by JIJO TOM
(ALAPPUZHA,KERALA,INDIA)
"Almond Cake Recipe"
Almonds have been eaten as food, (but not in an almond cake recipe!) for a long time with cultivated almonds appearing as early as 2500 BC – the Early Bronze Age, or even a little earlier.
Some of the most famous archaeological samples of almonds are the fruits found in Tutankhamun’s tomb in Egypt but these days we are more likely to find them on the top of a cake, as in this recipe, rather than buried alongside our kings and queens.
This almond cake recipe uses a very easy sponge cake topped with almonds, and glazed with honey. The delicious homemade cake is nice and nutty with a hint of honey from the glaze. It is a very easy and quick cake recipe to follow. Try different honeys for a slight variation in flavour
Ingredients
3oz…85g soft butter, or margarine
3oz…85g light brown sugar
2 medium eggs, beaten
6oz…175g self-raising flour
(or plain flour with baking powder added)
1 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp milk
2 tbsp clear honey
2oz..60g flaked almonds
For the glaze:
8oz…225g clear honey
2 tbsp lemon juice
One greased and lined 7in/18cm round cake tin
Preheat the oven to 180 deg C, 350 deg F, Gas Mark 4.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the beaten eggs, margarine, brown sugar, milk and honey. Beat with a wooden spoon for about one minute to produce a well blended cake mixture with a soft dropping consistency – that is, the mix should just drop from the wooden spoon when tapped on the side of the mixing bowl.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin and level the surface with a knife or the back of a spoon. Scatter the sliced almonds in a single layer on the top of the cake, or arrange them in a neat and tidy pattern if you wish!
Transfer the cake to the oven and bake for about 45-50 minutes until springy to the touch, or until a skewer, or similar, comes out clean from the centre of the cake.
While the cake is baking make the glaze by mixing the lemon juice and honey in a small pan and heating gently for a few minutes. Test the glaze by pouring it over the back of a spoon to see if it leaves a sticky coating.
Remove the cake from the oven when cooked and while still hot, pour the glaze over the cake. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before removing from the tin and leave to cool completely before serving this delicious homemade cake.