You ever have days were you just want to bake a cake for no special reason at all? I’ve been seeing so many mouthwatering berry cakes on Pinterest that I just had to bake one for myself. This almond cake is one of my favorite cakes to bake. It’s not too sweet and I love the hint of lemon. I usually pair it with a light whipped cream and a berry compote to make the perfect summer dessert. I even got to use blackberries from my garden in the compote this time! The final product looks so pretty and rustic! It has very little sugar in it and is super refreshing. It was a hit with my family and I promise your family will love it too! Try it for yourself!
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Cook time: 2 hours Makes: one 9 inch cake
Almond Cake
12 tbsp. butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
3/4 cup almond meal
zest of 1 lemon
3 eggs
Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
Berry Compote
1.5 cup mixed berries
¼ cup water
1 tbsp. honey
½ tbsp. lemon juice
1. Pre-heat the oven to 360 F
2. In a large mixing bowl, stir the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, almond meal, lemon zest and eggs together until you have a nice thick batter. Grease a 9-inch cake pan and pour the batter in. Bake for 40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cake on a rack until completely cold and then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
3. While the cake is baking, make the berry compote. In a small saucepan, bring water and lemon juice to a simmer. Add the honey and stir until it is all dissolved. Add the mixed berries (I used strawberries, blackberries and blueberries) and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes until the berries just start to break down. Let this cool completely.
4. Next, in a cold mixing bowl, whisk heavy cream, sugar and vanilla until you have stiff peaks. This took me about 2 minutes with my stand mixer on medium speed.
5. Now take your cake and cut it in half. It’ll be a bit crumbly but don’t worry, it’ll stay together as long as you are gentle. Brush on some of the juice from the berry compote on top of the bottom layer. Then take half the whipped cream and spread it evenly on top. Put the second layer of cake on top of the bottom layer. Spoon the berries on top of the cake and decorate with more whipped cream, fresh berries and dust with powdered sugar. Be sure to eat this cake the day you make it, otherwise the berries will make the cake slightly soggy and that isn’t good eats. Enjoy!
Pretty Polymath 