Butter Almond Cake

Ryan and I had dinner plans with some friends of ours recently and I decided to bring dessert to the party. Problem was - a) I didn't have a lot of time and b) these are people I like to impress so I want it to be spectacular. Which lead to problem c) I couldn't find anything I really wanted to make.

But inspiration comes from the strangest places. I was catching up on one of my favorite frugal/finance blogs - Get Rich Slowly - and this recipe was in JD's post on how to have a frugal Valentine's Day. And after sampling this rich delicacy, I think this is going to become a go-to cake - because I always have the main ingredients in my pantry. And it literally takes 5 minutes to assemble.

Butter Almond Cake

1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup real butter, melted (if you use margarine, this will taste like ass - just take my word for it.)
2 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons sliced almonds (optional)**
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar (for garnish)**

**I omitted both. Because I felt like it.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray and hell - line it with parchment paper because I had one hell of a time getting this cake out of the pan. With a mixer, blend together the sugar and melted butter. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat in. Stir in extracts. Add salt and flour and mix until everything is incorporated. Spread batter in the pan . Bake 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown (it took me about 45 minutes ...). Cool completely on a wire rack before removing from pan. I ended up topping this with some raspberry preserves ... fruit is very, very good with this dish. Unless you eat it out of the pan. Like Ryan and I might have done.