Grandma’s Almond Cake Torta di Mandorla

THE SWEETEST TRADITION

One family’s classic holiday recipe with a modern twist

We know the holiday season has arrived when the rich scent of Grandma Josephine’s delicious almond cake fills the kitchen. Every year our family waits for a taste of this warm Torta di Mandorla straight from the oven. She makes her bundt cake with a classic royal icing drip, so we decided to honour the simplicity of her tradition while adding a fun and modern topper to make it extra beautiful.

Grandma’s Almond Cake | Torta di Mandorla

For the cake, you will need:

• 2 1/3 cups ground almonds
• 1 3/4 cups of sugar
• 150 grams of salted butter at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
• 7 eggs, yolk & whites separated
• Bertolini Lievito Vanigliato 16 Gram Packet 
• 1 shot of rum

• Preheat over to 350F.

• With electric mixer cream butter and sugar together adding one egg yolk at a time.

• Beat 15-20 minutes with a mixer until very smooth.

• Beat egg whites in a separate bowl for 1 minute.

• Add flour & egg whites.

• Beat for a couple of minutes

• Add ground almonds, Bertolini packet, and rum.

• Mix until incorporated.

• Coat pan generously with non-stick spray

• Bake 1 hour

**Because every oven is different after 60 minutes check the cake by sticking a long skewer in it. If it comes out clean it’s ready, if not add other 10 minutes. Do not exceed 80 minutes.

• Let the cake cool for 25 minutes in the pan before removing it.

Cake Assembly:

• 1 mini gingerbread house kit
• 2 cups of icing sugar
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 2 tablespoons tbsp of half and half
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Fresh or dried greens and flowers

1. Bake cake according to Grandma Josephine’s recipe above.
2. While your cake is in the oven, build your mini gingerbread house according to box instructions.
3. Make a powdered sugar glaze by sifting icing sugar, and mix in the melted butter. Stir until combined, then add half and half and vanilla until smooth.
4. Once the cake has cooled, pour glaze over the bundt cake.
5. After the glaze has dried, place your gingerbread house on the cake and embellish with greens and flowers.

TIPS FROM GRANDMA:

• Bertolini Lievito Vanigliato 16 Gram Packet can be purchased at Italian food stores.
• Even if you’re tempted to take a peek, don’t open the oven until the 60-minute mark.
• Bake on the middle rack of your oven on Bake, not Convection.
• Grandma bakes from memory, she doesn’t follow a written recipe. We created this by watching her bake the cake, documenting her process, and testing it ourselves. Each time Grandma makes her Torta Di Mandorla, it’s a little bit different.