Meet the Macaron Cake, Your New Favorite (Flourless!) Passover Dessert

Yahoo Food

By Anna Stockwell

This naturally gluten-free and Kosher cake has a lot of color–and even more flavor.

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If you host Passover regularly, or happen to be gluten-free like me, you’ve probably made countless versions of a classic flourless almond cake. Or maybe a flourless chocolate cake was your go to? Either way, it’s time for a new option in your repertoire. Something elegant. Something show-stopping. Something like this gorgeous Pistachio Cake with Strawberry Meringue.

GO WITH GROUND PISTACHIOS INSTEAD OF ALMONDS

Nut-based cakes are often flavored with citrus or chocolate, so I wanted to steer clear of those flavors for our new flourless cake. Instead, I choose to let the pure flavor of pistachio shine with just a hint of cardamom—nodding to a classic Middle Eastern pairing. You don’t see pistachios used as the base for a flourless cake very often, perhaps due to the relatively high price of shelled pistachios. But for a special occasion, it’s worth the expense to get that uniquely bright but buttery flavor—not to mention lovely green color—that pistachios provide. Unlike almonds, pistachios are not readily available as pre-ground flour, so you have to grind your own. Adding sugar to the food processor along with the whole nuts helps the nuts grind more finely without turning into a paste.

MAKE A CHEWY, CRUNCHY ALMOND MACARON TOPPING

Coconut macaroons are traditional at Passover, and no wonder—they’re easy to make and delicious. But for this Passover cake, I wanted to go with a topping that was lighter and less sweet. So I called on the macaroon’s sleek French cousin, the macaron. These light confections are still Passover friendly since they’re lightened by egg whites, but they have a nutty richness from almonds that makes the flavor even better. The technique’s easy: Whip your whites to soft peaks with a bit of vinegar, add sugar and whip until shiny, then fold in a mix of ground almonds and potato starch (plus a special ingredient you’ll read about below). Spread the mixture over the partially baked cake; after a bit more baking, you’ve got a tender cake topped with a giant crunchy macaron.

ADD INTENSE FRUIT FLAVOR (AND COLOR) WITH FREEZE-DRIED STRAWBERRIES

Pulverized in the food processor, these crunchy little bright pink morsels of pure strawberry flavor made the perfect addition to my almond meringue, saturating it with bright color and flavor.

So is this the perfect Passover cake? Yes. But it also fits right in on an Easter dessert table, at the end of a springtime dinner party, and at an afternoon tea party. The pretty shades of pink and green also lend themselves nicely to a baby or bridal shower, or to a birthday party for a pink-loving little girl. Long story short, it’s a cake for any special spring occasion—holiday or not.

Related: 14 Jaw-Dropping Birthday Cakes

RECIPE: FLOURLESS PISTACHIO CAKE WITH STRAWBERRY MERINGUE

INGREDIENTS

For the cake:

  • Vegetable oil, for cake pan

  • 1 1/2 cups shelled unsalted pistachios (8 ounces)

  • 3/4 cup sugar, divided

  • 6 large eggs, at room temperature

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for egg whites

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

  • 5 egg whites, at room temperature

For meringue topping:

  • 1 1/3 cups freeze-dried strawberries (1.2-ounce package)

  • 5 egg whites, at room temperature

  • 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar

  • 1 cup almond flour (4 ounces)

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 1 tablespoon potato starch

Special Equipment:

  • 9-inch springform pan

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly brush a 9-inch springform pan with oil and line bottom with a round of parchment paper. Brush parchment with oil and set pan aside.

In a food processor, pulse pistachios with 1/4 cup sugar until finely ground (avoid overgrinding); set aside.

In two large bowls, separate eggs into yolks and whites, discarding the sixth egg white. Add 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla, salt, and cardamom to bowl with egg yolks and beat using an electric mixer until thick and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Set egg yolk mixture aside and thoroughly clean and dry the beaters.

Add a pinch of salt to the bowl with the egg whites and beat using an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Add half of the whipped egg whites and all of the ground pistachios to the egg yolk mixture and fold until combined. Add the remaining egg whites and fold until batter is just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top with a rubber spatula. Bake until beginning to brown and just barely set, 20-25 minutes.

While the cake is baking, make the meringue topping: In a food processor, process strawberries into a fine powder; set aside 1 Tbsp. strawberry powder for garnish and transfer remainder to a medium bowl. Whisk in almond flour and potato starch.

In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and vinegar until soft peaks form, then gradually beat in the sugar and and continue to whip until meringue is stiff and glossy and all the sugar has dissolved, 7-8 minutes. Gently fold almond mixture into meringue until just combined.

Remove cake from oven. Using an offset spatula or table knife, spread meringue mixture evenly over hot cake, starting from the outside and working your way into the center. Return cake to oven and bake until meringue is lightly browned and crisp, 25-30 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool, and immediately run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Release and remove the side of the springform pan. Let cake cool at least 30 minutes before decorating.

To decorate the cake, place the reserved strawberry powder in a fine-mesh sieve and dust over cake as desired.

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PHOTOS BY CHELSEA KYLE, FOOD STYLING BY ANNA STOCKWELL