Almond Pound Cake - #TheCakeSliceBakers

This is not your classic pound cake as it is buttery and crumbly, but it does

have a lovely almond flavor with a crunchy exterior.

The Cake Slice Bakers continue to bake through The European Cake Cookbook.  It will soon be time to choose our new cake-centric cookbook that we will bake through in 2020. Our current book has taken us through so many wonderful parts of Europe and, in many instances, made us feel like we are sitting in the little cafe enjoying a wonderful slice of cake and some tea or coffee.

If you are looking for a cake that is buttery soft and has a delicious almond flavor, then this is the cake for you. It has quite a crumbly texture but my family did enjoy it for afternoon tea with a cup of Billy tea. Please note the beautiful cup in my pictures which was given to me by a friend who was visiting Honolulu recently - mahalo nui loa Maureen, I love it!

Whilst this cake is extremely easy to put together I have to say that it was nothing like a pound cake in my opinion. I am used to a pound cake that you can easily slice and that has a firmer texture.  This cake was extremely buttery and moist (there is a lot of butter in this cake!) and I found it hard to slice as it just crumbled. Also, when I attempted to remove it from the pan a large piece remained behind as did many of the almonds. I think that it wold be better to bake this cake in an Angel Food pan where you can line the bottom with some parchment to prevent sticking.



Almond Pound Cake
Printer Friendly Recipe

Ingredients
Pound Cake ~

• 340g (1½ cups) butter, softened
• 100g (½ cup) sugar
• 100g (½ cup brown sugar)
• 10ml (2 teaspoons) almond extract
• 5ml (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 190g (1½ cups) all-purpose flour
• 100g (1 cup) almond flour
• 20g (4 teaspoons) baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 240ml (1 cup) milk
• 115g (1 cup) sliced almonds

Glaze ~

• 125g (1 cup) powdered sugar
• 60ml (¼ cup) milk
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract

Preparation
Pound Cake ~

1. Preheat the oven to 335℉.
2. Spray a 23cm (9-inch) bundt pan with baking spray.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer add the butter and both sugars and cream until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add both almond and vanilla extract and mix well.
5. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
6. In a separate bowl, add the flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt mixing well to combine.
7. Pour the milk into the batter, then sift the dry ingredients into the bowl. 
8. Mix the flour into the batter until just combined; do not over-mix.
9. Sprinkle the sliced almonds over the bottom of the bundt pan, then spoon in the batter.
10. Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
11. Remove the cake from the oven and cool for 15-20 minutes in the pan.
12. Place a plate over the pan and invert and remove the pan.

Glaze ~

1. Add the powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract in a bowl and whisk to combine, adding more milk for a thinner consistency.
2. Drizzle the glaze over the cake whilst it is still lukewarm.
3. Serve the cake warm with tea or coffee.

Each month The Cake Slice Bakers are offered a selection of cakes from the current book we are baking through. This year it is The European Cake Cookbook by Tatyana Nesteruk. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th - never before - we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes!

Follow our Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the thumbnail pictures below to take you to each of our cakes. If you have a blog and are interested in joining The Cake Slice Bakers and baking along with us, please send an email to thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com for more details.

The Cake Slice Bakers also have a new Facebook group called The Cake Slice Bakers and Friends. This group is perfect for those who do not have a blog but want to join in the fun and bake through this book.

Our choices for October 2019 were ~

1. Prague Cake
2. Chocolate Mint Mousse Cake
3. Almond Pound Cake
4. Coffee Chocolate Cake

Prague Cake

• Amandie Bakes
• Sweet Sensations

Chocolate Mint Mousse Cake

• Karen's Kitchen Stories
• A Little Bit of All Right

Almond Pound Cake

• All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Camille Cooks
• A Day in the Life on the Farm

Coffee Chocolate Cake

• Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• My Recipe Reviews