Marion Cunningham, renowned for her revision of the The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, turns her attention to the novice cook. Cunningham's passion for simple, home-cooked dishes, along with her extensive teaching experience, is evident on every page. In Learning to Cook, 150 recipes and 100 color photos are woven through 11 chapters with tempting titles like "Soup for Supper," "Easy Fish," "Meals Without Meat," and "Thank Goodness for Chicken." Cunningham's recipes
Almond Butter Cake is not to be taken lightly just because you can stir it together in about 3 minutes, pop it in the oven to bake, and serve it within an hour. It's truly a unique cake, because it doesn't rise very high and it comes out moist, sticky, and chewy, like a cookie. It also keeps twice as long as any conventional cake.
One 9-inch Round Cake
The Cake Batter
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose white flour
2 teaspoons soft butter or nonstick cooking spray (for greasing the cake pan)
Topping
1 tablespoon sugar
4 ounces sliced almonds (3/4 cup)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Measuring and Mixing the Ingredients
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring regularly. Pour the melted butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar into a large bowl and stir until smooth.
Crack the eggs right into the same bowl and mix until the batter is creamy and all one color. Add the salt, almond extract, vanilla extract, and flour and stir briskly until the batter is smooth.
The Last Step Before Baking
Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round cake pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the batter from the bowl into the greased cake pan. Spread it evenly in the pan. Sprinkle the tablespoon of sugar, then the sliced almonds, over the top of the batter.
Baking and Serving the Cake
Put the pan on the middle rack of the oven and set the timer for 35 minutes. When it rings, check to see if the cake is done. It should be light brown on top, and when you insert a toothpick in the center, it should have a few sticky crumbs adhering to it. If the cake is not browned enough and the toothpick comes out too wet, put the cake back in the oven and check it again in another 10 minutes.
When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and let it cool on a heatproof counter for at least 30 minutes.
Cut the cake into small wedges and serve with fresh fruit. This cake will stay fresh for about a week and will freeze indefinitely. Wrap it tightly in foil, or in a plastic bag you can seal with a zip or a tie.
