Dessert: Gina DePalma's Toasted Almond Cake with Mascarpone Cream and Amarena Cherries

This heavenly confection pays homage to the flavors of pastry chef Gina DePalma's Italian childhood. Her toasted-almond cake is layered with a rich mascarpone filling studded with amarena cherries.

This recipe includes superfoods such as:

Lemon

Ingredients

2 c. almond flour
3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 can almond paste
24 tbsp. unsalted butter
6 large eggs
1 c. whole milk
1 tbsp. amaretto liqueur
2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

To make cake: Adjust 2 oven racks to divide oven into thirds. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 3 (9" x 2") round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment paper; grease paper and dust pans with flour, tapping out excess. Spread almond flour on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until toasted, stirring once, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool.
In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside. Combine sugar and almond paste in a food processor and blend until almond paste is finely ground, with the texture of fine sand.
In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine almond paste mixture and butter. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs one at a time until well blended. With mixer on low speed, beat in milk, Amaretto, lemon zest, and vanilla until well blended. Beat in flour mixture, scraping bowl. Beat on medium speed until well blended, about 30 seconds. Divide batter among prepared pans and spread evenly. Stagger pans on 2 racks in oven so pans are not directly above one another. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, or until a toothpick inserted in center of cakes comes out clean. Let cool in pans 10 minutes. Run a knife around sides of pans and turn cakes out onto wire racks. Remove parchment paper and flip again; cool completely.
To make filling: In a stand mixer with whisk attachment, combine mascarpone, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla bean seeds, and 1 tablespoon kirsch or grappa. With mixer on low speed at first and increasing to medium, beat just until firm peaks form; do not overbeat. Fold in cherries. Refrigerate 30 minutes. In a bowl, stir together cherry jam and remaining 1 tablespoon kirsch or grappa.
To make buttercream icing: Combine sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil without stirring until syrup reaches 240 degrees on a digital thermometer, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. With mixer on medium speed, gradually pour in hot syrup in a thin stream; avoid pouring syrup on whisk. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until stiff peaks form and mixture is cool, about 8 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and add butter 1 tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition. (If at any time buttercream appears curdled, beat on high until smooth, then reduce speed to medium and continue beating in butter.) Once all butter is added, beat on high speed until buttercream is smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in vanilla.
To assemble cake: Spread 1 side of 2 of the cake layers with jam and let stand 10 minutes, so cakes absorb some of jam. Place 1 cake layer, jam-side up on cake stand or plate. Spread with half of mascarpone filling. Top with second cake layer, jam-side up. Spread with remaining filling. Top with third cake layer, top-side up. Frost cake with about 1 cup buttercream to crumb coat cake; refrigerate 1 hour. Frost cake with remaining buttercream. Serve immediately or refrigerate; if refrigerated, let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.

Share Gina DePalma's Toasted Almond Cake with Mascarpone Cream and Amarena Cherries

Related recipes

Hormone Balance: Kefir Green Goddess Dressing

Hormone Support: Collagen Beauty Water for PCOS

Hormone Balance: Arugula and Walnut Pesto for PCOS

Hormone Balance: Probiotic Green Goddess Dressing

PCOS Liver Support: Microgreens Power Salad

Metabolic Health: Sorrel Soup for PCOS

Metabolic Support: Living Sauerkraut Salad

PCOS Insulin Sensitivity: Tallow-Roasted Bitter Melon

PCOS Gut Support: Bitter Greens Soup

Anti-Inflammatory: Swiss Chard Stir-Fry for PCOS

Are Chaotic Mornings Sabotaging Your PCOS Management?

You know the drill: Alarm goes off. You hit snooze. Rush around frantically. Skip breakfast AGAIN because there's no time. By 10am, you're hangry, your blood sugar is all over the place, and your PCOS symptoms are already acting up.

Sound familiar?

Introducing: The 60-Minute PCOS Breakfast Solution

Finally – a meal prep system designed specifically for women with PCOS who refuse to let chaotic mornings derail their health goals.

In just ONE hour on Sunday, you can transform your entire week:

• ✅Prep 5 hormone-supporting breakfasts for the entire week
• ✅Eliminate morning decision fatigue and breakfast stress
• ✅Start every day with blood sugar-stabilizing nutrition
• ✅Never skip breakfast again (even on your busiest days)

"I went from skipping breakfast 4 days a week to having delicious, hormone-supporting meals ready every morning. My energy is more stable and my cravings have disappeared!"

– Sarah M.

Stop letting chaotic mornings control your health.

Get your hormone-happy mornings starting this Sunday.

→ Get Your 60-Minute Solution Now