Almond Kirsch Cake

Yield: 6

Ingredients:

Cake

• 1 cup marzipan (about 9 ounces)
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 large large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tbsp Kirsch
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup cake and pastry flour

Almond

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup blanched whole almonds
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 4 large egg whites
• dash cream of tartar

Kirsch Cream

• 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
• 1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted
• 1/4 cup Kirsch
• 1 1/2 cups pitted sweet cherries

Kirsch Cream

1. For cake, preheat oven to 325 °F. Grease and line a 10-inch cake pan with parchment paper. Grease again and dust with flour, tapping out excess.
2. Pulse marzipan, butter and sugar in a food processor until smooth. Add eggs, kirsch and vanilla and purée on high until smooth (scraping into the bottom of the bowl, if needed). Scrape batter into a bowl and stir in flour in two additions. Scrape into prepared pan and bake for 65 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan.
3. For meringue layer, reduce oven temperature to 250 °F and line bottom of a 10-inch spring form pan with parchment. Pulse 1/3 cup sugar and almonds in food processor until ground. Toss with cornstarch and set aside. Whip egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy, then add remaining 1/3 cup sugar and whip until a stiff peak forms. Quickly but gently fold in ground nuts and spread evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 1 ½ to 2 hours until dry (baking time may vary depending on air humidity). Run a spatula around edge of pan to loosen meringue, then cool completely.
4. For Kirsch cream, whip cream to medium peaks, and whip in icing sugar and Kirsch.
5. To assemble, slice marzipan cake in half. Spread 1 cup of Kirsch cream over cake and sprinkle with ½ cup of cherries. Place meringue disk on top and spread with another cup of cream and ½ cup of cherries. Top with other half of marzipan cake and spread remaining cream, topped with cherries. Chill until ready to serve.
6. Cake can be assembled up to 4 hours in advance.