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Whisk together flour, 1/4 cup of the sugar and salt.
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Place dry mixture in a food processor. Add 3/4 cup of the butter pieces and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
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Pulse in the beaten egg until the dough becomes smooth and forms a ball.
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Remove the dough ball from the food processor and wrap in plastic cling film. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
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In a separate bowl, stir together the apple pieces, freshly squeezed lemon juice, fresh lemon zest and half of the chopped almond pieces.
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Make sure everything is evenly combined. Here is where you would add a tablespoon or two of your favorite liqueur.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
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Grease a 9" springform pan with baking spray or vegetable shortening.
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Remove the dough ball from the fridge and roll out on a lightly floured work surface into a large circle.
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Wrap the dough circle around the floured rolling pin and fit it into the greased pan making sure the dough covers the sides of the pan.
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Spoon the apple, raisin filling combination into the pan.
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Gather the remaining dough together and once more, roll out into a circle on a floured work surface.
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Wrap the dough circle around the floured rolling pin and place it over the apple-raisin filling, sealing off the cake. Trim the edges of the dough to fit the pan. Discard the dough scraps or use them to cut out shapes with a cookie cutter to place on top of the cake for decoration.
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In a small saucepan, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of unsalted butter pieces. When the butter melts, add the remaining 3/4 cups of sugar and stir until combined.
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When the sugar has liquefied, add the remaining 1/4 cup of almonds and brown them slightly.
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Pour the hot sugar, butter, almond mixture evenly over the top of the cake.
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Place the cake in the oven and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until the top crust has caramelized and has turned a lovely brown color.
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Remove from oven and let the cake cool completely in the pan.
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Release the cake from the pan, place on a serving platter. Keep at room temperature until ready to serve.