thecookieblogger.com

okay, so this is not a cookie. but lately, i’ve been on an almond kick, and living in ballard, it seemed only fitting to give this scandinavian almond cake a whirl, in homage to all the fine scandinavian folk residing here. i don’t have a true scandinavian almond cake pan (who even knew such a thing existed?) so i just used a loaf pan and it worked out perfectly fine. a tender, but firm crumb, topped with an abundance of sliced almonds – well, it’s pure almond perfection in a loaf. with a cup of strong coffee, well, this might be the perfect breakfast treat.

one more wonderful thing about this cake — it freezes well, so why not make two today. eat one now and save one for later!

scandinavian almond cake
ingredients:
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 1/4 cup baker’s sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons almond extract
2/3 cup milk (I use 2%, which works fine)
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
powdered sugar (optional)

instructions:
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. place sliced almonds in a layer in a shallow pan, toasting them for approximately 10 minutes until slightly browned. be sure to move them around a bit while they’re toasting, to insure even browning.
3. cream together butter and sugar until light.
4. add egg, almond extract and milk
5. sift together flour and baking powder; stir into wet ingredients until very well-blended.
6. lightly coat an almond cake pan (or a 9×4 loaf pan, which works just fine) with cooking spray
7. sprinkle toasted almonds on bottom of pan, then scoop batter on top. be sure to spread out the batter evenly over the top of the almonds.
8. bake about 40 minutes, until cake is golden brown and pick inserted in center comes out clean.
9. let cake cool completely in pan before removing. if you attempt to remove it before it is completely cooled, the cake will break into pieces. take my word on this.
10. sprinkle lightly with sifted confectioner’s sugar (optional)
yield: about 12 slices