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Piedmont Cake

Take four ounces of sweet almonds and eight bitter ones. Blanch them, and pound them in a mortar, putting in half a tea-spoonful of orange-flower water every now and then to prevent them oiling. When they are soft and smooth, soak them in half a pint of cream for three-quarters of an hour, then pass the cream through a jelly-bag, and rub the almond-paste well with the back of a wooden spoon to squeeze as much of it into the liquid as possible. Keep the flavoured cream in a cool place until wanted for use. Prepare two ounces of candied peel and four ounces of pistachio kernels, by cutting the peel into small pieces, and blanching the pistachios and cutting them into quarters; then put both aside until required. Beat three-quarters of a pound of butter to a cream. Add gradually four ounces of powdered sugar, half a salt-spoonful of salt, a quarter of a pound of dried flour, and the well-beaten yolks of two eggs; and when these are thoroughly mixed, work in gradually three-quarters of a pound more of flour, two more egg yolks, and four whole eggs. Beat the paste with a wooden spoon. Dissolve three-quarters of a pound of German yeast in a little lukewarm water, and knead it into the batter with the almond-flavoured cream. Butter a large mould, pour in the mixture, and put the pistachios and candied peel evenly round the inside. When the cake has sufficiently risen, bake in a moderate oven until it is lightly browned. When it is done enough (which may be ascertained by sticking a skewer into the centre: if it can be drawn out dry, the cake is ready), turn it out of the mould.