French Almond Cake

Fast, Easy and Yummy!!!  Have you noticed the trend?  I love nuts!!!  Not only is this cake a family favourite it also has to be one of the easiest cakes I have ever made.  It is made following the all-in-one method where all the cake ingredients are added to the mixing bowl before mixing.  It takes longer to get all the ingredients together and prepared than in making the cake to get into the oven!!!

I learnt the hard way since I wasn’t familiar with this all-in-one method.  I’ve made this cake at least 6 times in the 3 weeks since first finding the recipe by the Happyhomebaking blog.  Although I altered the quantity of the ingredients (i.e. reduced sugar from 120g to 90g and replaced 40g self rising flour with 40g AP flour+1/2 tsp baking powder) I thought I was following the steps of the recipe by adding and mixing the ingredients in one at a time.  The batter kept looking curdled until the dry ingredients were added but the batter still looked a little separated and never got the lift as those pictured on the Happyhomebaking blog.  I tried reducing the eggs, alternating the mixing of the eggs with flour, separating the eggs and whipping up the eggs whites to add in as in a sponge cake, etc… All was a little better but still not worth the extra effort.  Finally I followed the recipe literally by adding all the ingredients into a bowl and beating everything together!  Bingo!!!  The batter was actually light and fluffy and the cake rose as advertised.  Lift off we have!!!

Now I can’t believe I’m debating whether I prefer the lighter moist cake or the accidental flat denser cake.  The denser cake had a pound cake texture that was also tasty and appealing.

Ingredients:

(makes one 15cm/6" round cake)

110g unsalted butter

90g caster sugar

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

90g almond powder

40g all purpose flour

½ tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)

1 tablespoon flaked almonds for sprinkling

icing sugar for dusting (optional)

Method:

• Prepare ingredients.  Line the base of a 15cm/6" round pan with parchment paper.  Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F.
• In a mixing bowl add butter, sugar, eggs, almond powder, flour, baking powder, salt, milk and vanilla extract (optional)
• With an electric mixer, beat starting at low speed to combine and then increase to medium speed.  Beat for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.
• Spoon into prepared pan and smooth top.  Sprinkle with almond flakes and bake for 50-60 minutes until top springs back when lightly pressed (or toothpick comes out clean when inserted).  NOTE:  lightly cover with aluminum foil 15-20 minutes into baking to prevent over browning the top.
• Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes on wire rack.  Remove from pan and continue cooling on wire rack.  Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Adapted from: http://happyhomebaking.blogspot.ca/2008/04/french-almond-cake.html