Almond cake with homemade jam

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

Rosa, author of Pemberley Cup&Cakes , has got it all right with this recipe that we invite you to try today: an easy and delicious almond cake that combines perfectly with homemade apricot jam.

The first time I saw the De Buyer copper saucepan I knew that a beautiful story awaited us together. And I was not wrong: 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 manufacturing, but also because of its aesthetics, with lines as accurate as they are exquisite. .

And it is that its outer copper coating guarantees fast and uniform cooking, ensuring exceptional heat transmission, while the stainless steel inside makes it easy to clean and maintain. Come on, a paragon of virtues to which it is practically impossible not to succumb.

Then I had to use it for the first time in accordance with what he 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 all good things, it doesn't last long; the time for apricots is coming to an end, but I was reluctant to lose sight of them just like that. And what better way than to turn them into a really special jam and thus be able to enjoy them during 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 true classic —always infallible—, a four-quart with a subtle touch of almond, which, in my opinion, does nothing more than turn a delight into a true delicacy. And since I couldn't decide, I ended up combining jam and cake in two different ways, both very simple. The first, the simplest, has consisted of covering it directly with the 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 it is only necessary to open the cake in half crosswise with a lyre or a very long serrated knife, fill with a generous layer of jam and cover everything with a little powdered 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
• 150g 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) chemical yeast
• ¼ teaspoon salt

For the apricot and vanilla jam:

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

ELABORATION

Preparation of the 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 the inside of a 20 cm Ø round non-stick pan with a removable base , like this one from Le Creuset. We booked.
3. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, chemical yeast, and salt. Add the ground almonds and mix with a whisk until well combined.
4. In a separate large bowl, vigorously cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy and visibly paler (about 4-5 minutes).
5. Next, we are adding the eggs, one by one and lightly beaten beforehand, while now mixing more smoothly. We won't add the next one until the previous one has been fully integrated.
6. Add the vanilla extract and mix until integrated.
7. Next, we incorporated 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. We bake for about 35-40 minutes or until when inserting a skewer in the center it comes out of crumbs; if not, we keep checking every couple of minutes until it finally does.
10. Once our cake is properly baked, we take it out of the oven and let it cool in the mold for 10 minutes on a cooling rack. After this time, remove from the mold and let it cool completely on the wire rack. Store well covered at room temperature for 3-4 days in a cool, dry place.


Preparation of the apricot and vanilla jam:

To make the jam on the fire:

1. Wash the apricots, pit them and cut them into quarters. Next, we place them together with the lemon juice in a saucepan with sufficient capacity and ensures uniform heat diffusion (the De Buyer copper one has exceeded expectations and by far), and we put it over medium-high heat. so that the fruit softens and begins to release its juices, stirring from time to time with a wooden spoon.
2. Next, add the sugar and the vanilla pod, split open in half lengthwise, and bring everything to a boil, always stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. Once it boils, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking for at least 15-20 more minutes, stirring often (it is not necessary to remove the foam). The mixture will acquire a thicker consistency as the water evaporates. We can slightly lengthen this time if we see that there is still too much liquid left, taking into account that when it cools it will thicken even more.

Buyer's Copper Saucepan

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

ATTENTION: When we cook with sugar at such a high temperature, we must be extremely careful because it could cause burns. So 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 introducing the ingredients (cut 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 at the end of the program, after about 40 minutes.

Preparation of the cake:

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

- One option is to cut the cake in half crosswise with a lyre or a very long serrated knife, and fill with a generous layer of jam to obtain a naked cake-type stuffed pie, which always ends up being a sure win.

- The other option has no more complication than covering the cake directly with the jam: easy, fast and equally delicious!

GRADES

- If you want a finer jam, once made, you can blend it with a blender and/or pass it through a Chinese strainer or food mill to remove the skin from the fruit. I have left it as is.
- You see that it is very easy to make your own homemade jam and give it the personal touch that you like the most; instead of vanilla, you can choose to add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, for example.
- Now that you're wearing it, it may seem like a good idea to make some more jam to have reserves for the winter. So don't hesitate to double the amounts and make plenty for breakfast toasts, desserts, etc. I have made a little more than what this cake requires, because at home we love to have reserves of homemade jam whenever possible, but the amount that remains will depend on how much you use and how you use it in the end.
- *In case of making extra jam for other uses, it will be good for you 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 a kitchen towel between them in the water so that they do not collide with each other and break. Vacuum packing is very simple: once the jars are filled with the still hot jam, we close them well and let them cool completely upside down (you can also put them in a water bath, tightly closed and with the 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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