Raspberry Almond Tart “Torta della Santa Maria”

Name: Raspberry Almond Tart “Torta della Santa Maria”
Total time: 5400 s
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 box Krusteaz Raspberry Bars mix; 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, divided; 1 (8 ounce) box Solo brand almond paste; 2 eggs; 1 teaspoon grated orange zest; 1/2 teaspoon almond extract; 2 teaspoons flour; 1/2 cup sliced almonds; 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Adam Janowski @polishkitchen

Jeffersonville, Indiana

Don’t ask me why, but I have gotten it into my head that I should call this Torta della Santa Maria (St. Mary’s Cake). It’s my own creation, and I’m not Italian and I don’t have any clue as to what St. Mary would have to do with it. And I even think of it as more of a pie than a cake! But, Torta della Santa Maria it will be.

What’s fun about this recipe is that you take an off the shelf mix (good in its own right!) and make it something extraordinary both in appearance and in taste. I think it is an elegant combination of the tastes of raspberries, almonds and orange.

At a church breakfast one morning someone told me that she thought my tart had come from a bakery and that it was the best thing she had ever eaten. Seriously. I was truly humbled. Please try it and let me know how yours turns out

Adam Janowski @polishkitchen

Jeffersonville, Indiana

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Ingredients

1 hr 30 minutes

12 servings

1 boxKrusteaz Raspberry Bars mix
1 cup (2 sticks)butter, divided
1 (8 ounce)box Solo brand almond paste
2eggs
1 teaspoongrated orange zest
1/2 teaspoonalmond extract
2 teaspoonsflour
1/2 cupsliced almonds
1 tablespoonconfectioners' sugar

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Steps

1 hr 30 minutes

1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2

Crust:
3

Melt 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter.
4

Empty full pouch of crust mix into medium bowl and add melted butter. Stir thoroughly until all of the pouch mixture has absorbed the butter.
5

Spray a 9-inch springform baking pan with baking spray.
6

Spoon crust mixture into prepared pan. Press dough firmly on bottom and about 1 inch up the sides of the pan. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
7

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven.
8

Spread full pouch of raspberry filling evenly over the hot crust.
9

Filling:
10

In a medium mixing bowl beat until fluffy 1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter.
11

Add 1 can almond paste by tablespoonful.
12

Beat until butter and almond paste are smooth.
13

Add eggs, orange zest, almond extract and flour and beat until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
14

Spread almond filling over top of raspberry filling being careful to spread filling to edge of crust.
15

Sprinkle with sliced almonds.
16

Bake for 35 minutes.
17

Allow to cool 10 minutes before removing springform collar. It helps to run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan before removing the collar.
18

When completely cool dust with sifted confectioners’ sugar until top is lightly covered.
19

Slice if desired and then dust with a bit more confectioners’ sugar.
20

Serve at room temperature.

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Cooksnaps

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Adam Janowski @polishkitchen

on September 04, 2021 19:09

Jeffersonville, Indiana

I am a retired school library media specialist living in southern Indiana. I spent a number of years working in schools around the world and have lived in Germany, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Japan. I enjoy travelling, reading, and eating great food. I especially enjoy the challenge of re-creating dishes that I discover when I read a book. My last creation based on a book was a “Waves of the Danube” cake which was mentioned in "People of the Book" by Geraldine Brooks. It was absolutely decadent and delicious. I have always been in love with cooking and pie baking comes easy to me. I find that baking soothes me in times of stress. The first time I bake something I always follow the recipe exactly to see how it turns out. Afterwards, I will analyze it and make changes if I feel that the recipe could use some tweaking before I make it again. My cooking skills come from my Polish American family roots in Detroit, Michigan and its suburbs. My brother and sisters are all great cooks and they absorbed many of the lessons learned while they were growing up. Check out my blog. Find it at http://apolishkitchen.blogspot.com