Friday, October 17, 2008

Ingegerd's Punsch Bars

punschkaka

Ingegerd is one of the politicians I work with. She brought in this wicked cake a few weeks ago, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Luckily, she provided the recipe, and it's SO SIMPLE. And as a bonus, it's really versatile - she uses punsch which is a sweet Swedish liqueur that tastes of arrak, but you can use any sweet liqueur you want, or even coffee or orange juice. (I bet amaretto would be brilliant.) And it freezes perfectly well, so you can prepare it well in advance. Oh, and did I mention that it's gluten-free? No? Well, it is.

You might want to use a little more chocolate than I did - 100 g was on the skimpy side if you want a thick layer.

Ingegerd's Punsch Bars

300 g almond paste
2 eggs
50 ml punsch or other sweet liqueur
100 g dark chocolate
2 tbsp flaked almonds

Grate the almond paste coarsely, and mix with the eggs in a food processor or with a mixer. Spread into a lined pan, about 25 cm in diameter, or an 9 inch square pan. (I used an 8 inch square pan, which was maybe a little on the small side.)

Bake at 175°C for about 20 minutes, or until the cake is lightly golden. Let it cool slightly, then drizzle the liqueur over the cake.

Melt the chocolate, in a waterbath or in the microwave, and brush over the cake. Sprinkle with flaked almonds while the chocolate is still soft.

Cut into smaller pieces and serve.

Recipe in Swedish:
Ingegerds Punschkaka

6 comments:

Pia K said...

It's nice, isn't it? Mats makes it now and then, his mum too, but in the shape of a usual cake. Delicious served with whipped cream, mmm... It's easy to overate though, I've felt rather... unwell after having enjoyed it...;)

Katie said...

Yum, this sounds fab and so simple. I adore almond paste.

Karin said...

Punsch parfait!! I have to buy a bottle!!

Anonymous said...

is there any difference between almond paste and ready-made marzipan you can buy in the baking aisle?

Anne said...

Pia, oh, it must be heaven with whipped cream. :)

Well, I buy my almond paste in the baking aisle as well. The difference to marzipan is that almond paste has a higher amount of almonds, and less sugar. Marzipan is also smoother, and more easy to model in, where as almond paste tastes a lot better.

Christa said...

I'm making this right now, but using Marzipan instead of almond paste. The reason is that it's easier to find Marzipan here in England all year around than almond paste.
And I've added a bit of orange essence since Arrak Punch seems to be unknown around here.