The proper name for this, and the name we always called it was Mandlekuchen, which simply means ‘almond cake’.
This is a real 1970’s classic, and was my Mother’s signature piece. I can remember being allowed to help out at a dinner party at home, and hearing her best friend Frankie exclaim in her wonderful posh drawl “Pauline, this is your symphony!”. I think of them both when I make this. Both Mom and Frankie are gone now, but the memories, and the symphony, live on.
The almonds make the meringue really chewy, probably a pre-cursor of today’s fashionable macaroons,and give the whole thing a wonderful texture. Naturally, this is Death on a plate for my nut allergic daughter, so I leave it to my sister to pull this one out of the hat when I visit!
I am still looking for something I can use that will give me the texture it needs, an ordinary meringue just won’t do it. My Thanks to my sister Mary for the picture – it’s just as I remember it!
EQUIPMENT:
- 2x 8 inch flan dishes, lightly oiled, and lined with silicone paper
- an electric beater
- a gorgeous cake plate to display your creation
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 large fresh eggs, separated
- 8oz caster sugar
- 6oz of ground almonds
- 1 pint of double cream
- 1 lb raspberries
METHOD:
- Spread the ground almonds over a baking tray, and toast in a moderate oven for about 8-10 mins until lightly browned
- Allow to cool
- Put the egg whites into a spotlessly clean bowl, and whisk until stiff. Add a tablespoon of caster sugar at a time and continue beating until very stiff
- Remove the beaters, and, using a metal spoon, gently fold in the almonds
- Divide the mixture evenly between the two flan tins
- Cook in a moderate oven, about 160 for 40 minutes
- Allow to cool in the tins
- Whip the cream until stiff
- About 3-4 hours before you wish to serve it, remove the cakes from the tin, and sandwich together using 1/2 the cream and 2/3rds of the raspberries onto your gorgeous plate, you could gently crush some of the raspberries, to let the juices run a little.
- Spread the rest of the cream over the top and sides (this not for the faint-hearted, remember it’s a 1970’s desert!), and decorate with the rest of the berries.
- Allow to sit in the fridge if you have space, or in a very cool area. Cover to keep the cat off. Remove from the fridge about 30 mins before serving
- Stand by for silence while it’s being eaten, and then lavish compliments!
I started writing down recipes in an old copybook when I was about 16. With 6 children at home, my Mother was always glad of a hand in the kitchen, and really allowed us to experiment - as long as we washed up afterwards, and left the kitchen immaculate! Having a tidy kitchen has followed me through my life, as has the habit of writing down my favourite recipes; except that these days I write them for my website, and add photographs when I can. The website really started when it occurred to me that my daughter might like to have these recipes when I've forgotten them. In my early days of cooking for family and friends, I used to phone my Mum all the time to ask her for the recipe for some of our favourite family dinners. She rarely had a recipe to hand - I think, like me, she made a lot of it up as she went along.. So welcome to Eating for Ireland - these are the recipes that my friends and family having been eating these past 40 years.. yes, I truly am ancient! They are tried and tested, and have worked for me for all that time - I have updated them as new ingredients became available - I really hope you'll find something that you can make into a family favourite of your own. You don't have to tell anyone where you found these great new dishes that you're serving up - it can be our little secret, but I'd really love it if you could give me a sneaky 'follow' on Facebook and Instagram.. So off you go - have a good rummage around, you're bound to find something new! My sincere thanks to all of you who have found a recipe that you liked and dropped me a line to tell me - I really do love to hear from you! Happy Cooking! Becks xx