Scandinavian Almond Cake

There are many things that bring me happiness but there are several things that I love.  My family, friendships, cooking and baking, gardening, and, my hairdresser.

Where would be be without the fountain of all knowledge and wisdom, our hairdresser?  Not only does mine enjoying cooking, she is also training to be a Yoga instructor which is no easy feat. She was cutting my hair a couple of months ago, when she brought up this cake that one of her clients had brought for her and how delicious it was. She bought the special pan that's used to bake it so she could make it herself.  I was hooked by her description and had to buy the inexpensive Rehruecken Loaf Cake pan and try it myself.

Toasted almonds are first scattered on the bottom of the pan and the batter spooned on top and then baked. This is my kind of cake! I could have eaten the whole thing plain, but we were having some dinner guests so I decided to slice and fill it with whipped cream. The raspberries were wonderful with it, but it would also make a wonderful base for a strawberry 'shortcake' style dessert too.  The end pieces are particular crunchy and delightful and I've read that, traditionally they are saved for the baker, so I ate them myself :)

When I made this cake, I had the opportunity to use some special packets of Vanilla Sugar and Baking Powder that my dear friend, Monique, from La Table de Nana.  We've been cyber friends before we both started blogging when we were members of a gardening forum. Monique had recently purchased these baking packets from Little Italy in Montreal.  I know they made the cake an even better version of itself! Thank you again, Monique!

Many of you know that I also love gardening.  The garden beds have been weeded and planted (I've never seen so many weeds this year!) compost hauled and bags of potting mix lifted. Ouch! The result has been a pretty sore back for the past couple of weeks.  I've made a pack with myself to try and make these areas more manageable and cut back on the number of containers I plant next year!  Fingers crossed I listen to myself. 

Last week, my dear husband drove me to Steel Heart, Ltd. in Harvard, Illinois. It was my annual pilgrimage to this wonderful, garden accoutrements mecca.  If you love to garden and have need of a beautiful trellis, plant support or decoration, and live within a reasonable driving distance, I highly recommend you visit this wonderful place! I always leave with one or two beautiful and useful pieces for my garden. Here are just a few photos that I took while we were there.

Happy June to all of you!

Scandinavian Almond Cake

Printable Recipe

1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 teaspoon almond extract

2/3 cup heavy cream
1-1/4 cup cake flour (I used all-purpose flour)
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 ounces (1 stick) melted butter or margarine

1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds (optional)

Garnish with sliced almonds, powdered sugar, fresh berries or puree, or whipped cream. You may also slice the cake horizontally through the center and fill the cake with any of these garnishes. 

Toast almonds on a small baking sheet in a 350F oven for approximately 5-7 minutes, watching carefully so they don't burn.

Beat together sugar, egg, extract and heavy cream. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and add to mixture. Fold in melted butter and blend until smooth.

Prepare the Rehrueckan pan by spraying with non-stick baking spray such as Bakers Joy.

Pace toasted sliced almonds in bottom of prepared pan and pour in batter.

Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean and the cake should be brown around the edges.

Cool cake in pan for 30 minutes and then place a serving plate on top of the cake pan and invert to release the cake.

Adapted from Ingebretsens