Almond cake with homemade jam

Making homemade jam is within everyone's reach. Those of you who have already made it know this well, and those of you who haven't tried it, I certainly encourage you to do so, because there is no jam more delicious than the one you make yourself with the fruit you like the most! You will be surprised at how easy it is to make.

Rosa, author of Pemberley Cup&Cakes , has hit the nail on the head with this recipe that we invite you to try today: an easy and delicious almond cake, which combines perfectly with homemade apricot jam.

The first time I saw the De Buyer copper pot, I knew that a beautiful story awaited us together. And I was right: as soon as I held it in my hands, I could see that it was an exceptional piece, not only because of the unquestionable quality of its materials and its impeccable workmanship, but also because of its aesthetics, with lines as successful as they were exquisite.

Its copper exterior coating guarantees fast and uniform cooking, ensuring exceptional heat transmission, while the stainless steel interior makes it easy to clean and maintain. In short, a paragon of virtues that is practically impossible not to succumb to.

I had to use it in a way that was in keeping with what it was going to give us in return. And that's how this apricot and vanilla jam came to light. Summer fruit is simply spectacular, but like everything good, it doesn't last long; the season for apricots is coming to an end, but I refused to let them go just like that. And what better way than to turn them into a really special jam so we can enjoy them throughout the rest of the seasons?

As an excuse to enjoy it right now, I thought it would be nice to also prepare this almond cake. It is a classic - always infallible - a four-quarter cake with a subtle touch of almond, which, in my opinion, does nothing but turn a delight into a real delicacy. And as I couldn't decide, I ended up combining jam and cake in two different ways, both very simple. The first, the simplest, consisted of covering it directly with jam and that's it. The second, with only one more step than the previous one, has resulted in a more than simple 'naked cake', for which you only need to open the cake in half crosswise with a lyre or a long serrated knife, fill it with a generous layer of jam and cover it all with a little sprinkled icing sugar. Don't forget some fresh fruit to decorate; it never fails.

INGREDIENTS (for 8-10 servings)

(All ingredients must be at room temperature, unless otherwise indicated)

For the almond cake:

• 150 g unsalted butter
• 150 g white sugar
• 3 eggs (L)
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 150 g of normal wheat flour
• 35 g almonds, finely ground
• 8 g (1½ teaspoons) baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt

For the apricot and vanilla jam:

• 500 g of apricots
• 375 g white sugar
• 1 good quality vanilla pod
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice

ELABORATION

Preparation of almond cake:
1. Preheat the oven (electric) to 180ºC and place the oven rack in the central position.
2. Grease, line with baking paper and grease again the inside of a 20 cm Ø non-stick round mould with a removable base , such as this one from Le Creuset. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the ground almonds and mix with a whisk until well combined.
4. In another large bowl, vigorously beat the butter and sugar until fluffy and soft and visibly paler (about 4 to 5 minutes).
5. Next, add the eggs, one by one and lightly beaten beforehand, while mixing more gently now. Do not add the next one until the previous one has been fully integrated.
6. Add the vanilla extract and mix until combined.
7. Next, we add the dry ingredients that we had reserved (point 3) in two batches, mixing gently after each addition just enough to integrate everything.
8. Pour the mixture into the mold and smooth the surface evenly with a small spatula.
9. Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out with crumbs; if not, keep checking every couple of minutes until it finally does.
10. Once our cake has been properly baked, we take it out of the oven and let it cool in the mould for 10 minutes on a cooling rack. After this time, we remove it from the mould and let it cool completely on the rack. It can be kept at room temperature, well covered, for 3-4 days in a cool, dry place.


Preparation of apricot and vanilla jam:

To make jam on the stove:

1. Wash the apricots, remove the stones and cut them into quarters. Next, place them together with the lemon juice in a saucepan with enough capacity to ensure even heat distribution (the De Buyer copper one has exceeded expectations by far), and place it on a medium-high heat so that the fruit softens and begins to release its juices, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.
2. Next, add the sugar and the vanilla pod, split in half lengthwise, and bring everything to the boil, stirring frequently with the wooden spoon. Once it boils, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking for at least 15-20 more minutes, stirring often (no need to skim). The mixture will become thicker as the water evaporates. You can slightly lengthen this time if you see that it is still too liquid, taking into account that it will thicken even more when it cools.

Buyer copper pot

3. Once our jam is ready, remove the vanilla pod and let it cool before using (or store in glass jars until use)*.

WARNING: When cooking with sugar at such a high temperature, we must be extremely careful because it can cause burns. Therefore, we will always use the necessary equipment: oven mitts, apron, long-handled utensils, etc.

To make the jam in a bread maker :

If you have a bread maker, making jam is as easy as adding the ingredients (sliced ​​apricots, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla pod) and activating "Program 14": this is the special jam program available in the Moulinex bread maker .

The bread maker provides the necessary heat and stirs, so without doing anything you will have the jam ready when the program is finished, after about 40 minutes.

Preparation of the cake:

As I mentioned in the introduction, today I propose two alternatives when finishing the cake:

- One option is to cut the cake in half crosswise with a lyre or a long serrated knife, and fill it with a generous layer of jam to obtain a naked cake-style filled cake, which always ends up being a sure success.

- The other option is not more complicated than covering the cake directly with the jam: easy, quick and equally delicious!

GRADES

- If you want a finer jam, once it is made, you can blend it with a blender and/or pass it through a sieve orfood mill to remove the skin of the fruit. I left it as is.
- You see, it's very easy to make your own homemade jam and give it the personal touch you like best; instead of vanilla, you can choose to add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, for example.
- While you're at it, you might think it's a good idea to make some extra jam to have reserves for the winter. So don't hesitate to double the quantities and make extra for breakfast toast, desserts, etc. I've made a little more than this cake requires, because at home we love to have reserves of homemade jam whenever possible, but the amount left over will depend on how much you use and how you use it in the end.
- *If you make extra jam for other uses, you will find it useful to know that the best way to preserve your homemade jam is to vacuum pack it in sterilized glass jars. While the fruit is cooking, we can sterilize them (as well as their lids) by placing them in a saucepan with boiling water for about 30-40 minutes. To prevent them from breaking, we will place a small towel or kitchen cloth between them in the water so that they do not collide with each other and break. Vacuum packing is very simple: once the jars have been filled with the still hot jam, we close them well and let them cool completely upside down (you can also put them in a bain-marie, tightly closed and with water up to the neck of the jar for about 30 more minutes). Once opened, keep the jam refrigerated.

Happy week!
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