Easy recipe for almond pound cake that is tasty, moist, and has crunchy almond pieces and sweet almond essence. The ideal dessert for a weeknight!
Just like our recipes for S’mores Pancakes and Chocolate layer cake with cocoa , this rich loaf cake is an easy cakes. that goes wonderfully with a scoop of ice cream.
For a big event or just a midweek treat for your family, this traditional pound cake is ideal. Pound Cake has more butter, sugar, eggs, and milk than your normal cake recipe, making it thicker, richer, and more moist. This recipe is just as buttery and decadent as your favorite pound cake, but it has a delicious sweet, nutty flavor in every bite thanks to the addition of crunchy almonds and almond essence.
What is a Pound Cake?
The rich, thick cake known as pound cake first appeared in Europe. It receives its name from a classic recipe that asks for equal amounts of the four essential ingredients—butter, sugar, eggs, and flour—in weight-equal portions, hence the word “pound.” The end result is a cake that is buttery, moist, and velvety with a fine crumb texture that pairs amazingly with tastes of all types, notably sweet and nutty almond!
How to Make Almond Pound Cake
- Preparation: First, preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Next, prepare your loaf pan by spraying it with nonstick cooking spray. If you wish to create the pound cake into a circular bundt form, you may also use a bundt pan; simply double the component amounts.
- Batter:Add the butter and sugar to the stand mixer to make the batter. Till the mixture is airy and frothy, let the mixer run at medium speed. It ought to simply take a few of minutes. When the pound cake batter is smooth, continue mixing on medium speed after adding the egg, milk, and almond extract. Avoid overmixing to prevent the cake from not rising as properly.
- Topping: The sliced almonds add a wonderful crunch, but if you like a heartier crunch, you can also use slivered almonds or even chop some almonds yourself.
Key Ingredients
- Butter: Without enough of butter, a delectable butter pound cake wouldn’t exist. If the butter is melted, the cake will be excessively moist and thick. Instead, you want it to be softened to room temperature.
- Sugar: This cake tastes wonderful with regular white sugar, but brown sugar also works well if you prefer a caramel flavor. Sugar provides moisture in addition to sweetness.
- Eggs: The quantity of eggs in a pound cake should be more than the amount of flour, butter, and sugar. Even though there are only three eggs in this cake, they will undoubtedly make it rich and moist.
- Almond Extract: Although it may not seem like much, the concentrated almond flavour has a powerful flavor. You can add up to 1 extra teaspoon if you like your pound cake to have more flavor.
- Baking Powder:Due to the abundance of butter, eggs, and milk in this normally thick cake, baking powder is required to help it rise and give it a little lighter texture.
- Milk: Whole, full-fat milk gives the cake moisture and aids in producing a soft crumb. The cake won’t be as rich if you use skim or low-fat milk.
- Almonds: Sliced almonds give the cake a nice aesthetic touch and a satisfying crunch. Toasted almond pieces that protrude from the top will provide an additional layer of flavor.
Variations
- Try substituting buttermilk, Greek yogurt, or sour cream for the whole milk. The acid in ingredients like buttermilk and sour cream makes the crumb more pliable and moist while also imparting a distinctively tangy taste.
- Vanilla: When making a vanilla almond pound cake, consider combining a teaspoon of vanilla extract with the almond extract. Lemon: Try incorporating some lemon to add some additional flavors. To create a lemon-almond dish, you can use lemon juice, lemon extract, or lemon zest.
- Spices: For some great warm spices, try combining some cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Cherry: Cherries and almonds go well together because of their comparable flavors. Add 12 cup of chopped fresh cherries or maraschino cherries to make a Cherry Almond Pound Cake.
- Glaze: Combine whole milk, powdered sugar, and a tiny bit of almond essence to make a Glazed Almond Pound Cake. Before the glaze hardens, add additional sliced almonds over top for a crispy nut topping.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cups flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Spray a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with baking spray and preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Butter and sugar should be added to your stand mixer on medium speed for two minutes or until they are light and frothy.
- When creamy, add the eggs and almond essence.
- Salt, baking powder, and flour are sifted together.
- Using the stand mixer’s lowest speed setting, add the milk and the flour mixture alternately until barely incorporated.
- Spread evenly in the loaf pan, then sprinkle the sliced almonds on top.
- Swirl the almonds into the mixture with a butter knife just enough to incorporate them.
- A toothpick should come out clean after 45 to 50 minutes of baking.
Nutrition
Calories: 380kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 120mg | Potassium: 91mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 783IU | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 1mg