Ingredients
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon orange zest (Use a microplane for a really fine texture; 1 large orange will usually be enough.)
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
- 1½ cups sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1¼ cups milk
- ½ cup almond meal, finely ground almonds. (You can add roasted, unsalted almonds to a food processor and pulse until you have a fine meal.)
Instructions
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch cake pans generously, then dust with flour, knocking out excess.
Whisk together cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt and orange zest in a bowl. Set aside.
In another bowl, beat butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy (3 to 5 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, and beat well between each egg.
Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and milk alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until batter is just smooth. Fold in almond meal.
Divide batter between the 2 pans, smoothing top of each cake pan. Bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool cake pans on a rack for 15 minutes, then invert cake pans onto a cooling rack.
Once the cake is completely cooled, you can frost with a simple whipped cream frosting and add seasonal fruit.
This recipe was developed by Larsen’s colleague, fellow food stylist and friend Karen Shinto. For a gluten-free version of this recipe please visit AllergenFreeBakerSF.com.
Photo Styled by Jeffrey Larsen - Jeffrey Larsen is a food stylist, recipe developer, pastry chef and cooking instructor specializing in allergen-free cooking and baking. JeffreyLarsen.com
