This recipe combines three of my favorite ingredients which are almonds, oranges, and the cast iron skillet. Although I love Almond Crescents and make them often, sometimes I don't want to go to the trouble to roll, cut and shape the cute little cookies. I saw a recipe for Skillet Almond Shortbread in Trisha Yearwood's Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen and went from there. I took inspiration from the Almond Crescents recipe by adding citrus and almond flour. The result was scrumptious and clean from the flavor of orange, dense, moist texture from the almond flour and dark brown edges from the cast iron skillet.
Almond Short Cake
3/4 cup unsalted butter - very soft
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
zest and juice of one small orange - or substitute any other citrus fruit
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups almond flour - also known as almond meal
1/2 cup sliced almonds for topping
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 10 inch cast iron skillet with a circle of parchment paper and grease well.
In a large mixing bowl, stir the sugar and butter together. Zest the orange directly into the bowl. Purchase organic fruit for this recipe because you will be consuming the skin. Add the eggs and beat vigorously. Squeeze the orange and add 4 or 5 Tablespoons fresh juice to the batter, stirring to combine. Fold in the flour and salt, stirring until just combined. Add the almond meal and fold in gently. Pour the batter into the cast iron skillet and spread it evenly in the pan. Top with the sliced almonds and gently press the nuts onto the surface of the cake.
Bake for 35 minutes or until slightly brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan until it's easy to handle, then run a knife around the edges before inverting on to a cooking rack. Remove the parchment and invert again to serve.
Comments