I had my first one ages ago as a gift from a Bishop Hill neighbor and always remembered how soft and tasty it was. Last year, I used the internet to finally track down the recipe. Enjoy.
Ingredients
1
cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
Grated
zest of 1 lemon (use ½ lemon or none at all)
2
large eggs
1/4
tsp. salt
1
tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2
tsp. pure almond extract
1
cup flour (optional: add ¼ c. almond flour, see note below)
1
stick (8 Tbl.) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
About
1/4 cup sliced almonds (blanched or not)
Directions
Center
a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a seasoned 9-inch cast-iron skillet or
other heavy ovenproof skillet, a 9-inch cake pan, or even a pie pan. You can use a 9-inch cake or pie pan and
put parchment on the bottom. Butter the
parchment paper.
Pour
the sugar into a medium bowl. Add the zest and blend the zest and sugar
together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and aromatic.
Whisk in the eggs one at a time until well blended. Whisk in the salt and the extracts.
Switch to a rubber spatula and stir in the flour.
Whisk in the eggs one at a time until well blended. Whisk in the salt and the extracts.
Switch to a rubber spatula and stir in the flour.
Bake
the cake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until it is golden and a little crisp on the
outside; the inside will remain moist.
Remove the pan from the oven and let the cake cool for 5 minutes, then
run a thin knife around the sides and bottom of the cake to loosen it. You can serve the cake warm or cooled,
directly from the skillet or turned out onto a serving plate.
If adding ¼ cup ground almond flour, increase
baking time to 30-35 minutes.