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Gató d'ametlla
Gató d'ametlla: Mallorca's flourless almond sponge served with almond ice cream
Every Mallorcan pastry shop sells gató, a light, moist sponge made with ground almonds instead of flour, and the classic way to eat it is a wedge beside a scoop of gelat d'ametlla, the island's almond ice. The almond groves that bloom white across the island in February give both. It is the cake for saint's days and Sunday visits, and it happens to be gluten free. The ice here is made the old way, with almonds, sugar, water and lemon peel, no cream. Chef's tip: fold the whipped egg whites in with a big metal spoon and stop as soon as no white streaks remain, because the air is all that lifts the cake.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the almond ice cream
For the sponge
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (3)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Start the ice a day ahead. Bring the 3 ¼ cups water, 5 ½ oz sugar, 1 strip of lemon peel and 1 cinnamon stick to the boil, take off the heat and stir in the 7 oz ground almonds. Leave to infuse for 1 hour, then remove the peel and cinnamon and chill until cold.
70 minStep 2: Churn the almond mixture in an ice-cream machine, or freeze it in a shallow box, scraping and stirring with a fork every 45 minutes for about 4 hours until thick and creamy-grainy.
240 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 350°F. Brush a 24 cm round tin with the 1 tsp light olive oil, for the tin and line the base with baking paper.
3 minStep 4: Whisk the 6 eggs yolks with the 7 oz sugar for 5 minutes until pale, thick and falling in a slow ribbon. Beat in the 1 lemon and ½ tsp ground cinnamon, then stir in the 9 oz ground almonds.
8 minStep 5: In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to firm peaks that hold their shape when the whisk is lifted. Stir a quarter into the almond mix to loosen it, then gently fold in the rest. A common mistake is beating the whites in a greasy bowl; even a trace of yolk or fat stops them firming.
6 minStep 6: Pour into the tin and bake for 35–40 minutes until golden, risen and springy, and a skewer in the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn out.
40 minStep 7: Dust with 2 tbsp icing sugar and serve slices with a scoop of the almond ice cream.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 14 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gató d'ametlla take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of ground almonds?
- Ground cashews, same amount.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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