French Almond Cake with Green Tea Honey Glaze
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Oh. My. Golly. Goodness.
Don’t let the simple appearance of this cake fool you – there’s nothing simple about the flavor. Almonds, vanilla, green tea and honey combine to make this a truly remarkable cake. Light and airy, layers of flavor, and the perfect touch of moistness make this a cake you will long remember.
This cake was created by request of Adam Bird from London (Make a Request!). He wrote, “When I was in France a few years ago, I tried a green tea cake. Yes, I know it sounds weird, but in actual fact it was wonderful! It was a rather dense, sticky, almondy sponge with a very delicate green tea flavour over the top. Not something I had seen before, or have seen since, but it was so delicious that I’d love to be able to make it at home.” Round up the ingredients and get out the baking pan, because you’re all in for a treat!
This was an experimental cake. I had never made anything quite like this before either. I was intrigued and got to work on it. As I conceptualized it in my mind, I knew I wanted something with a very light and delicate crumb that would sip, instead of gulp, up the moisture of the green tea without it becoming overly soggy and “water-logged.” I wanted something that would accommodate the moisture while maintaining an airy crumb. Using only a little flour, several egg whites beaten separately, and ground almonds to create a light crumbly texture, would be key.
I love honey in my fruit and herbal teas. The combination of green tea and honey as a delicately and not overly goopy glaze sounded perfect and turned out beautifully. The cake drank it right up and still maintained that perfectly light and airy crumb.
Thanks for putting in this request, Adam – we have another winner!
French Almond Cake with Green Tea Honey Glaze Recipe
Let’s get started!
Heat 1/2 cup of water until very hot, but not boiling, and pour over 6 bags of green tea (green tea becomes bitter if you use boiling water). Let steep for 1-3 minutes then remove the tea bags and discard. Note: Use more tea bags if you prefer a stronger green tea flavor.
Place the butter and sugar in a bowl.
Cream the mixture with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Don’t become impatient with this process, it’s key to the success of your cake. Add the yolks, one at a time, continuing to beat until combined.
Add the vanilla and almond extract and beat just until combined.
Gently fold in the almond mixture with a rubber spatula.
Place the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl and beat with a mixer on medium high speed until they become foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
Stiff peaks means that when you pull the beater away, the peaks will stand up (see picture below). Be careful not to over-mix though.
Sift the flour and baking powder in a small bowl. Sifting is important in order to achieve and light and airy crumb.
Gently fold in 1/3 of the egg whites.
Next fold in 1/3 of the flour mixture, alternating the remaining egg whites and flour. Fold very gently and be careful not to over-stir. This is absolutely key to the success of the cake. If a few lumps remain, that is alright.
Pour the batter into a greased 9X2 inch round pan (or you can also use an 8×8 inch square pan) and bake at 350 degrees F for abou minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Be careful not to over-bake or the cake will be dry.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it remain in the pan for 10 minutes before removing.
Invert it carefully and then place top side up on a cake platter.
Look at that beautiful, flaky top!
Poke several small holes with a toothpick around the top of the cake to allow the glaze to absorb more easily in to the cake.
To make the glaze, place the green tea and honey in a small saucepan. Heat until the honey is dissolved, then remove from the heat.
Pour the glaze evenly over the whole cake.
Let the cake sit for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Deliciously light, airy, tender and moist. Enjoy! (You will, I promise)
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French Almond Cake with Green Tea Honey Glaze
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter , at room temperature
- 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 cup almond flour , or grind your own which I prefer for a better texture; directions below
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 egg whites
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 teaspoons quality pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon quality almond extract
- 1/2 cup cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup concentrated green tea , brewed with 6 or more tea bags, decaf or regular
- 3 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x2 inch round pan or a 8x8 inch square pan.
- If grinding your own almonds: Use 3/4 cup raw whole almonds. Blanch the almonds to remove their skins by pouring boiling water over them to cover. Let them sit for about 5 minutes or until the peels slip off easily. Discard the peels and let the almonds air dry for a few hours, ideally overnight. Grind the almonds with 1/4 of the sugar.
- Cream the butter and 1/2 cup of sugar until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating until the mixture is pale and fluffy, another 3-4 minutes. Add the vanilla and almond extract and beat just until combined. Fold in the ground almond/almond flour.Beat the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl on medium high speed until foamy, then add the cream of tartar. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form.Sift the cake flour and baking powder into a small bowl.Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites, then 1/3 of the flour mixture. Repeat with the remaining egg whites and flour. Be very careful not to over-stir. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Be careful not to over-bake.Remove the cake from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Carefully invert the cake and the place top side up on a cake platter. Poke some small holes around the top of the cake with a toothpick to allow the glaze to fully absorb.
