“Food imaginatively and lovingly prepared, and eaten in good company, warms the being.”
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
{Warning: This is a LONG post. The recipe can be found at the bottom…}
Third time lucky? Yes indeed! We landed up in Sydney yet again, taking in the early morning fresh air and happy to be Down Under. It’s a vacation we look forward to and enjoy it in the truest sense of the word. A vacation here means friends, fun, food … This time our friend Ulyana was waiting with the B52 – her newest indulgence and obsession {in her words, Google it mate!!}! She’s a lively one, a Ukrainian to boot, talented beyond belief, jovial, full of life … and races through each week waiting for Friday! We’ve known her for over 20 years and she exudes enthusiasm in every breath! She loves baking and this time charmed us with an almond cake with no butter/fat added. How does one describe the lightest and sweetest cake ever, a cake disappeared really quick? There was something about it … the texture, the sweetness, the natural flavours of almond meal, gentle yet so addictive that is was difficult to stay away.Catch the recipe at the end of this post! And if you are wondering what the sketch in the collage below is about, it’s the church in Ukraine that Ulyana was christened in. It’s an oil she had on her wall that the daughter decided to replicate in charcoal while we were there, done in the midst of all the baking and merriment. She did a beautiful job of it, and her charcoal was eventually framed and stayed in Sydney, as a gift for our gracious host!Back to the cake … we left it sitting on the counter and drove downtown. No visit to Sydney is complete without a visit downtown, so we got to the city asap. The spectacular views of the Opera House knock you off your feet. We were still pretty jet lagged but one step on the Rocks and it was magic! A flood of memories came tumbling in … we’d been here before! Just dug out the kids pictures when we were there in 2004 … {in 2009 as well} Hungry the minute we reached, we headed for Circular Quay – food first. Must have been the best batter fried fish and chips we’ve had in ages. I think the fish was barramundi, a local fish – FAB! The lad was quite adventurous and went for a baby octopus salad as a side. Hats off to him for even trying it, though he looked definitely queasy after downing half of it! The kids had a blast with the gulls and then we were tempted to stop by the very inviting Sydney Guylian Belgian Chocolate Café … DROOL! What’s not to love about SO MUCH CHOCOLATE! Too full to eat any more, we had flat whites and lattes, while the kids dipped strawberries into decadent dark chocolate fondue. As the sun set, we soaked in the the different hues the iconic Opera House offered, walked around immersed in the beautiful views of the Harbour Bridge, the aborigines playing the didgeridoos, native music, the trapeze artists, watching in amazement at the Vivid Sydney Festival of lights … beautiful city this!{We were back soon to take a boat ride down to Manly for the Food & Wine Festival there. That’s another post, but I was sorry to have missed Shaz as I later realized she lives 4 beaches down from Manly. LOVED talking to her on the phone though … it was like we’d known each other for AGES. Yay for food bloggers and the connect!}Stopped for a delicious Thai dinner on the way home, and came back to the cake, ready and waiting. As we sat there polishing of the last crumbs of this fantastic cake, I’m glad I grabbed the camera just in time to get a few pictures of a cake that was gone in a matter of hours … We’re back home now, the pictures bringing alive memories of indulgent days spent eating and drinking … vintage cheese, bruschetta, grilled portabello mushrooms, Uzbekistani pulao, Thai Laska {which was a killer}, chilli con carne, meatballs with gravy, Teriyaki chicken, home made sushi … Tell tale signs of an indulgent holiday announced themselves and it’s time for a diet! The daughter kicked into her dieting diva mode immediately, so I have made Ulyanas almond cake twice already. {Minor changes – ground whole almonds with some sugar instead of almond meal and a sprinkling of slivered almonds on top.}
[print_this]Recipe: Almond Cake
Summary: A delicious to the last crumb almond cake … moist and addictive, yet with no added fat.
Prep Time: 25 minutes Total Time: 75 minutes Ingredients:
5 eggs, separated
200gms sugar
1 tbsp cornflour
225gms almond meal
1 tbsp brandy
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp baking powder
Method:
Preheat oven to 170C. Grease and line a 7″ round tin.
Beat yolks with half the sugar until light and fluffy. {In stand mixer for 10-15 minutes}. Mix brandy and almond extract in a small bowl, and drizzle in bit by bit while the yolks are mixing.
Add cornflour, continue beating, followed by baking powder and a pinch of salt.
Add the almond meal, and continue to mix. The batter will get firmer and firmer.
Beat the whites separately with the remaining sugar, and add by the spoonful to the dough like batter with the machine running.
Bake for about an hour. Take out of oven, remove the sides and leave on rack for 10 minutes. Carefully remove bottom, and allow to cool completely.
Sift over with icing sugar if desired, slice and serve.
