Torta di Mandorla (Moist Almond Cake)

Last year I started a new tradition on Oscar night: my friend Mandy comes over to watch the Oscars with my family and I bake a cake for the occasion. Last year I made a sweet and spicy Mexican Chocolate Cake that everyone enjoyed. This year I gave Mandy the honor of picking the cake and she choose this Torta di Mandorla.
Let me just say that this cake was INCREDIBLE! It may have been the best cake I've ever made. Seriously. It had a sweet almond flavor with subtle hints of lemon and olive oil. And the browned-butter glaze? Don't even get me started! The cake's texture was perfect too. It was tender, but not so tender that it fell apart. It was just perfection. If calories didn't exist, I would have eaten the entire thing myself.

The recipe I used came from Gina DePalma, who is a pastry chef at Babbo Ristorante in New York City (note to self: if I'm ever in NYC, I must go to this restaurant!) and a cookbook author of Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen. She posted her recipe on SeriousEats.com and also provided a sweet little story about Phyllis and Demophoon, from Heroides, which is a collection of love poems by the Roman poet Ovid. When you're done reading it, go make this cake! Hurry! :-)

Torta di Mandorla (Moist Almond Cake)
Yield: 8-10 pieces
By Gina DePalma

Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup blanched or natural almond flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

Grated zest of 1 medium lemon or 1/4 a medium orange (I used a Meyer lemon)
1/2 cup orange juice

Glaze
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
3 tablespoons whole milk
A few drops of fresh lemon juice (I used Meyer lemon juice. I the only fresh juice you have is orange, please use that. Just please, please don't use the concentrated, pasteurized lemon juice that comes in the bottle)
1/2 cup sliced, blanched almonds, toasted and cooled*

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan or springform pan and set aside (I only had a 9-1/2 inch round cake pan and it worked fine)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt to thoroughly combine them and set aside.

Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk them lightly to break up the
yolks. Add the sugar to the bowl and whisk it in thoroughly in both directions for about 30 seconds. Add the olive oil and whisk until the mixture is a bit lighter in color and has thickened slightly, about 45 seconds. Whisk in the extracts and zest, followed by the orange juice.

Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and whisk until they are thoroughly combined; continue whisking until you have a smooth, emulsified batter, about 30 more seconds.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake the cake for 30 to 45 minutes, rotating the cake pan halfway through the cooking time to ensure even browning. The cake is done when it has begun to pull away from the sides of the pan, springs back lightly when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

*Tip: When the cake is done, don't turn off the oven right away if your almonds aren't already toasted. Measure out a 1/2 cup of the sliced almonds, spread them out on a parchment lined cookie sheet, and let toast for about 5 or so minutes. Once you can actually see them browning, removed the pan from the oven and let them cool. When you're ready to add them to the glaze, you can pick up the parchment paper and use it to pour into your bowl.

Allow the cake to cool for ten minutes in the pan, then gently remove it from the pan and allow it cool completely on a rack.

While the cake cools, make the glaze. Melt the butter over medium heat in a small, heavy saucepan. When the bubbles subside, lower the heat and watch the butter carefully, swirling it in the pan occasionally to distribute the heat. When the butter begins to turn a light tan color and smells slightly nutty, turn off the heat and let the butter sit. It will continue to darken as it sits.

While the butter cools, sift the confectioner’s sugar into a medium bowl. Whisk in the milk until completely smooth but thick, then slowly whisk in the butter. Taste the glaze and add a few drops of lemon juice to balance the sweetness. Stir in the toasted almonds. Spread the almonds and glaze onto the top and sides of the cake and let it sit until set and dry.

Serve the cake right away or wait and serve it a day or two ahead. Store it at room temperature, covered.