Simple and delicious almond cake



Every now and then my husband Michael declares that something I make is his new favorite.  It's a rare comment but I take what I can get.  Well his new favorite (almond) cake wasn't just made by me; it was also made by my best friend Mia.  Mia recently visited OKC and our first order of business was not a tour of Bricktown after-hours but to cook together.  That's what best friends do, or at least that's what I do with my best friends. We didn't have a ton of time to dedicate to dessert but we definitely wanted to have something sweet to go with our fall meal.  This almond cake is actually great the next morning with coffee.  Remnants pictured above. With only 1/3 cup of flour, it's practically gluten-free.  My brother Steve might disagree with me though.  Do you have a favorite cake recipe as simple as this one?

Almond Cake

recipe from Alice Medrich, Pure Desserts

3/4 cup plus 2 T. blanched whole almonds (I used Marcona found at Forward Foods OKC)

1 cup plus 2 T. sugar
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. pure almond extract (pure is imperative)
3 egg, room temp
8 T. (one stick) unsalted butter, cut into a few chunks & slightly softened
1/3 cup AP flour (gluten always finds a way into my desserts)
1/4 t. baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease/butter an 8" round cake pan on the bottom and sides. Line the bottom with parchment paper cut to fit the bottom of the circular pan.  Grease/butter the parchment.

Place almonds, sugar, salt and almond extract in the bowl of a food processor and process until the nuts are finely pulverized, about 1 minute. Add the eggs and butter. Pulse to blend thoroughly. Add the flour and baking powder and pulse until just blended.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Bake until the cake is golden brown on top and a toothpick plunged into the center comes out clean.  About 25 minutes in my oven but Alice's recipe states 35-40 minutes.  Cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack.

To unmold, slide a slim knife or spatula around the cake to release the sides. Cover the pan with a plate and invert both.  Remove the cake pan, peel off the parchment liner & turn the cake right side up. Dust with powdered sugar if desired before serving.  Fresh berries would go great as well. Tightly wrap the cake and it will keep for several days. 

Serves 10