wish you and yours uma Feliz Páscoa.
This cake looks great, but since it’s dairy, I can’t serve it at a Seder. However, for a dairy meal during Passover, it would be delicious. Also for breakfast, for a break from matza brei. If you want to serve it during Passover, line the pan with matza cake meal instead of flour and skip the confectioners’ sugar, which has cornstarch in it. You can make your own confectioners’ sugar by blending sugar, superfine if you have it, with matza cake meal in a blender or processor until it’s like powder.
Hi Ellen, what wonderful advice! Thanks so much for chiming in with your suggestions.