Adelina's Pa de Pessic

Last summer I was in Barcelona, and Maria invited me to visit her and her family at the vineyards. I took the train and an hour away from the city I found myself in the most delightful setting in Penedés region.

At Mas Palou, Adelina and Santi greeted me with a fantastic meal and Maria and I walked through the vineyards for sunset. A really gorgeous experience while the warmth of this family really made me feel like at home…

I will show you more of Mas Palou soon, but meanwhile Maria shared Adelina’s recipe for a cake, and for Easter, I took the challenge knowing I am a terrible baker. The process proved to be a complete ritual. The result… uhmmm not sure.

ADELINA’S PA DE PESSIC (her recipe in Catalan here)

CAKE :

• 6 eggs

• 1/2 cup of baking flour + 1/4 cup of almond flour

• 3/4 cup of sugar

• Vanilla 1 teaspoon

• 1 tablespoon of baking powder

Heat the oven 285ºF

Separate egg whites from yolks.

Beat the egg whites on the point of snow. Remember to add a little salt and set aside.

Add the six egg yolks with the sugar, adding a little water. After mixing it must have tripled in volume.

Sift the pastry flour and add it to the eggs yolk paste; Then, almond flour, always with underwired movements to aerate. Add the baking powder too.

Also add the egg whites little by little.

Finally, add everything in a baking mould, not less than 22 centimeters in diameter, which previously smeeded with butter and flour, so we do not stick to the unmold.

We bake at 140 ° for an hour, having a bowl of water inside the oven to humidify it. Meanwhile I make the cream:

CREAM:

• 3/4 cup butter

• 1/2 cup of icing sugar ( I adjusted from the original recipe that called for almost 1 cup, and it turned out to be too sweet- Maybe agave could work too?)

• Pinch of salt

• 1/4 cup of liquid cream or cream. Add more if you do not get the desired cream consistency.

The butter must be creamy to be able to work, add the sugar little by little to blend well. It can be done with some by hand or with a machine but slow. Then add the salt and milk and keep beating until you have a fine and creamy mixture.

The sponge cake, after removing it from the oven and unmold, must be cool. Split it in half and grease the cream of butter inside, above and on the sides.

To decorate the cake use laminated raw almonds , which I cooked for 3 -5 minutes in the oven, until they are toasted. Sprinkle over