The rich array of holiday recipes in Molly Bar-David’s 1964 book “A Folklore Cookbook: Dishes for the Holidays of Israel,” laid a foundation for holiday cooking in the early days of Israel. Asif’s culinary director Guy Ben Harush came across a copy in our library and decided to revive one of the recipes for a Passover cake that calls for almonds and mashed potatoes.
“The recipe for this cake intrigued me immensely,” he says. “The ingredients themselves are quite basic, and we made only minimal alterations to it. Yet, somehow, the alchemy of these unexpected ingredients produces a sensation that closely resembles a homemade cheesecake. This cake really plays tricks on the brain.” He added vanilla and lemon zest to the batter.
The cake tastes even better when prepared a day in advance.
Ingredients
6 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1½ cups (150 grams) ground almonds
1 cup cold plain mashed potatoes, sieved to a smooth cream consistency
2 tablespoons potato flour
1 lemon, juiced and zested
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 170C (350F) and dust a springform pan with potato flour.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks and ½ cup sugar to a pale thick cream.
- Add the ground almonds, mashed potatoes, potato flour, lemon juice, zest, and vanilla extract and beat to a smooth mixture with no lumps .
- In a clean bow, beat the egg whites with the remaining ½ cup sugar to stiff peaks. Add a pinch of salt and gradually beat both mixtures together.
- Pour the mixture into the cake pan and bake for 30-40 minutes. Cover the cake with a towel and let cool at room temperature 3-4 hours before serving. The cake tastes better the next day.
