This year we were returning from our vacation in Elk Creek NC on the Summer Solstice. I made our summer celebration cake on June 23rd, which was the day of the full moon for June. It also happened to be the day that the moon is closest to the earth this year, so it was a 'supermoon'.
Festive Summer Almond Cake with Strawberries
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 8 ounces almond paste
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups sliced strawberries
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Directions
1. Heat the oven to 350ºF. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan. Line the pan
with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit the bottom and butter and
flour the paper.
2. Place the sugar and almond paste in your food processor and pulse
until it's blended, about 40 seconds. Add the butter, orange zest, and
vanilla extract and pulse until smooth, again about 40 seconds. With the
processor running, add the eggs one at a time. Remove the lid and add
the flour, baking powder, and salt, then pulse a few more times until
just blended, about 15 seconds. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan
and smooth the top.
3. Bake the cake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, place the berries, honey, and vinegar in a medium bowl and
stir to combine. Refrigerate for at least one hour or until the berries
are juicy.
5. Cool the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then loosen the cake's
sides with a knife, invert it onto a serving plate, and peel off the
parchment. Serve the cake dusted with powdered sugar and topped with the
berries.
I really liked this cake, I think almond in a cake is so good. It was also great to eat for breakfast! Surprisingly Jeffrey really liked it too, and ate a few pieces for dessert, he also mentioned maybe he would like it for his birthday cake! Meredith declared it was 'not good' - silly 3 year olds.
