Swedish Visiting Cake

I am obsessed with this simple cake.  It has all of my favorite flavors; lemon, vanilla, and almond.  It takes literally 5 minutes to make and it bakes in 25 minutes.  It just might be the perfect snack to have with a steamy cup of coffee or a hot tea.  This is going to be a go-to recipe for my next brunch.  I found this recipe in the Dorie Greenspan book that I found my pie crust recipe in and really believe that it is a book that all bakers should have in their collection.  I love the story that Dorie includes about this cake.  She got the recipe from a friend and the friend’s mother would start making it when she could see the guests coming up the driveway and it would be ready by the time they sat down for coffee.  She would serve it warm and I cannot imagine how her house must have smelled.  I am not Swedish, but I would like to be after eating this cake.

I made the first one a few days ago and Clay and I loved it.  It keeps really well wrapped in plastic wrap, you can get about 5 days out of it and up to 2 months frozen.  That one did not last very long so I made another one to take to my friend Corey and it was well received by my friend Baby Matthew.

If only I could be this cute shoving cake in my mouth.  Ah, to be 14 months old again.

This is the book that I am talking about.  Run to the your local BN and buy one or hit up Amazon.  You will be thanking me later.  I promise you.

1 cup sugar (plus more more sprinkling on top right before baking)
grated zest of one lemon
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup flour
1 stick melted butter, cooled
1/4 cup sliced almonds

In a medium bowl, add the lemon zest to the sugar.  Rub the zest and sugar in between your fingers to release the oils, the sugar will start to smell delicious.

Whisk in the eggs one at a time.

Whisk in the salt and the extracts.

Change to a spatula and stir in the flour.

Fold in the butter.

Stir until combined.  Dorie makes her in a 9-inch cast iron skillet.  I don’t have one so I used a regular 9-inch cake pan.  I used a little of the melted butter to grease the pan.

Pour the batter into the pan and top with the sliced almonds and a generous sprinkling of sugar.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes.  It will be golden and the edges will have a nice crust.

Let the cake cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and then take a knife and run it around the edge of the pan.

This cake can be served warm (and really is there anything more delicious than a warm cake?) or at room temperature.

Here is a picture of cake #2.  A latte and some Swedish Visiting Cake, is there really a better way to spend a morning?

Well, yes, there is.  With good friends that let us come over and hang out at 9am.  We love you guys!