Oh My Goodness! The last time I posted a cake recipe was in April!!!!

I love baking and I have to bake a cake for the weekend—no, no one is putting a gun to my head–or else I go bananas. Or nuts.

I might have missed 2, or 3, or 4 Friday baking sessions in the past year and yes, I felt a tickle in my fingertips about skipping a baking opportunity. For me, the big idea is the baking act itself more than the actual eating of the cake. Although I do eat it too. Of course.

So what happened with the cake posts? Well… We had some of our favorite cakes repeated, like:

Jam crostata

Vanilla Pavlova

Chocolate cake

Ricotta Bundt Cheesecake

Walnut cake which I made with hazelnuts this time

and Crostata with Summer Fruit among others…

I think repetition of favorite dishes is part of what makes them an integral part of the household, part of our home.

I think about my kids growing up on a handful, but more likely two or three handfuls, of our favorite cakes that will always remind them of their childhood and of home. And of their mommy—that’s me. Hopefully, the latter will be fond memories… At least as much as the cakes themselves.

I will always continue to try new recipes, but I will always repeat some of those they love.

Then, one day I saw a photo in a magazine for blueberry shortcake with vanilla ice cream and I really really wanted to make it. However, I left the magazine in the car and H. took the car, and… I looked for another idea for the cake instead of shortcake. Then I saw a package of almond paste in the pantry and I wanted to use it before it gets too old… It’s been sitting there for months! So, almond cake it was.

I have 2 good recipes for almond cake that I made before but I wanted a new one. A more almond-y one. One that uses the whole tube of almond paste, not just a 1/4 cup of it. I Googled “Almond cake” and the first result that came up was a David Lebovitz recipe.

David Lebovitz? Chez Panisse? Those names guarantee that the recipe is a good one. Without a doubt in my mind, I raced back to the kitchen to bake it.

And so should you…

The recipe I used can be found here. (For another, later variation for it, made by David, click here.)

The cake was tall and handsome—can’t you see?—with a fine crumb, and delicate, but definite, almond flavor. It stayed good and moist, like new, even after 4 days.

It was perfectly matched with a blueberry compote I made:

Cook 1 cup of fresh blueberries with a bit of sugar and 1-2 tablespoons of water for a couple of minutes. When the fruit bursts and soften, add a squeeze of lemon juice and vanilla extract. Taste and fix the flavors until you’re happy and go “mmmm, this is good stuff”.

Serve with a dollop of ice cream. Or whipped cream. Or both.

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Tags : almond cake, bluberries, cake, recipe
Categories : A cake for the weekend, Cakes, Dessert, Recipes