Lincoln Almond Cake

This is a vintage white-cake recipe with a particularly elegant pedigree. The crumb is exceptionally tender thanks to two old-school techniques: triple-sifting the flour with baking powder, and folding in stiffly beaten egg whites at the very end instead of using whole eggs. The result is a pale, almost luminous cake that climbs the sides of a bundt pan and slices clean.

The blanched almonds are the signature here. Chopping them rather than grinding them keeps a satisfying nutty bite throughout the crumb. Use blanched (skinless) almonds, not raw with skin. The skins darken in baking and turn the elegant white cake mottled.

Watch the egg-white folding step. Stiff peaks should hold their shape when the beater is lifted but still look glossy. Overbeaten whites turn dry and clumpy and won’t fold smoothly into the heavier batter. Cut down with a rubber spatula, sweep around the bowl, and turn over. Repeat until just combined. A few white streaks remaining is fine.

A serrated bread knife is the right tool for slicing. The almond chunks tear at standard cake knives, but the saw teeth on a bread knife glide right through.

Pro Tips

• Bring all ingredients to room temperature first. Cold milk shocks the creamed butter and curdles the batter.
• Toast the almonds in a dry pan for 4 to 5 minutes for deeper flavor. Cool fully before chopping.
• Use almond extract instead of vanilla for a more pronounced almond flavor.
• Cool upside down on the rack for 10 minutes before unmolding to prevent collapse.

Variations

• Add the zest of one lemon to the batter for citrus brightness against the almond.
• Drizzle with a powdered-sugar glaze flavored with almond extract once cooled.
• Sprinkle with sliced almonds before baking for a textured crunchy crust.