Presidential Fruit Cake
- 6 egg whites, room temperature
- 1 cup superfine sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups almond flour
- 1 cup candied orange peel, finely chopped - plus more for decoration
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 12 ounces almond paste, crumbled
- 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups creme fraiche
- 1 cup chocolate covered almonds, coarsely chopped
Heat oven to 300. Butter a 9 inch springform pan and line bottom with parchment. Using an electric mixer with whisk attachment, whisk egg whites on high speed until soft peaks foamy. Gradually add sugar one tablespoon at a time, whisking until the mixture is glossy. Stir in vanilla.
Fold in almond flour, orange peel, cranberries, almond paste and bitter chocolate. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until firm to the touch, about one hour. Remove from oven and set aside to cool completely.
Whisk creme fraiche to form stiff peaks. Spoon over cooled cake and scatter with orange peel and chopped chocolate covered almonds. Serve at once.