Genovese Bread*

[poulpette]

This cake. I have quite a love affair with this one. It can be a bit dense, but the older I get, my love for it grows at the sam-ish rate. It's a recipe from my paternal grandmother, who would bake one every year without fail for my dad's birthday, since it was his favourite. She doesn't bake any more, which is a shame, but she handed us some of her recipes.

Prep time: 15 minutes, Cooking time: 30 minutes.

Genovese bread

• 4 eggs


• 125g of butter, unsalted


• 100g of flour


• 250g of almond powder


• 250g of sugar


• 2 teaspoon of Kirsch

1. Work the butter and sugar until creamy.


2. Add the egg yolks, and mix together well. Repeat with the almond powder, then the flour.


3. Beat the egg whites until they form a foam. **


4. Wet with the Kirsch and mix, before adding the egg white foam delicately to the mixture.


5. Pour the batter into a greased and floured pan (20cm diameter is fine) and bake for 30 minutes at 165°C.


6. Serve with yoghurt, fresh fruits, English cream...

I occasionally add a small amount of ground coffee, less than a teaspoon, when I'm on the second step and I know the cake will be eaten warm. It adds a delicious tone to the cake. But be careful with the amount of coffee you use if you're baking it more than a handful of hours in advance, or the coffee will over flavour the rest of the cake. The more the cake wait, the less coffee you should use!

You also can divide up the batter and cook it in muffin cups, topped with a frozen raspberry or other pieces of fruits. It's yummy. I don't have a cooking time for those though, but I guesstimate 20min or less.

* I have absolutely no idea whether or not it is a Genovese speciality. It's what my Grandmother and the rest of my family call it.

** You can totally cheat and not foam the eggs white (add whole eggs in step 2 instead). But the resulting cake will be denser, and will feel heavier in your stomach. Either way, it's quite tasty.