The last time I posted a recipe for an almond cake, I might have promised you it would be the last time.
If I did, I knew in my heart that it was a lie.
Almond cakes are, and always will be, one of my favorites, and I am willing to bet I will post another one in the future.
This particular cake is a little different from all the others, though.
Like our wedding cake, it is covered with sliced almonds.
However, instead of the orange blossom water glaze from that cake, this one has a praline topping. How could you not love that?
But the real difference is that the cake itself is not an almond cake. It is a simple butter cake and it is the salted almond praline topping that distinguishes it.
So, technically this is not an almond cake and, technically, I did not lie.
Here is the recipe for a wonderful butter cake, that just happens to have a salted almond praline topping.
~ David
Salted Almond Praline Cake
Minimally adapted from Sweet Paul Magazine
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
flaky sea salt
Preheat oven to 340°F. Liberally butter a 9-inch cake pan. Line the bottom with a circle of parchment, then the sides of the pan with 2-inch strips; butter the parchment.
Place the almonds on a baking tray and toast them until golden, about 10 minutes. Cool.
In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until light and creamy. Add vanilla, butter, flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix well. Pour into the prepared cake pan.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until a wooden skewer comes out clean. Reset the oven to 400°F.
10 minutes before the cake is done, place butter, sugar, and milk in a pot and bring to a boil. Let simmer for five minutes then add the almonds. Spread the almond mixture on top of the cake, even it out with a spatula, and sprinkle with some flaky sea salt.
Return the cake to the oven and bake the cake for another 10 minutes. The top should be bubbly and golden.
Cool briefly on a wire rack. Use a very sharp knife to cut around the edge of the cake before it is cold, as the praline topping sets very quickly. Turn it out onto the rack to finish cooling.
Serves 8–10.
Labels: almond cake, butter cake, salted almond praline, Sweet Paul
