Almond Blitztorte

10 Servings

CAKE
Butter-flavored cooking spray
1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup sliced almonds
1-1/4 cups sifted cake flour
1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, separated, plus 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup skim milk, warmed
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon superfine sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

FILLING
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt, drained for 4 hours
3 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
1 pint fresh raspberries

1. Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat two 8-inch cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with wax paper or parchment paper. Coat the paper with cooking spray and dust lightly with flour.

2. In a pie plate, toast 1/4 cup of the almonds for about 8 minutes, or until fragrant. Let cool slightly, then finely chop the nuts. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

3. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with the oil and the extracts until blended. Add 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar and beat until pale yellow. Gradually beat in the warm milk on low speed; increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute.

4. In a clean bowl, beat 2 of the egg whites until foamy. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold in the finely chopped almonds. Alternate folding the beaten whites and the dry ingredients into the yolk mixture. Divide the cake batter between the prepared pans and smooth the tops.

5. In a clean bowl, beat the remaining 4 egg whites with the cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add 1 cup of the superfine sugar and beat until stiff. Spread the meringue evenly over the batter.

6. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of superfine sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle over the meringue. Sprinkle the 1/3 cup of sliced almonds over 1 of the cakes. Bake the cakes for about 30 minutes, until the meringue is lightly colored and crisp. Let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the pans. Turn the cakes out onto plates, then invert them onto a rack to cool completely.

7. PREPARE THE FILLING:Combine the thickened yogurt with the jam.

8. Set the cake layer without almonds on a large plate, meringue side down. Spread the raspberry-yogurt filling on the cake and arrange most of the raspberries in a single layer. Cover with the second layer of cake, meringue side up, top with the remaining berries and serve.