French Almond Cake (Le Saint-Germain)
Known as Le Saint-Germain, this almond cake with rum was invented by the Patisserie Hardy in 1920, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris. As the genuine recipe is a local secret, I have created something similar to recreate this at home with almond flour. Either prepared with or without the tart base.
Ingredients
Sweet Pastry Base (optional): see recipe below
Almond Filling:
- 100 g (3.5oz/ ¼ cup + 3 tbsp) unsalted butter softened
- 75 g (3oz/ ⅜ cup) sugar
- 2 medium eggs organic, at room temperature
- 100 g (3.5oz/ 1 cup) ground almonds (almond flour)
- 1 tablespoon dark rum
- 25 g (1oz/ 2 tbsp) slivered almonds
Glaze:
- 6 tablespoon icing (powdered) sugar
- 2 tablespoon dark rum or 2 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
Sweet Pastry (optional):
- Follow the recipe for pâte sucrée below. Blind bake first for 15 minutes and set aside to cool. This step can be done 2-3 days in advance.Omit step 7 of baking uncovered. (Instead the almond cream is added to the pastry shell and baked together.)
Almond and Rum Filling:
- Cream the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Add the eggs, ground almonds and rum (see NOTES).
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas 4/360°F.Sprinkle the slivered almonds on the base of the baked pastry base then spread on the almond filling (or pipe in a spiral). Bake further in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Rum Glaze:
- Mix together the icing/powdered sugar with the rum and lemon juice until a spreadable consistency. Spread the glaze on to the cooled almond tart using a palette knife.
Notes
Ideally, chill for 24 hours or overnight in the fridge as this cake is so much better after maturing. Even better 2 days later. Serve at room temperature to appreciate all of the flavours. Although you can serve this on the day, waiting until the next day is really worth the wait. Like macarons, the flavours intensify and the result is so much better after maturing the cake.
Without the Pastry Base: Sometimes this cake is made without the tart base, making it gluten free. If making this without the sweet pastry base, add another egg to the almond filling.
Pastry Base: If using the whole portion of pastry below, then double the quantity of the filling to make an extra large tart and bake for 35-40 minutes.
With Rum, this cake is for adults only. This cake is best made with good quality dark rum. If you prefer to use without alcohol, then replace with water for the glaze and use orange blossom water or lemon juice for the cake.