Toasted Almond Pound Cake

This is the best Almond Pound Cake I've eaten! Hands down! It is so soft, with tender crumbs, moist and absolutely delicious! Another keeper from "The Cake Book" by Tish Boyle, which is becoming my top favourite baking book for cakes at the moment! This is the fourth recipe I've tried, and all four recipes are keepers. I love almond cakes, and this "Toasted Almond Pound Cake" is really good.

The smell of the almonds while the cake is baking is fantastic! My sister was around when I baked this and we could not wait to take a bite of this cake. Half an hour after the cake was out of the oven is the longest that we can wait! The minute the knife cuts into the tender crumbs, I knew this is a keeper! Both of us go WOW, absolutely delicious! This cake is soft, tender, moist and full of flavour from the toasted nutty almonds and really fragrant.

This is so good, you will find yourself reaching for a second slice!

The recipe calls for slivered almonds which are toasted and then process with some sugar until just finely ground. I did the lazy and easy way out, I just toasted the almond meal instead, until light brown, and proceed on with the recipe. One of the ingredients that I could not find was Almond Paste. So I made my own. It is so super easy and quick to make. I got the recipe from where else, but the website for almond lovers, Almond Board of California. If you cannot find any canned almond paste, try making your own, I never knew it was so easy to make. Once you have your almond paste, either homemade or store bought, try out this delightfully delicious cake, you will be glad you did!

I'm sharing this with 
Full Plate Thursday over at Miz Helen's Country Cottage
Bake with Bizzy at Bizzy B. Bakes
These Chicks Cooked Link Party at This Chick Cooks


And I'm bringing this to a Cookbook Party, hosted by Louise of Months of Edible Celebrations. Louise is celebrating her Blogoversary by throwing a Cookbook Party, and October being the National Cookbook Month! There's a whole list of food celebrations just for the month of October! For full details, hop over to Months of Edible Celebrations. I'm submitting this cake under the list "Dessert Month"!

Homemade almond paste, you may view the original recipe, click here.

Almond Paste
(source from : Almond Board of California)
1-1/2 cups (8oz) whole blanched almonds
1-1/2 cups (5 oz) sifted powdered sugar
1 egg white
1 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp salt
Grind whole blanched almonds, a portion at a time, in electric blender or food chopper with fine blade (Yield : about 1-3/4 cups ground almonds). Combine with powdered sugar, egg white, almond extract and salt; work to a stiff paste. Store in refrigerator tightly wrapped in saran or disposable plastic bag. 
Makes 1-1/3 cups (13oz) almond paste.
(my notes : I use ready bought ground almonds instead)


Toasted Almond Pound Cake
(adapted from "The Cake Book" by Tish Boyle)
1-3/4 cups (6.2oz/175gm) sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (2.1oz/60gm) blanched slivered almonds, toasted (see page 36)
1 cup (7 oz/200gm) granulated sugar, divided (I use 160gm)
1 cup (2 sticks/8oz/227gm) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (5oz/142gm) canned almond paste
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream or whole milk
confectioners' sugar for dusting

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Dust the pan with flour. Stack two baking sheets on top of one another and set aside. (This will be used to insulate the cake while it is baking - you can use an insulated baking sheet instead if you have one).
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Whisk to combine, and set aside.
3. Combine the almonds and 1/4 cup of the sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process until the almonds are just finely ground (don't overprocess, or the nuts will become oily). Stir the ground almonds into the flour mixture and set aside. (I use ground almonds instead and toast them till light brown)
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and almond paste at medium speed until very creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar and beat the mixture at high speed until very light, about 4 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.  Beat in the vanilla and almond extract. Add the flour mixture at low speed in three additions, alternating it with the heavy cream in two additions and mixing just until the flour is incorporated. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
5. Place the cake in the oven on top of the stacked baking sheets. Bake for 70 to 85 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Place the cake pan on a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes.
6. Unmold the cake and cool completely, right side up.
7. Dust the top of the cake with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, or refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.