Sonja's apple cake

'As American as apple pie' ..here's an apple cake infused with almond paste and cardamom and straight from (where else?) Sweden. 

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  Sonja’s apple cake.

• As American as apple pie, the saying goes. But here’s an apple cake straight from Sweden. We found Sonja’s best apple cake at alltommat.se, and were intrigued since it has yummy ingredients like mandelmassa (almond paste) and cardamom in it.
  Ingredients
  Piecrust:
  2/3 cup butter
  1 Tablespoon confectioner’s sugar
  1.5 cups all-purpose flour
  1.5 Tablespoons water
  Filling:
  1/2 cup almond paste
  1/2 lemon peel, finely grated
  1/2 cup butter
  2 eggs
  2 oz sugar
  1/2 teaspoon cardamom
  4 apples
  Topping:
  1 Tablespoon sugar
  1 oz almond slivers

• Instruction
  1. Mix butter, confectioner’s sugar and flower with a mixer until you have a crumbly dough. Add the water, and continue to mix until you have a smooth dough. Press this dough into a pie dish with removable bottom. Put into the fridge for 20 minutes.
  2. Pre-heat oven to 400° F. Grind the almond paste, but not too fine. Grind the lemon peel on the fine side of the grater. Melt the butter and beat the eggs, and add them to the melted butter along with the sugar. Let simmer until thick, stir often. Take the pot off the heat. Stir in the almond paste, lemon peel and cardamom.
  3. Peel and core the apple, and cut into thin slices. Take out the piecrust from the fridge and make small holes with a fork. Pour the almond cream in, arrange the apples slices in a pretty pattern, pour over the sugar and the almond slivers.
  4. Bake the cake in the middle of the oven for 25-30 minutes. Serve with whipped cream.