No. 3225

Almond Cake

Gateau d'Amandes

From some parings of puff paste roll out a round flat twelve inches in diameter and three-sixteenths of an inch in thickness; lay it on a slightly dampened tart plate; cover this flat with an even layer of almond cream (No. 40) a quarter of an inch thick, placed half an inch inside the border; moisten the edge lightly and cover over with another layer of the paste of the same diameter and thickness as the lower one, only making it of puff paste prepared to six turns (No. 146); press the edges well to attach the two flats together, and scallop this border with a small knife; egg the top, decorate it by making incisions in the shape of a rosette with the tip of a kitchen knife, then push the cake into a brisk oven to bake. As soon as done remove to the oven door, bestrew lightly with powdered sugar and return it again to the the oven to have the top well glazed.

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For the Modern Kitchen

This is Ranhofer's version of what most kitchens now call a pithiviers: two rounds of puff pastry sealed around a disc of almond cream, scored on top and glazed with sugar at the end. The recipe assumes you already have puff paste trimmings and almond cream on hand from elsewhere in the book.

The hinge: seal the edge properlyAlmond cream expands and will force its way out of any gap, at which point it burns onto the pan and the pastry stops rising evenly. Keep the filling a full half inch inside the rim as directed, brush the bare margin with water, and press the two discs together firmly before scalloping.
"Brisk oven"Conventionally read as around 425-450F. Puff pastry needs that initial heat to convert its water to steam and lift the layers; a moderate oven yields a flat, greasy cake. Ranhofer gives no time; for a 12-inch gateau reckon on something like 35-45 minutes, lowering the heat if the top colours too fast.
Almond cream (No. 40)Ranhofer sends you to his own recipe, which we do not have here. Any standard cr oughly equzagrave;me d'amandes will serve: roughly equal weights butter, sugar and ground almonds with an egg or two to bind, spread a quarter inch thick as directed.
Two different pastriesThe base is made from parings, the top from puff paste given the full six turns (No. 146). Ranhofer does not say why; the likely reason is structural, since scraps have broken lamination and stay comparatively flat, leaving the well-turned top to do the rising.
"Tart plate"A shallow round tin or, in a modern kitchen, a heavy baking sheet lined with parchment. Dampening it slightly, as written, keeps the base from sliding or shrinking back.
Chill before bakingRanhofer does not mention it. Rest the assembled cake in the refrigerator for 30 minutes after decorating so the butter firms up and the scored rosette holds its shape.
The sugar glazeThe final return to the oven caramelises the powdered sugar into a lacquer, and it goes from glossy to scorched in a minute or two. Watch it continuously, or use the broiler at a distance with the door ajar.
YieldA 12-inch round cuts into 8 to 10 wedges. Best eaten the day it is baked, warm or barely cool.

A Little History

Charles Ranhofer, chef at Delmonico's in New York, published The Epicurean in 1894, and this cake is a straight import of the French pâtisserie standard now generally known as a pithiviers, after the town in the Loiret where the almond-filled puff pastry galette is traditionally associated. The same construction, with a bean or charm hidden inside, is sold across France in January as the galette des rois. Its place here under "Large Cakes for Entremets" reflects the later, nineteenth-century meaning of entremets: not a dish served between courses, as the older sense implied, but the sweet course itself, served whole and carved at the table. The instruction to build the base from puff paste parings is a working kitchen's economy.