Scandanavian Almond Cake

Scandinavian Almond Cake

Ingredients:

½ cup salted butter, melt and strain through cheese cloth (or coffee filter).  Throw away milk solids and use only clarified part

1-1/4 cups sugar

1 egg

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon almond extract

2/3 cup half-and-half

1-1/4 cups flour

¼ cup sliced almonds (optional)

Directions:

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.      Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and line the long side of the pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.

3.      Mix the sugar with the egg in a bowl.  Beat them together until fluffy.

4.      Add the baking powder and almond extract.  Mix well.

5.      Add the cooled clarified butter to the sugar mix.  Add half of the cream and mix it in.  Add half of the flour and mix it in.  Now add the rest of the cream and mix; then add the rest of the flour and mix thoroughly.

6.      Put the almonds in the bottom of the loaf pan and then pour the batter over it.

7.      Bake the cake for 50-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

8.      Let the loaf pan sit on a wire rack or a cold burner for 15 minutes.  Then loosen the cake from the short sides of the pan with a metal spatula or knife.  Tip the cake out onto a pretty platter, and then remove the parchment paper.

9.      Let cake cool and then dust the top with powdered sugar (optional).

Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room Blueberry Loaf

I had some blueberries just sitting in my freezer. I had the urge to bake something with them.  I found a recipe for Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room Blueberry Muffins from the Cinnamon & Sugar website. I didn't want to make muffins so I decided to put the whole batter into a 5 x 10 inch loaf pan.  I had to bake it longer, of course, but it was basically perfect.  I also made few changes to the recipe to make it with less gluten and less sugar.  Here is what I came up with.

Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room Blueberry Loaf

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose gluten free flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar (I substituted 1/3 cup plus 1-1/2 tablespoons Truvia)
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
2 cups fresh blueberries (I used frozen)

Topping

1/4 cup sugar (I used sugar in the raw)
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees (I turned oven down to 350 degrees halfway through baking).

2. Generously butter a 5 x 10 inch loaf pan and dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside. You can also line pan with parchment if you like.

3.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Working over the bowl, toss blueberries in a fine sieve with about 1-1/2 teaspoons flour mixture to lightly coat; set aside the flour mixture and the blueberries.

4.  In the bowl of an electric mixer or using a handheld mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

5.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined.

6.  Mix in the vanilla extract.

7.  With the mixer on low speed, add reserved flour mixture, beating until just combined. Add milk, beating until just combined. Do not over mix.

8.  Using a rubber spatula, fold in the blueberries.

9.  Use spatula to put batter evenly into loaf pan. 

10. For topping mix together 1/4 cup sugar and nutmeg.  Sprinkle sugar mixture on top of loaf batter.

11.  Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until loaf is golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 50 minutes.

12.  Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!