European Almond Butter Cake

Oh boy do I have a recipe for the almond lover in your life.  I'm telling you what, this super easy cake is the bomb.  Overflowing with strong almond flavor.  I brought it to a cookout recently and one of my neighbors kept calling it a marzipan cake and he absolutely insisted I give his wife the recipe, so there you go.  Oh, and my extended family reqeusts it at every holiday gathering.  I don't dare show up without it.

The recipe comes from Trisha Yearwood - she calls it shortbread which stumped me because it isn't a shortbread at all, it's really a classic European butter cake.  I'm so glad she shared the recipe though - it's rich, it's moist, it's totally decadent.  So, whether you call it a skillet cake, a butter cake, a marzipan cake, or Trisha Yearwood's shortbread, you simply have to make it.

You're welcome.

European Almond Butter Cake 

makes one 10-inch cast iron skillet cake 

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar

• 12 tablespoons (170g) unsalted butter, melted

• 2 large eggs (100-110g)

• 1 teaspoon (6g) pure almond extract

• 1 1/2 cups (210g) all purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon (5g) fine salt

• 1/2 cup (50g) sliced almonds

• 2 tablespoons (30g) turbinado sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 10-inch cast iron skillet with nonstick foil (or regular foil that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray).

2. In a large bowl, mix together granulated sugar and melted butter; then stir in eggs and almond extract.

3. Add the salt and flour; mix well.

4. Pour into nonstick foil lined skillet.

5. Sprinkle almonds and Turbinado sugar evenly over the surface of the cake.

6. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

7. Cool completely in skillet (several hours).

8. Remove from pan, peel away foil, cut into thin slices with a serrated knife.

adapted from Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen by Trisha Yearwood

Coffee Toffee Mocha Crunch Cake

I recently entered a recipe contest featuring frozen pound cake.  I didn't win the contest (I got 4th place), but I had fun spending the morning in the kitchen coming up with this creation.  Here's my entry:

Start with a partially thawed pound cake. Cut it into single-size portions about 1 1/2 inches thick using a serrated bread knife.

Cut each portion horizontally into 3 even layers.

That was easy. Now we get to put yummy stuff between the layers.

Pipe some lightly sweetened whipped cream on the bottom and middle layers, then sprinkle on toffee bits. I prefer Skor toffee bits because they have include chocolate. If you prefer, you can use Heath toffee bits which do not include chocolate.

Assemble the 3 layers together, drizzle mocha ganache on top, and sprinkle with more toffee bits. Serve immediately.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• pure vanilla extract https://amzn.to/3G5Tlwr

• serrated bread knife https://amzn.to/2KlkMdX

• disposable piping bags https://amzn.to/2Uqb1jm

• open start piping tip https://amzn.to/2IbgKTB

• toffee bits with chocolate (Skor) https://amzn.to/2IbgKTB

• toffee bits without chocolate (Heath) https://amzn.to/2WZYkZm

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Coffee Toffee Mocha Crunch Cake

Prep Time: 1 hour

makes 6 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Mocha Ganache:

• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

Espresso Cream Filling:

• 1 cup heavy cream, well chilled

• 1/4 cup superfine sugar

• 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1/4 cup English toffee bits

Additional Items:

• 16-ounce freezer pound cake, thawed

• 1 tablespoon English toffee bits for garnish

Directions

To Make the Mocha Ganache:

1. In a small saucepan, gently heat the cream until small bubbles appear around the edges of the pan.

2. Remove from heat and stir in espresso powder and chocolate chips.

3. Allow the mixture to sit for about 5 minutes, then stir until smooth and glossy.

4. Pour mixture into a glass measure with a pour spout; set aside uncovered at room temperature to cool and thicken slightly.

To Make the Espresso Cream Filling:

1. Place cream, sugar, espresso powder, and vanilla extract into a chilled bowl and beat until stiff peaks form.

2. Cover bowl with plastic and refrigerate until needed.

To Assemble the Cake:

1. Trim 1/4-inch from each end of the thawed cake.

2. Cut the remaining cake vertically into 6 equal portions about 1 1/2-inches wide; then cut each portion horizontally into 3 layers.

3. Place the bottom layer of each portion onto a freezer-safe platter or individual dessert plates and pipe a decorative layer of Espresso Cream Filling using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, then sprinkle 1 teaspoon of toffee bits on each.

4. Gently place the middle layer on top of the toffee bits, being careful not to squash the decorative piping.

5. Place in freezer for 20 minutes to set.

6. Remove from freezer and pipe another decorative layer of Mocha Cream Filling onto each portion, sprinkle each with another teaspoon of toffee bits, and gently place the top layer of pound cake on top of the toffee bits, again, being careful not to squash the decorative piping; return to freezer for another 20 minutes.

7. Remove from freezer and drizzle Mocha Ganache over each portions and garnish with extra toffee bits. Serve immediately.