This recipe comes from an article in the Washington Post, which reprinted Nigella Lawson’s Damp Apple and Almond Cake. I followed the recipe exactly except that I used olive oil to grease the pan rather than canola oil. Many Jews do not consider canola oil kosher for Passover, as it falls under the category of kitniyot.
Because this recipe uses almond flour as its base rather than cake or matzah meal, it doesn’t taste like a typical Passover cake, and that’s a good thing. This is a very easy recipe to make, though it tested the capacity of my Cuisinart, the user manual of which recommends only about 4 cups of liquid batter be processed at a time. I went over that recommendation, and barely made everything fit.
I’d recommend letting the cake cool for a half hour before releasing the springform pan (the recipes says 10 minutes). Also, make sure to run a knife around the edge of the pan before you remove it — I had a small issue with the edges falling away from the cake. Overall it held together nicely, though.
I found the flavor of this cake less intense than I expected. I would have liked to taste more almond, and I wonder if grinding the almonds myself (or toasting them first?) would have accomplished this. (I used Bob’s Red Mill Almond Meal/Flour, which I found at Mrs. Green’s, our local Whole Foods-type market.)
Despite the absence of chocolate in this recipe, it went over well at our seder and those who liked it did not agree with my assessment of it being a little bland. I would make it again, for Passover or if I needed a gluten-free dessert.
Isn’t the single slice pretty, sitting on my mom’s Passover dishes? (more…)
I am totally inconsistent in my environmental and health choices. I use a ton of paper towels, but I am good about recycling bottles, cans, cardboard, and paper. I only buy organic milk, but I never buy organic cheese. I nursed my boys for a year each, but happily supplemented with formula occasionally, too. This pick-and-choose philosophy of what is better for the earth and my family’s well-being, combined with what is convenient, works for me, and my choices are fluid. (more…)
Sunday morning, and this week’s meals are already planned. I’m headed to the butcher now (alone!), so I know I’ll be well-stocked for the next couple of weeks. It’s sunny and clear here, and I can almost start to believe that weather is warming up for good.
So, I’m looking forward to this week. The kids are healthy again. I don’t have any one-off projects hanging over my head. And I think I’m finally settling into our new afternoon schedule which has us out of the house more than before.
My refrigerator was so sad looking this past week. I was barely out of the house to grocery shop and I didn’t cook much — it felt like we subsisted on a huge pot of chicken soup and noodles.
Passover begins in about a month, so while I’m not in using-up-chametz mode yet, I am going to start avoiding buying new packages (of flour, rice, etc.) that would have to be thrown out or stored during the holiday.
Here we go!
Monday: Roasted chicken over butternut squash & apples, elbows
I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two school-aged boys and husband. Feeding my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more about me and CITK, and keep in touch:
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Moroccan Chicken Tajine: I recently had a chicken tajine dish at Fig & Olive in Scarsdale, and wanted to recreate something similar at home. This is an Ina Garten recipe, and she never fails me.
I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two school-aged boys and husband. Feeding my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more 
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