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a slice of speculaas cake with almond paste filling
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4.50 from 18 reviews

Filled Speculaas Cake (Gevulde Speculaas)

Eileen Gray
Filled Speculaas Cake! If you love speculaas (speculoos, windmill) cookies, you'll really love this giant cookie/cake filled with luscious almond paste.
Prep Time30 minutes
Bake Time40 minutes
Chilling Time8 hours
Total Time9 hours 10 minutes
Servings:16 slices

Ingredients

  • 5 oz all purpose flour (1 cup, see note)
  • 3 oz cake flour (¾ cup)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon table salt
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon cardamom
  • ¼ teaspoon cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon white pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon ground anise
  • 6 oz brown sugar (¾ cup packed)
  • 4 oz unsalted butter (chilled cut into 1" pieces)
  • 2 oz whole milk (¼ cup)
  • 2 large eggs (separated)
  • 12 oz almond paste
  • 1 oz confectioner's sugar (¼ cup)
  • 21 Whole blanched almonds ( for decorating)

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, combine 5 oz all purpose flour, 3 oz cake flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon table salt, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ginger, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon cardamom, ¼ teaspoon cloves,¼ teaspoon white pepper, ¼ teaspoon ground anise and 6 oz brown sugar. Use a hand whisk to combine the ingredients.
  • Toss 4 oz unsalted butter into the flour and mix with your fingers or a pastry cutter until there are no pieces of butter larger than a pea. You can also do this on a stand mixer or with a hand mixer. Add 2 oz whole milk and 1 egg yolk and mix until the dough comes together.
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly form it into a ball. Divide the dough into two pieces, 2/3 and 1/3 of the dough. Wrap and refrigerate the dough for several hours or overnight.
  • Using a stand or hand mixer, mix 12 oz almond paste with 1 oz confectioner's sugar. Add 2 egg whites and mix until it is smooth. Refrigerate the almond paste until you're ready to assemble the cake. Preheat the oven to 350 °F °F.
  • Roll one piece of the dough to a 12" circle and fit it into the bottom and sides of a 9" or 10" tart or cake pan with a removable bottom.
  • Spread the almond paste over the dough. Roll the other piece of dough to a 10" circle and cover the almond paste. Trim the edges flush with the pan.
  • Whisk the remaining egg yolk with a little water. Brush the top of the cake with the yolk and arrange the almonds around the edge of the cake, pressing lightly so they are embedded in the dough.
  • Bake until the center of the cake is set, about 40 minutes. Cool completely before removing the sides of the pan. The cake will keep for several days at room temperature.

Notes

If measuring the flour by volume use the “dip & sweep” method. That is, dip the measuring cup into the flour bin, overfill it, then sweep away the excess.
You can use 2 tablespoons of pre-mixed speculaas spice in place of the spices listed in the recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 252kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 91mg | Potassium: 114mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 214IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 1mg