Despite my half-breed Scandinavian heritage, I had never heard of Scandinavian Almond Cake until recently. My favorite neighbor, and full-blooded Norwegian Paul Knutson, told me about it. His family made us corn bread in this odd-shaped pan, and said it was their pan for Norwegian Almond Bread. I had never heard of such a thing. I did a little research online and then asked to borrow the pan so I could add this to my culinary repertoire. (you can purchase a pan on Amazon – they’re not too expensive)
Let me confess that my first attempt was not a total success. While it tasted great, the thing stuck to the pan and came out in clumps. It was a huge blow to my self-esteem as a cook. Sure, we still ate it, and everyone agreed it was delicious – but it wasn’t what I imagined when I set out to perfect this recipe. The second attempt didn’t go much better. Then, it became a battle. Me vs. the Cake Pan. I re-read instructions, tweaked the recipe, and tried to figure out what I was doing wrong. Turns out the FOURTH time was the charm. If you’ve struggled with this recipe yourself, read my tips below. After “extensive” research, I think I have this sucker finally figured out.
The best part: its ingredients are found in your pantry. It’s SUPER frugal, but tastes rich. Top with powdered sugar, fruit preserves, a glaze, or whipped cream.
- 1¼ C. sugar
- 1 egg
- 1¼ C. flour
- 1 stick melted margarine
- 1½ tsp. almond extract
- ⅔ C. milk
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sugar, egg, flour, margarine, almond extract, milk and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Spray baking pan with PAM and sprinkle with WONDRA or a light flour. If desired, sprinkle the bottom of the pan with sliced or slivered almonds. Pour in batter. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in the pan before inverting and removing from pan. Sprinkle slices with powdered sugar before serving.
I struggled with getting the cake out of the pan the first few times I made it. The secrets to getting it out of the pan are:
- Use margarine instead of butter
- Spray the pan liberally with Baker’s Joy, or PAM then sprinkle with Wondra flour
- Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with almonds before pouring in the batter
- Don’t underbake. The cake will turn golden brown before it’s done. Use the toothpick test if necessary.
- Cool cake completely in the pan before inverting
