Almond Legend Cake

  Posted on December 30, 2011  by Leslie Blythe  No comments

A New Year’s Tradition

Make Almond Legend Cake every New Year’s Eve for a fun tradition at your house. Somewhere hidden in the baked cake will be a single whole almond. Whoever gets the almond in their slice of cake, according to legend, will enjoy good fortune during the year!

Almond Legend Cake

Serves 20

2½ oz packages slivered almonds, chopped
1/3 cup butter, softened
1½ cup sugar, divided
3 eggs, separated
1 tsp lemon rind, grated
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
¾ cup milk
½ tsp cream of tartar
¼ cup sugar
1 whole almond

Apricot glaze
½ cup apricot preserves
2 tsp orange juice

Sprinkle chopped almonds into a well-greased 10-inch Bundt pan; set aside.

Cream butter and shortening; gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, beating well at medium speed of an electric mixer. Add egg yolks, and beat well. Add lemon rind, juice, and flavorings; beat well.

Combine flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix after each addition; set batter aside.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form; fold egg white mixture into batter. Pour batter into prepared pan. Press whole almond just below surface of batter.

Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove from pan, and let cool completely on a wire 10-inch cake.