I finally got the Swedish Almond Cake in the oven. My recipe is a standard one.
Sliced almonds, cooking spray or oil
1-1/4 c sugar
1 stick butter, melted (to which I add 3 tsp fresh lemon juice--my grandma's addition)
2/3 c milk
1-1/2 tsp almond extract
grated zest of one lemon
1/2 tsp cardamon (I use the seeds that come in the white pods)
1/4 c ground whole almonds (the brown ones--my grandma's addition)
1-1/4 c flour + 1/2 tsp baking powder
1. Spray the pan and sprinkle with almonds.
2. Combine sugar, milk, egg, almond extract, and zest in a bowl.
3. Add the ground almonds, baking powder, and cardamon to the flour.
4. Blend that in, add the melted butter to which the lemon juice is added (I let it cool for about 5-10 minutes before doing that).
5. Pour into the pan (I start at one end and finish at the other), bake on the middle rack at 350 for 45-50 minutes. The cake HAS to pull away from the pan. You MUST let it cool for 15 minutes in the pan. Turn out onto a plate (I can't FIND the special plate on which the cake fits perfectly...it is stashed away here somewhere...). If you let it sit in the pan too long, it won't come out. If you take it out too soon, it breaks. I tend to twist my pan to get it out. And, I spray the pan liberally with cooking spray or rub well with oil before putting the sliced almonds in the bottom. To serve, you slice in the indent of the pan (that is you are using the pan that is made for this cake). If you are using another pan, cut it anyway you want <g>. I think my aunt used to double this recipe and bake it in an angel food or Bundt pan--I'll ask her when I see her in May. Always with the almonds put in the bottom of the pan and the cake flipped (an upside-down almond cake). I find it is better the next day--especially the chocolate version. I'll have some pics later if I can figure out what I'm going to flip it onto...maybe just a cutting board.