- To make the green tea honey glaze, place the green tea and honey in a small saucepan and heat until the honey is dissolved, then remove from the heat.Pour the glaze over the cake and let the cake sit for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Notes
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
I just made this cake and I have to say it is very special! Light and delicate, comforting and, dare I say, wholesome :) Thank you for creating this wonderful recipe and for spelling it out so clearly it was a breeze to make. The only thing I would do differently next time I make this wonderful cake is to make sure I have really good green tea on hand and I’d even throw in a couple more tea bags to make it a bit more concentrated… I love the green tea flavor and it pairs beautifully with this cake. Thank you, thank you! I’m going to try making your Lemon Zucchini bread next :)
Celeste, thank you so much for making it and for your very gracious feedback! You know, the same thing had occurred to me as well – making the green tea a little more concentrated. Your comment also reminded me that I wanted to add a couple of notes about green tea in the post. Unlike other teas, green tea should be brewed with hot, but not boiling water. Boiling hot water turns the green tea very bitter, as does steeping it too long. Thanks again, Celeste, for your feedback. I’m so happy you liked the cake!
You’re so right about the temperature of the green tea! I have an electric kettle with a green tea setting but for those that don’t 175 degrees is the perfect temperature for green tea. I just enjoyed another piece of the cake and I have to say it was even better today after the green tea glaze had time to settle into the cake. Sooooo delicious! I think I’m going to make it again for a luncheon in a couple weeks :)
Agreed – it was even better the next day. I kept it fully sealed in a cake saver so it wouldn’t dry out. I can still smell and taste the cake in my mind…will also be making it again soon :) Next time I may try adding flaked almonds on the top before baking just for appearance sake. I didn’t do it the first time because I wanted to make sure the glaze would soak in evenly across the cake. I think adding the flaked almonds though, as long as there’s a little spacing in between, will be a nice touch. It’ll be all the more important to bake the cake on the lowest rack to prevent the almonds from burning.
Celeste, I just added a note in the recipe for two additional variations of this cake that would taste fantastic: Eliminate the green tea and make the glaze as instructed with water and honey, only reduce the water amount by 1-2 tablespoons and substitute with either 1-2 tablespoons rose water or 1-2 tablespoons orange blossom water.
Rose water, which is mixed with almonds to create marzipan, would taste phenomenal in this. Also, orange and almonds – something fresh and citrusy – would work beautifully as well. A nice Middle Eastern flair. I’m going to try these variations next. (And gain way too much weight in the process! I’ll have to make them, cut me off a slice or two, and then quickly give the rest away :) That said, with so little flour and relatively little sugar, this is a pretty “safe” cake to indulge in.
Oooh, and one more option! Steep some lavender flowers and add it with the honey glaze! Ah, the endless possibilities :)
All variations sound amazing!!! I’m going to have to make them all eventually. Especially the lavender honey glaze. From savory to sweet I’m a sucker for lavender infused flavors :) Love it! Thanks again!
This looks and sounds amazing!!! Must make it. Think I will make it with earl grey tea.
Thank, Maria! Absolutely! This cake lends itself well to several different flavors. I’ve been conjuring up a few ideas that I’m going to put to the test. Let me know what you think when you make it!
Wonderful recipe but it actually doesn’t say for how many minutes to bake it :) I really would love to try it
Medeja, the instructions are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page – 30 minutes. You should definitely give this a try – it’s delicious!
French Almond Cake with Green Tea Honey Glaze http://t.co/ffZRu5rKdD
For those of us who don’t make our own almond flour, can you tell us the amount you used? I would love to make this.
Hi Scarlet! There is no almond flour in this, just ground almonds and cake flour, which is wheat flour with a lower protein content.
You have discovered one of the secrets of European baking – plenty of eggs and not much flour. I used to make Sacher Torte completely from scratch (including the apricot jam),which was a wonderful cake, but I found that people had a hard time getting used to the texture because it is so different from American cakes. I don’t bake much any more, but if I need a cake this one would definitely be it.
Thanks, Jesusan :) My husband, who is American, typically doesn’t like cake. But he LOVED this one. Gave it a 10 out of 10. The texture of this cake is what I’m used to from Europe and I prefer it as well. Your Sacher Torte sounds wonderful – especially with the homemade apricot jam, yummy!
This cake looks so light and delicate that you could easily cut through it with a fork. Plus the green tea honey glaze on top sounds wonderful! Great Job and thanks for sharing this.
Thanks for the compliment, Jerry, and for stopping by!
Thank you so much, this looks amazing!! Definitely reminiscent of the cake I tried in Clermont-Ferrand, I will get my baking hat on later this week and let you know how I get on. Thanks again :)