Easy Almond Cake

I don’t know about you but I love a cake that is quick and easy to make, but packs a punch of flavor too.  Easy Almond Cake is just that – quick, easy and oh so delicious.  I have a friend who is superb at throwing together the most simple and yummy desserts; never complicated but always such a wonderful treat.  She shared this one with me a couple of weeks ago when we visited Texas. This is one of those recipes you can remember without even needing to pull it out of your recipe box!

Be attentive when purchasing your almond extract as some on the market use “flavoring” not the “natural oil” for the extract. For the best flavor be sure to check the ingredients before you buy. It isn’t hard to find “pure” extracts on the market. The stuff you want uses alcohol, water and oil of bitter almond.  The bitter almond is actually poisonous, loaded with cyanide, along with other toxic compounds.  Rest assured the poisonous compounds are extracted in the oil making process before it’s put into our extracts.  Almond oil is one of my favorite fragrances, I love to just pop open the bottle and sniff.

Did you know that eating a handful of almonds, a few times a week, may help prevent or treat cholesterol problems, high blood pressure and diabetes?  The almond tree only grows in warm, temperate climates such as Spain, Italy and our own, California.  I saw plenty of almond orchards when I recently visited California. 80% of all the almonds grown in the world come from Cali – about 1.85 billions pounds of almonds a year!  The almond is normally thought of as a “nut” but really it’s a seed from the fruit of the almond tree, which in reality makes it a spice.  By definition a dried seed is a spice. Newsy – huh?

This almond cake is so quick to put together and one that you can be proud to serve to your dinner guests or carry to a pot luck.  It didn’t last long in my kitchen and there are only 2 of us here to eat it.  Empty nesters! It won’t last long in your kitchen either – it’s perfect with your morning cup of coffee or as a snack in the afternoon with a cup of hot spiced tea.  Put a piece in your kids lunch box or treat them to a slice as an after-school snack.

Quick, easy, delicious, full of that buttery, almond flavor and topped with good for you sliced almonds!  You’ve nothing to loose – bake one today!