Raspberry & Almond Sponge Cake and other ideas for using up almond meal

This recipe is otherwise known as- what to do with all the almond meal that you have left over after making almond milk. This recipe is supposedly from a country living magazine but I cannot find the official recipe. This recipe was made for my mum by the owner of Huntinghall when my parents stayed in their eco-friendly self catering cottages and the recipe has since been passed around. If you ever need somewhere to stay in Northumberland you couldn't pick a better place. 

This recipe makes a kind of fluffy gluten free victoria sponge cake. The recipe is for a 20cm cake but I decided to make miniature versions. Unfortunately as you can see from the photos these did not turn out so well as they refused to come out of the muffin tins cleanly. I would recommend making this in a greased and lined cake tin instead or in individual muffin/cupcake cases.  I almost didn't post these cakes as they were decidedly unphotogenic but as they taste pretty good I thought I should show some love to they little uglies. As Eeyore says "Weeds are flowers too once you get to know them." The cake has a bad habit of sinking a little in the middle. If this happens don't despair just fill the dip with fresh fruit and no one will be any the wiser! If you want to make a larger cake for entertaining, double the ingredients, split between two 20cm cake tins and use the filling between the two cakes.

What else have I been using my almond meal for? Here are some ideas, some my own and some which I have found and linked to. The almond meal freezes well in sealed freezer bags and can be defrosted before use so there is no panic on using it up. If you are not freezing make sure to keep sealed and labeled in the refrigerator.  You can add a spoonful to smoothies, add to banana bread and cakes, use as a topping for baked pasta dishes instead of breadcrumbs, use in a gluten free bakewell tart, as a body or face scrub,  add it to curries such as this korma recipe, make into cereal or pancakes or use when making pesto. Hopefully this gives you some ideas as to what to do with all the fluffy goodness that get left after making almond milk.

Raspberry & Almond Sponge Cake (makes one 20cm diameter cake)

Vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free
Ingredients
For the sponge
3 Medium eggs, seperated
125g/4oz Caster  sugar
175g/6oz Almond meal/ground almond
1 scant tsp Gluten free baking powder
For the filling
100g Raspberry jam (alternatively use any fruit and jam e.g. apricot, strawberries, plums etc.)
100g Fresh raspberries (alternatively use any fruit and jam e.g. apricot, strawberries, plums etc.)
Icing sugar for dusting (optional)
Method

• Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C/ 375F/gas mark 5 or 170C (fan oven). Grease and line a 20cm/8inch cake tin. 
• Whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. In a separate bowl whisk together the sugar and egg yolks until they start to lighten and come together to form a paste. 
• Now add the egg white in stages, a maximum of a third of the egg white at a time. Once the egg white is add fold in the almond meal and baking powder until incorporated. Pour mixture into the cake time and bake for  35 mins or until the cake top browns slightly, it is springy to the touch and has started to pull away from the sides of the cake tin. Remove from the oven and cool. 
• To make the filling mix the jam until smooth and then fold the fruit in. This cake is best filled a maximum of a few hours before. So if you don't want to serve it straight away store the cake and filling separately and fill only when ready. To fill, split the cake and spread the filling gently on the bottom piece of cake before topping with the top half of the cake. Sprinkle with icing sugar if required.