Almond cake

Serves 10

• 250g blanched almonds
• 6 eggs
• 250g caster sugar
• 1 orange
• 1 lemon
• 4 drops almond extract
• 0 icing sugar

Step 1
butter to grease the cake tin.

Step 2
flour to dust the cake tin.

Step 3
Grind the almonds finely in a food processor.

Step 4
Beat the egg yolks with the sugar to a pale cream with an electric mixer, then beat in the orange and lemon zest and almond extract.

Step 5
Add the ground almonds and mix very well.

Step 6
With a cleaned mixer, whisk egg whites until stiff and fold into egg and almond mixture – the mixture is so thick you need to turn it over quite a bit into the egg whites.

Step 7
Grease a spring-form cake tin around 28cm in diameter (preferably non-stick) with butter and dust with flour, then pour in the mixture.

Step 8
Put the cake into an oven preheated to 180C/gas mark 4 for 40 minutes or until it feels firm.

Step 9
Let it cool before turning out.

Step 10
Dust the top with icing sugar.

Step 11
If you like, cut the shape of a Santiago cross out of paper and place it in the middle of the cake before dusting with icing sugar.

Step 12
Then remove the paper shape.