As you may know, I love The Great British Bakeoff. And the almond brittle cake recipe below is from Bakeoff alumna Benjamina Ebuehi’s book A New Way to Cake. Benjamina remains one of my favorite bakers from the show. And her book of cakes is brilliant. A cookbook exclusively devoted to cakes is enticing enough, but A New Way to Cake is a visual treat that is formatted practically.
The book has beautiful cakes and inspired ingredients. But I wanted to start with a cake that looked impressive while actually being easy to manage. This cake has an airy base with a crunchy brittle topping, and it comes together in an hour!
Notes on Equipment and Method
Electric mixers, whether of the hand-held or stand variety, are often a convenience but not a necessity. The idea of cleaning the additional equipment had me using elbow-grease to mix the batter of this cake. Let me spare you the experiment. The eggs and sugar need to thicken to a ribbon-stage consistency. Which is to say, the eggs and sugar need to mix at a med-high speed for a specific desired structure. Time and speed incorporate air into the mixture as it thickens to a pale and foamy consistency. The process usually takes three to five minutes. And a visual cue is the ribbon-like trail on its surface.
A spring-form or loose-bottomed baking pan is essential to this recipe. The recipe calls for baking the batter, allowing the cake to cool in the pan, and layering on the almond brittle; before returning the dish to the oven to meld the two layers. The cake will be too delicate to flip out of the baking pan with the brittle on top. Yes, some cakes don’t need to be displayed and can be sliced and served straight from the pan. But I don’t recommend that option here.
I have an accompanying video on my Instagram account, highlighting the steps to prepare the almond brittle cake. Click here to see.
Almond Brittle Cake
INGREDIENTS
For the Cake
- 1¼ cup all-purpose flour - 150 grams
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar - 150 grams
- ⅓ cup buttermilk - 75 ml
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted - 70 grams
For the Almond Brittle
- 1⅓ cup flaked almonds - 150 grams
- ½ cup unsalted butter - 120 grams
- ¼ tsp salt
- 9 tbsp brown sugar, packed - 120 grams
- 3 tbsp heavy cream - 45 ml
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
METHOD
For the Cake
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and cardamom; set aside.
- Use a stand or handheld mixer to beat together the eggs and sugar. Continue to mix at med-high speed until the batter reaches ribbon stage; about 5 minutes. The mixture should be thick and pale.
- Fold in half of the flour mixture.
- Fold in the buttermilk.
- Fold in the remaining flour mixture
- Pour melted butter down side of bowl and fold in.
- Pour batter into greased springform or loose bottom pan and bake for 30 minutes in preheated 350°F oven.
- Cake should be firm, as it needs to be stable for the almond brittle topping. Remove from oven and cool in pan on wire rack.
For the Almond Brittle
- In a dry frying pan, lightly toast the almond flakes. Remove from pan and allow to cool.
- Melt the butter, salt, sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla together on the stove. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until it thickens; about 2-3 minutes.
- Remove from heat, add the almonds, and stir until evenly coated.
- Pour over the cooled cake. Spread evenly over the surface. Return to oven at 350°F for 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes. Run a knife or offset spatula around the edge of the cake. Then allow cake to cool completely and brittle to harden before taking the cake out of the pan.
