Mandelschnitten
Bursting with jam and topped with almond paste, this delicious traybake is perfect for Zvieri.
“It’s one of the best things you’ve ever brought me,” said Walter, my elderly neighbour.
That’s serious stuff coming from Walter, as he has received the run-off of most of the baked goods produced for this blog.
These slices are little like Linzer torte, only with a more delicate base and a bigger hit of almonds on top. They make a lot, perfect for events, bake-sales, or feeding the neighbourhood. I like to cut mine into triangles, but squares or rectangles work too.
This version was inspired by the Mandelschnitten recipe in the cookbook Die grosse Schweizer Küche, which is full of Swiss classics, modernized.
Cake Base
200 g butter, room temperature
175 g sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
the zest of one lemon
300 g flour
Jam Filling
around 300 g jam
Almond Topping
100 g butter, room temperature
100 g sugar
2 eggs
zest of one lemon
300 g almonds
3 tbsp lemon juice
Preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F / gas mark 4.
Line a large baking sheet (35 x 40 cm), baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl beat the butter for about a minute, then add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs and zest. Beat until you have a fluffy, creamy mass.
Fold the flour into the butter mixture.
Using an offset spatula dipped in warm water (or your hands), spread the batter on the parchment paper prepared baking sheet. It is quite sticky, so this will take some cajoling. If you are using your fingers, dip them in water so the batter doesn’t stick.
Whisk your jam, then spread it over the batter.
Rinse our your cake batter bowl, then use this to make the almond topping. Beat the butter for about a minute, then add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and zest. Fold in the ground almonds. Mix in the lemon juice.
Drop blobs of the almond mixture on top of the jam and use your offset spatula (or fingers) dipped in water to spread it. If a bit of the jam mixes in, this is not a problem.
Bake in the bottom part of the oven for about 30 minutes, or until the top has browned.
The batter of the cake base is very sticky. It takes a bit of patience and finagling to spread it onto the parchment. The same can be said of the almond topping.
You can make your jam layer thinner of thicker as desired. Start with around 300 g, and use more if you like. I like a slightly tart jam (or jelly, both work) like raspberry, red currant, black currant or sour cherry. Strawberry is also a popular choice.
Traybake frenzy?
Swiss Millionaires
