Image is for illustrative purposes only.
A sand base is the sturdy, close-grained butter cake that sits under so much pastry work. This version carries ground almonds through the batter, which gives it a soft, slightly moist crumb, a gentle nuttiness and a much longer shelf life than a plain sponge. Lemon zest and vanilla keep it from tasting heavy.
It bakes flat and firm, so it slices cleanly and holds its shape under mousse, ganache or buttercream. Use it as a base layer for cut cakes and entremets, as a sheet for petit fours, or simply bake it, cool it and serve it in slices with coffee.
Ingredients
The weights in the recipe table below will yield the following 'weight per unit' and 'number of units'. If you would like to change the recipe to cater to a different 'weight per unit' and/or 'number of units',
you can use the Recipe Calculator Tool below the ingredients table.
Note: The Recipe Calculator Tool is available to subscribers.
Weight Per Unit: 1010
Number of Units: 2
Unit Size: 20 cm round tin, about 5 cm high
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WEIGHT
(grams)
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ALTERNATIVE METRIC
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INGREDIENT
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IMAGE
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CONDITION
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A
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250 |
8.8 ounces
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Self-Raising Flour
Self-rising or self-raising flour is white flour that is sold premixed with chemical leavening agents. Self-rising flour is typically composed of the following ratio: 1 cup (100 g) flour, 1 1⁄2 teaspoons (3 g) baking powder, a pinch to 1⁄2 teaspoon (1 g or less) salt.
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sifted |
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B
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500 |
17.6 ounces
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Sugar
Sugar is the generalized name for sweet, short-chain, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. They are carbohydrates, composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. There are various types of sugar derived from different sources. Simple sugars are called monosaccharides and include glucose (also known as dextrose), fructose and galactose. The table or granulated sugar most customarily used as food is sucrose, a disaccharide. (In the body, sucrose hydrolyses into fructose and glucose.) Other disaccharides include maltose and lactose. Longer chains of sugars are called oligosaccharides. Chemically-different substances may also have a sweet taste, but are not classified as sugars. Some are used as lower-calorie food substitutes for sugar described as artificial sweeteners.
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C
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500 |
17.6 ounces
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Butter
Butter is a solid dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk, to separate the butterfat from the buttermilk. It is generally used as a spread on plain or toasted bread products and a condiment on cooked vegetables, as well as in cooking, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying. Butter consists of butterfat, milk proteins and water.
unsalted
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room temperature |
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D
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500 |
10 Whole Eggs
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Whole Egg
Eggs are one of the most common ingredients in a typical cake. Egg yolks and whole eggs store significant amounts of protein and choline, and are widely used in baking. Usually an eggs role in a cake is to add moisture and richness, act as a raising agent as well as a glue to bind the ingredients together.
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room temperature |
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E
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10 |
2 teaspoons
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Vanilla Essence
Vanilla Extract is made with 100% pure vanilla beans. With a sweet, syrupy consistency, this Vanilla is ideal for use in icings, drinks and whipped cream as well as classic baking recipes. Vanilla Essence is commercially manufactured by chemicals and is more of a watery consistency as opposed to vanilla extract which is thicker and a lot fuller and richer in flavour. You can replace one with the other but use 50% more of essence. For example, for 1 teaspoon of extract, use 1.5 teaspoons of essence.
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F
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10 |
0.4 ounce
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Lemon Zest
Lemon zest is the thin, brightly coloured outer layer of the lemon skin, removed with a fine grater or zester without taking the bitter white pith underneath. It holds the fruit's aromatic oils and gives a fresh citrus lift to batters and creams.
fresh
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finely grated |
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G
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250 |
8.8 ounces
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Almond Meal
Almond meal, almond flour or ground almond is made from ground sweet almonds. Almond flour is usually made with blanched almonds (no skin), whereas almond meal can be made both with whole or blanched almonds. The consistency is more like corn meal than wheat flour.
It is used in pastry and confectionery – in the manufacture of almond macarons and other sweet pastries, in cake and pie filling, such as Sachertorte and is one of the two main ingredients of marzipan and almond paste. In France, almond meal is an important ingredient in frangipane, the filling of traditional galette des Rois cake.
Almond meal has recently become important in baking items for those on low carbohydrate diets. It adds moistness and a rich nutty taste to baked goods. Items baked with almond meal tend to be calorie-dense.
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2020
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Recipe Calculator Tool
Using this tool, you can alter this recipe for your own requirements. Use the two fields below to generate new weights for the ingredients above.
STEP 1. Enter your Custom Weight Per Unit
The 'Custom Weight Per Unit' is already loaded with the weight per unit for this recipe but can be changed if required. If all you wish to do is change the number of units (or servings), just leave the current weight per unit.
STEP 2. Enter your Custom Number of Units
This is the number of units (or servings) you want this recipe to yield.
STEP 3. Click Calculate
The new weights for your adjusted recipe will be displayed in the table above.
Method
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STEP
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ACTION
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DETAIL
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CONDITION
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1 |
Pre-heat |
Pre-heat the oven to 170°C (340°F). Grease two 20 cm round tins and line the bases with baking paper. |
Oven fully up to temperature before the batter is mixed |
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2 |
Cream |
Cream C, B, F and E (butter, caster sugar, lemon zest and vanilla essence) together in a mixer with the paddle attachment, scraping the bowl down once or twice. |
Pale, light and fluffy |
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3 |
Add |
Beat D (whole egg) in a little at a time, allowing each addition to be fully taken up before adding the next. |
Smooth and glossy, not curdled or split |
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4 |
Fold |
Sift A (self-raising flour) over the batter, add G (almond meal) and fold through by hand. |
Just combined, no dry flour showing |
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5 |
Fill |
Divide the batter between the prepared tins and level the surface with a palette knife. |
Even thickness so the cake bakes flat |
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6 |
Bake |
Bake at 170°C (340°F) for about 35 to 40 minutes. |
Golden, springs back when pressed and a skewer comes out clean |
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7 |
Cool |
Rest the cakes in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and peel off the paper. |
Completely cold before cutting or layering |
Important Notes
This half batch makes about 2,020 g of batter, enough for two 20 cm round tins or one 30 x 25 cm slab tray. Because of the ground almonds and the high butter content, the base keeps well: wrapped tightly it will hold for three to four days at room temperature, up to a week refrigerated, and it freezes well for a month. Chill the baked cake before slicing into layers — a cold sand base cuts far more cleanly. Eggs and butter at room temperature give the smoothest batter; cold eggs will make the mixture split.
Tools & Arrangements
Electric mixer with paddle attachment, mixing bowls, sieve, rubber spatula, fine grater or zester, digital scale, two 20 cm round tins (or a 30 x 25 cm slab tray), baking paper, cooling rack, skewer.
