Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Introducing your new best friend: The Swedish Visiting Cake

By Jeannette Ordas of Everybody likes Sandwiches

Everyone needs a quick cake recipe that's easy to whip up, tastes like love and doesn't come from a box mix. Last summer I discovered the Easiest Cake Ever and now, I've found another fabulous cake recipe that's a cinch – and delicious to boot!

Let me introduce you to the Swedish Visiting Cake. What sounds more like sweetness on a plate than that? This cake comes from baking guru Dorie Greenspan and it's a perfectly simple quick & easy cake. Yet more importantly, this cake is buttery and fragrant and will fill your kitchen with the heady scent of almonds, lemons and vanilla. The edges of the cake are crisp, the almonds on top provide crunch, while the crumb is moist and deliciously dense. It's an instant crowd pleaser and your guests will love you for it.


Swedish Visiting Cake
(adapted from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook "Baking, From My Home to Yours")
3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
zest from 1 lemon
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
About 1/4 cup almonds (sliced or roughly chopped)

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9 inch cake pan.

In a large bowl, blend together sugar and lemon until the sugar is lemony-fragrant. Whisk in eggs until well blended. Stir in salt and extracts. Add in flour and blend lightly with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Fold in melted butter.

Pour batter into pan and scatter almonds over top. Bake the cake for 25-30 minutes or until the cake is golden and the edges get a little crisp. Cool on a wire rack and use a knife to loosen cake from the sides of the pan. Serve warm or cool.

No comments:

Post a Comment