Battinburg Cakes​
Baking by the Battins
Burnt Almond Cake
The specialty of the house...Alternating layers of chocolate and vanilla Torte with Burnt Almond patisserie cream filling, almond buttercream frosting; garnished with sweet toasted almonds.
Alternating layers of chocolate and vanilla Torte with Burnt Almond patisserie cream filling, almond buttercream frosting; garnished with sweet toasted almonds
Alternating layers of chocolate and vanilla Torte with Burnt Almond patisserie cream filling, almond buttercream frosting; garnished with sweet toasted almonds
​​The Story Behind the Cake
We grew up in the Bay Area of California in close proximity to a bakery which makes a burnt almond cake that we would have maimed the hand of our best friend if she had tried to take a crumb. We purchased their cake for every occasion. Then, we made the lamentable decision to move thousands of miles away...so we had to do something to rectify our need for burnt almond cake. We tried and tried multiple recipes found in books & online, and called blasphemy on all persons who laid claims that their recipe was just like or close to the famous California confection. Years went by until we finally decided that there had to be a way to meet our need for that lusciously light/ awesomely almond delight from our youth.
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Undertaking this task entailed making, tweaking, and re-making the recipe. Our neighbors and friends loved this project because with each attempt, we solicited their honest ("be brutal", we would ask) opinions. On cake attempt #21, we were so close we could literally taste it; ​however, something wasn't quite "right" about the process. You see, we figured there was no way that a commercial entity could make a profit if they used the fresh ingredients we were using and spent the time that we took to lovingly make one cake. That was the flash of brilliance it took for us to make our final tweaks to the recipe. Finally, after four more attempts, we NAILED IT ​on #25!!! With a final flourish of our secret ingredient, our work was done. So that we could maintain our high standards of fresh ingredients, we opted not to use artificial yellow-colored flavoring in our final design (as we now believe the commercial place does), and our cake appears beautifully white. We have created an incredibly light & luscious dessert; just sweet enough that you can't stop eating it and with just enough pure almond extract that a cousin who detests almond anything couldn't believe he loves it as much as he does! This cake should be criminal; it is so incredibly good. Our public unveiling was at a wedding. Needless to say, the guests came back for seconds and thirds; unhappy only when it was gone. This cake is about 14 years in the making because of which we have elevated its status to the "specialty of the house". You have to try this!
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