Lodigiana Cake (Lombardy)

Desserts

Ingredients

Almonds, peeled and toasted- 1 cup

Butter- 1 cup

All purpose flour- 4 cups

Baking powder- 1 tsp

Granulated sugar- 1 1/8 cups

Egg yolks- 2-3

Grated rind of 1 lemon

Vanilla powder or vanilla extract to taste- pinch

Butter and flour for cake pan

Confectioners sugar

This cake is a sort of shortbread.

Blanch the almonds and quickly saute until golden brown in a very little of the butter. Watch them carefully as they brown, for even a second's over cooking will produce burnt almonds.

Sift the flour and baking powder together. Put all the ingredients into a bowl and work to a thick paste. Butter and lightly flour a 10 inch cake pan. Pat the paste evenly into the cake pan and bake in a hot oven (425F) for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Turn the cake out on to a wire rack and cool. If liked, sprinkle generously with sifted sugar.

Serves 6.