Flourless Italian Almond-Lemon Cake

[nverland]

Flourless Italian Almond-Lemon Cake
Prep: 40 mins Cook: 2 hrs Total: 2 hrs 40 mins Servings: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

3 organic lemons
6 large eggs (yolks and whites separated)
1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated white sugar
3/4 pound (300 grams) finely ground almond meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Steps to Make It

Wash the lemons well. Add them to a pot with enough water to cover and simmer for 1 hour.
Drain the lemons and allow them to cool enough to handle. They will look a bit "deflated," while the cooking water will be pale yellow and quite bitter.
Trim the ends off each lemon and cut them in half crosswise. Scoop out and discard the seeds.
Coarsely chop the lemons—peels and all.
Put the lemons through a food mill with a coarse disk.
Mill the lemons again with a fine disk in a food mill.
Strain the lemon pulp through a fine-mesh strainer. Rub the lemon paste against the mesh with the back of a wooden spoon or the bottom of a ladle.
Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C. Soak a sheet of parchment paper with water, then crumple it and wring it out. Use it to line a 9-inch (22-centimeter) springform pan.
In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks and granulated sugar until pale yellow and frothy, about 3 minutes.
Beat in the lemon cream and almond meal.
In a separate, clean, dry bowl, whip the egg whites to firm peaks.
Gently fold the whites and baking powder into the lemon mixture.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out a bit sticky but without batter clinging to it. Keep an eye on the cake during the last few minutes because it can brown suddenly.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely before releasing it from the springform pan and placing it on a serving platter.
Dust lightly with confectioners' sugar.

Recipe Variations

Instead of almond meal, use 3/4 pound (300 grams) blanched almonds. Divide the blanched almonds into 3 batches and grind them in a food processor or blender until they form a homogeneous almond meal.
If you do not have a food mill, you can also process the lemons in a food processor and blend until smooth, then pass the puree through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any large pieces.
Garnish with your favorite berries, such as raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries, for added color and flavor.

Tips

The easiest way to measure out the almonds for this recipe, whether you're using ground almond meal or whole blanched almonds, is to use three 1/4-pound (100-gram) packages.
If you prefer not to use parchment paper, grease the bottom and sides of the pan with butter, then dust lightly with flour, tapping the side of the upside-down pan to remove any excess flour.