Recipe for Swedish Visiting Cake

It's the Friday before Christmas and I'll be making another one of these. This time with gluten-free flour, almond flour, and very little lemon zest. But always with real butter and sliced almonds. Do sprinkle the top with a little extra granulated sugar before baking for a nice glaze. I use my largest glass pie pan and it turns out as a cross between a cake and a giant cookie.

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.

Swedish Visiting Cake  www.fransfavs.com

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.

Finally, fold in the melted butter.  Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.  Scatter the sliced almonds over the top and sprinkle with a little sugar if using.  If you're using a cake or pie pan, place the pan on a baking sheet.

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.