By Request

BETTY SHIMABUKURO

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Almond cake
dresses up tea time

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Jeanette Book hopes to help her mother recreate a sweet piece of her past. Book e-mailed from Pasco, Wash., hoping to help her mother track down a recipe for a tea cake she remembers enjoying in her youth in Honolulu.

"Here is how my mom describes the tea cakes: A 4-inch-square block of a dense sponge-like cake with a sugar glazed topping, sprinkled with sliced almonds. ... She seriously wants to know this recipe."

Cookbook author Debbie Puente came up with a suggestion. Puente is the author of "Elegantly Easy Créme Brulée" and "Elegantly Easy Liqueur Desserts," both nationally released by Renaissance Books. She was in Hawaii recently and offered to help with a couple of recipe requests.

Her formula for a Pianomo Roll was printed in this space last week.

Puente says Book's description sounds like a classic petits four cake with a fondant or white icing.

Even if this is not exactly Book's cake, I'd recommend it as something different for the holidays. The cake bakes up firm, but not heavy, and would be great unglazed with whipped cream or fruit. Once you get the ingredients together, it's not much harder to prepare than a box mix.

But the mark of distinction is in the glaze. First cut it into pieces of any size (petits fours are generally bite-sized, but larger pieces such as Book's 4-inch squares are OK, too), then glaze the top and sides.

You can simplify by leaving the cake whole and glazing just the top, although Puente suggests that you don't cut pieces until just before serving, as they'll go stale quickly if their cut edges are unglazed.

Tea Cakes

6 eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1-3/4 cup sugar, divided use
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sifted cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
>> Icing
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/8 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-inch square cake pan.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Add 3/4 cup of the sugar gradually, beating until very stiff.

In a large bowl with clean beaters, cream butter and remaining 1 cup sugar. Add egg yolks and beat until thick and fluffy. Sift in flour, baking powder and salt; fold into batter. Gently fold in egg whites. Pour into pan. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, until an inserted wooden pick comes out clean. Cool.

Meanwhile, make icing: Combine powdered sugar, water and corn syrup in a pan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Stir in extract.

Invert cake pan and remove cake (you may need to loosen the sides with a knife and tap the bottom). Cut cake into pieces using a serrated knife. Place pieces on a rack with a cookie sheet underneath. Pour icing over top and sides of cake pieces, touching up sides with a spatula or butter knife. While frosting is still warm, sprinkle top with almonds.

Nutritional information unavailable.

Food Stuffs: Morsels

Send queries along with name and phone number to:
"By Request," Honolulu Star-Bulletin,
500 Ala Moana, No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813.
Or send e-mail to bshimabukuro@starbulletin.com

Asterisk (*) after nutritional analyses in the Body & Soul section indicates calculations by Joannie Dobbs of Exploring New Concepts, a nutritional consulting firm.