LINZERS CAKES RECIPES

Steps:

• To prepare cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray with flour (see Tip); alternatively, coat the pans with regular cooking spray, line them with parchment paper and spray the paper.
• Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Place almonds in a food processor and process until finely ground. Add milk, oil and almond extract and pulse to combine.
• Beat egg whites in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Beat in 1/4 cup sugar in a slow, steady stream. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.
• Beat egg yolks and the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl on medium speed until pale yellow and doubled in volume, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Gently stir the almond mixture into the egg-yolk mixture with a rubber spatula. Add the flour mixture; gently stir until just incorporated. Stir about 1 cup of the whites into the batter until combined. Gently fold the remaining whites into the batter, using long, even strokes, until just incorporated and no white streaks remain. Divide the batter between the prepared pans; spread it to the edges and gently rap the pans against the counter once or twice to settle the batter.
• Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert the layers onto the rack, remove the pans and parchment paper, if using, and let cool completely, about 45 minutes more.
• To assemble cake: Place one layer, top-side down, on a serving plate; spread raspberry jam over it. Cover it with the second layer, top-side down. Sift confectioners' sugar over the cake. Decorate with raspberries, if desired.

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and vanilla. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add egg mixture and beat until combined. Add dry ingredients and beat until just incorporated. Divide dough in half, form each half into a disk, and place each between 2 large sheets of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough to 1/8" in thickness. Place dough sheets on a baking sheet or cutting board and transfer to refrigerator to chill for 2 hours. (Or place in the freezer for 30 minutes.) Preheat oven to 375° and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Peel away one layer of parchment paper from your dough and use a 2" round cookie cutter to cut out cookies. Use a smaller round cookie cutter to cut windows in half the cookies, if desired. Place cookies on baking sheet about 1" apart. Bake 7 to 9 minutes, or until cookies are lightly golden. Let cool. In a microwave safe bowl, stir 1 teaspoon water into jam. Microwave on low for 30 seconds, then spread about 1/2 tsp of jam in the center of a cookie, then top with second cookie. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.