almond cake

My first post. After much 'soul searching' decided to start a blog to share memories with family and friends. Two teenage daughters now - sixteen and thirteen they have clocked up this year. Both are appreciative of good food and hopefully, one day they will decide to cook and remember fond times. I can only hint at a glimpse of the laughter and food that we share. Just imagine the aromatic essences wafting through the kitchen and then the whole house, or the tantalizing tastes that tickle the tongue - yum yum.

An adventurous family - we celebrate the richness of different cultures together through food . Traditional and contemporary - we like them all. Some of the traditional recipes have had to be adapted as some ingredients are not readily available but the love of chillies has not been given up by the older generation - chillies find their way to enhance traditional English fish and chips by the seaside in Bridlington on a warm summer's day or on a cold wintry afternoon from the local 'chippy' in Yorkshire or Essex. And even the children are getting accustomed to the piquancy and mouthwatering delights of this hidden treasure.

Some members missing!

it's not easy to get everyone together for a family re-union

age range from 3 years to over 70 years!

I love baking. In goes the mix into the oven, all dirty dishes / equipment into the dishwasher, clear up the kitchen and voila! olfactory nerves gently embraced by aromatic whispers of delicious concoctions - its alchemy! its magic! time to sit down and enjoy the scrumptious labour of love.

Nuts - I am rather nutty about nuts, specially in foods. Brothers SB and PB have never liked nuts much. So in their younger days, nuts had to be disguised and what better way than to grind the almonds and bake a cake! Almonds and hazelnuts would be ground in a coffee grinder and then sieved so that any 'big' pieces of nuts could be discarded. Cakes made with nuts stay so much moister and of course have that 'je ne sais quois" flavour.

This cake does not rise much and one does not need to be too gentle with the mixing.

Almond cake served with fresh strawberries and raspberries

Equipment

food mixer or hand held electric whisk and a large mixing bowl

8 inch cake tin, lined with baking parchment

grater

Ingredients

150 grams butter, softened

150 grams caster sugar

3 eggs

150 grams ground almonds

grated zest of one lemon

lemon juice from one lemon

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a food mixer or with a hand held electric whisk until the mixture is pale and light in texture.
3. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar and mix well.
4. Add the ground almonds, the lemon zest and the lemon juice and mix it all in.
5. Pour the mix into the cake tin and bake in the oven for about 40 - 45 minutes until the top is golden brown and when the cake is lightly pressed with a finger, it springs back.
6. Let the cake cool for about ten minutes before turning it out onto a serving plate and serve with some freshly whipped cream and fruits for a superb dessert.

Inserting a metal skewer to check if the cake is done will not do the trick as the cake is moist rather than dry! and the metal skewer will come out with bits of cake mixture clinging to it.

I have substituted hazelnuts for the almonds sometimes. Mother likes a bit of colour and when she is around, I add a few chopped glace cherries and chopped angelica too.

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