Don't miss the little-known ingredient that gives this tender Almond Pound Cake its rich and decadent flavor!
Pound cake might draw up memories of dinner at Grandma’s or holidays from your childhood. It’s an easy, time-honored dessert that has universal appeal. Make a pound cake, and you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone who passes up a slice.So why mess with tradition? Because sometimes even the best recipes can benefit from a fun new twist. This simple Almond Pound Cake recipe is tender, decadent and infused with rich almond flavor in every bite thanks to a somewhat lesser known baking ingredient: almond paste.
Why is a pound cake called a pound cake?
Pound cakes are known for being moist, dense and and slightly sweet.
According to my friends at Wikipedia, the original pound cake recipe has European roots in the 1700s. It is called a pound cake because early recipes contained a pound of 4 different ingredients: butter, sugar, flour and eggs.
Fortunately the recipe has evolved over the years to become lighter in texture and flavor (Can you even imagine how heavy a cake made with a pound of all four of those ingredients would be?!?)
Why do you use almond paste in this pound cake recipe?
Why do you use almond paste in this pound cake recipe?Almond paste is often used as a filling for pastries (think danish or croissants). It’s typically made from equal quantities of ground almonds and sugar along with a binder of sorts (egg, oil, corn syrup, etc.) and gives a huge almond flavor boost to any recipe.
Contrary to its name, almond "paste" is not spreadable. So if you're using it in a recipe, you'll need to pulverize it in your food processor before adding it to the other ingredients. I used the food processor entirely for this cake recipe, and it worked wonderfully.
What is the best pan for this Almond Pound Cake?
There is no right or wrong answer to this question. You’ll see recipes that call for bundt pans and tube (or angel food cake) pans.
My Almond Pound Cake recipe eschews the fancy forms out there for the humble loaf pan. Though smaller in scale, the size is equally at home on a dessert plate as it is on a napkin for mid-afternoon snacking.
Options for pound cake toppings
I drizzled a simple powdered sugar glaze over the top of this Almond Pound Cake and then sprinkled it with sliced almonds for a bit of crunch in every slice. But you can omit the glaze entirely and simply spoon on sliced strawberries (or whatever berry you like) and a dollop of whipped cream.
Ever grilled slices of pound cake? They toast up beautifully on the grill and look lovely when topped with juicy chunks of fresh peaches and a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. A perfect summer dessert!
Here’s what I used to make this Almond Pound Cake recipe:
- The cake batter is fairly thick, so I rely on my trusty food processor to strong-arm the batter into shape. The result is smooth and silky every time.
- No surprise here; I use my favorite loaf pan for this recipe. USA Pans are my go-to for most any baking pan (and they are dishwasher safe, too).
- It may sound like a bit of an overstatement, but my offset spreader is one of my most-used kitchen tools. Great for spreading and leveling batters and frostings.
Love easy cake recipes? Check out some of these other delicious flavor combinations!
Strawberry Almond Cake - Garnish with Lemon®
Applesauce Cake - Easy Good Ideas
7-Up Pound Cake - Shugary Sweets
Lemon Thyme Breakfast Cake - Garnish with Lemon®
Yield: Serves 8
Almond Pound Cake
This easy, make-ahead Almond Pound Cake recipe is made with almond paste and topped with an almond glaze and extra sliced almonds for a rich, nutty flavor in every bite.
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
55 minutes
Total Time
1 hour 5 minutes
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 8 ounces almond paste
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk
For the topping:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a loaf pan.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Place sugar and almond paste in a food processor and pulse until combined. It should have the consistency of sand. Add butter and oil to almond paste mixture and mix until the ingredients are well-incorporated, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, pulsing to combine after each one. Add vanilla and pulse to combine. Gradually add flour mixture and ½ cup milk, starting and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.
- Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out with a few crumbs. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes and remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.
To make the topping:
- Whisk together powdered sugar and milk until smooth, adding additional milk if needed. Stir in extracts. Drizzle over cooled cake and top with sliced almonds.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1 pieceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 401Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 277mgCarbohydrates: 57gFiber: 2gSugar: 34gProtein: 8g
This cake looks delicious, love the idea of almond cake. Lovely photos too 🙂
Wondering if you tested this recipe w Almond Milk. How were the results?
I did not, Bonnie, but I'd be curious to hear your outcome!
how does it work with almond flour
Hi Michael, I've never made it with almond flour, but I know that a 1-to-1 swap of almond flour instead of all-purpose flour is not always reliable. If you want to try incorporating almond flour, I suggest replacing 1/3 of the all-purpose flour with almond flour and baking as directed. Let us know how it works for you! P.S. We also have a yummy Strawberry Almond Cake that incorporates some almond flour!