It was some months ago that this cake was served at one of my book group meetings. A friend, Ann H. brought the cake to our get-together. Just about everybody went nuts over it, and Ann kindly forwarded the recipe to many of us in the group who wanted it. It’s not a difficult cake to make – actually I’d say this is a VERY EASY cake to bake, even with the nice glaze on it. It’s moist. It’s not as dense as a pound cake, but it’s somewhat reminiscent of one. I served it, actually, with a drizzle of heavy cream on top (probably not more than about 2 teaspoons per serving).
The cake is a fairly standard recipe – eggs, flour, fat (in this case shortening – I used non-hydrogenated – but you could certainly substitute unsalted butter). The cake has almond extract in it, added in at the end. You could probably use a hand mixer, but I used my stand mixer. Once baked, you prepare a melted sugar-butter-water glaze with just a tad of almond extract in it. The glaze is spooned or drizzled all over the cooling cake. I poked holes in the cake so it would get down inside, but mostly the glaze stays on the outside and just absorbs into it slightly. The cake is tender (although not really soft), and very tasty. We all enjoyed it very much. And thanks to Ann H. for the recipe – she said it was given to her by a friend. I hunted on the internet and found no other cake even similar.
Almond Buttermilk Cake
Recipe By: From a friend in one of my book groups, Ann H.
Serving Size: 12
CAKE:
1 cup shortening — (I used the non-hydrogenated)
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon almond extract
GLAZE:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
4 ounces unsalted butter — chopped into small pieces
1 teaspoon almond extract
1. CAKE: Preheat oven to 325. Cream the shortening and sugar until thick and smooth. Add eggs, one at a time and beat thoroughly.
2. To the cup of buttermilk, stir in the 1/2 tsp baking soda. To the 3 cups of flour add salt and stir well.
3. Add the milk and flour mixtures alternately to the shortening/sugar until mixed in.
4. Add the almond extract and stir in well. Pour into a greased bundt pan and bake for 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Don’t overbake. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto a flat plate or platter. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes more.
5. GLAZE: Meanwhile, in a small saucepan combine the sugar, water and butter. Bring to a boil and simmer for no more than one minute. Remove from heat and stir in the almond extract. Allow mixture to cool for 10-15 minutes, then gently spoon (drizzle) the syrup over the cake. You’ll need to do this about 10 times to use up all the glaze. As the glaze cools it becomes more syrupy. You can also poke holes all over the cake so the glaze will ooze into the cake a bit more.
Serving Ideas: I served this with a drizzle of heavy cream over each slice. It could also be served with whipped cream, creme fraiche, clotted cream, ice cream. And I think freshly sliced strawberries would be a lovely addition.
Per Serving: 544 Calories; 27g Fat (44.1% calories from fat); 6g Protein; 71g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 92mg Cholesterol; 188mg Sodium.
printer-friendly PDF
A year ago: Avocado Cheese Roll
Two years ago: Mashed Potatoes with Mascarpone Cheese




0 Comments