Cooking Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Oil a 9-inch springform pan.

On a sheet of waxed paper, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Place the almond paste in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade; process until finely ground. Add the sugar and extract; process to combine. With the machine running, drizzle the oil through the feed tube; process until smooth. Add the eggs and process smooth.

Add the dry ingredients and milk in two additions, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Pulse just to combine. Pour the batter in the prepared pan.

Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the cake is lightly browned and a tester comes out clean. Remove to a rack to cool. The cake may be served warm or at room temperature.

Dust with confectioner's sugar before cutting. Serve the cake with lightly sugared seasonal cut fruit.

Note: Almond paste, a stiff mixture of ground almonds and sugar, is sold in the baking section of supermarkets. Do not replace it with almond filling, which is a much softer, sweeter mixture.