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What You Need:
(To make one 11-by-17-inch cake)
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ALMOND GLAZE (OPTIONAL)
1 cup blanched slivered almonds (optional)
1 cup confectioners' sugar
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or 1 teaspoon rum
2 tablespoons cold water
CAKE
1 tablespoon btitter, softened
5 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons double-acting baking powder
¼ cup blanched almonds, pulverized in an electric blender or with a nut grinder or a mortar and pestle
3 tablespoons finely chopped candied citron
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 cup honey
1 cup sugar
½ cup cold water
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Translate this recipe:
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How To Cook: |
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1. Preheat the oven to 350°. If you would like to top the cake with nuts, spread the 1 cup of slivered almonds evenly over a baking sheet or in a large, shallow baking dish and toast them in the oven, stirring and turning them frequently, for about 10 minutes, or until they are light brown. Watch carefully for signs of burning. Set aside.
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2. If you would prefer to glaze the cake instead of covering it with almonds, prepare the glaze by stirring the confectioners' sugar, almond extract and lemon juice or rum together in a small bowl. Stirring constantly, add about 2 tablespoons of cold water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the glaze is smooth and thin enough to be spread easily.
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3. With a pastry brush or paper towel, coat the bottom and sides of an 11-by- 17-inch jelly-roll pan with the 1 tablespoon of soft butter. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the flour over the butter and tip the pan from side to side to spread it evenly. Then invert the pan and rap the bottom sharply to remove any excess flour. Set aside.
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4. In a large bowl, stir together the 5 cups of flour, baking powder, ground almonds, chopped citron, cocoa, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, lemon peel and almond extract. In a heavy 5-quart saucepan or casserole, bring the honey, sugar and water to a boil over moderate heat, stirring only until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
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5. Pour the hot honey mixture over the flour mixture and beat them together with a large spoon until a smooth dough is formed.
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6. With your fingers, pat and spread the dough out evenly in the prepared pan. Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes, or until top is firm to the touch.
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7. Remove the pan from the oven and, if you are using almonds, strew them over the cake immediately, pressing them gently into the surface. Let the cake rest for 4 or 5 minutes, then cut it into rectangles or fancy shapes of whatever size you like and transfer the pieces to a wire rack to cool.
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8. If glazing the cake, brush the top with almond glaze before it is cut. Honigkuchen should be wrapped in foil or placed in a cookie jar or tin and allowed to mellow for several days before it is served. It can be kept in a tightly covered jar for 2 or 3 months.
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