‘Coca de torró’ (nougat cake), almond milk or the traditional Christmas ‘sopa d’ametlla’ (almond soup). Almonds are used widely in Mallorcan recipes. As well as a snack, the fruit of the almond tree is used in typical dishes such as ‘albergínies farcides’ (stuffed aubergines) or ‘tumbet’. But it is in one of the desserts par excellence of Mallorcan gastronomy where the almond becomes the true star: the almond ‘gató’, often accompanied by almond ice cream. What a delight!
At Nivia Born Boutique Hotel we love this dessert and we wanted to include it in our menu from the beginning, but not in any which way. The secret to an exquisite result is to use a quality product such as almonds from Mallorca, which bear an indication of origin. That is why we rely on local producers, to guarantee an aroma, freshness and texture that will make your mouth water, but also the preservation and continuity of our almond trees, so characteristic of the Mallorcan landscape between the end of January and mid-March. If you have not yet visited the fields on these dates, make a note of it as a pending must-do.
A dessert that is as tasty as it is simple to make
The ‘gató’ is a fluffy and soft sponge cake with a base of chopped raw almonds or almond flour (200 g) and the same portion of sugar (200 g). To cook this delicacy, you also use 6 fresh eggs, 1 lemon, cinnamon and icing sugar and butter.
Would you like to make it? Just follow these simple steps:
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees
- Prepare a baking tin (it is recommended that it be about 20 cm in diameter) with greased butter
- Mix the yolks of the 6 eggs and the sugar in a separate bowl
- Then add the almonds, lemon zest and cinnamon powder
- Whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks and mix everything together
- Gently whisk the dough in a folding in motion, from bottom to top
- Pour the mixture into the tin and bake in the upper part of the oven for approx. 45 min.
- Take the mould out after checking that it has finished baking
- Once cooled, sprinkle with sugar
The ‘gató’ is usually served with a scoop of almond ice cream to make it even juicier. Fet a Sóller artisan ice creams, famous for their creaminess and excellent quality, are a good choice to accompany the traditional Mallorcan dessert, whose origins date back to 18th century French pastry-making – the name comes from ‘gâteau’, which in Spanish means ‘cake’.
