Flourless Almond Cake

This naturally gluten-free almond cake is made with little more than almond flour, eggs, sugar and butter, with a splash of Grand Marnier to finish it off (though you can swap in amaretto liqueur or simply vanilla extract if you wish).

The texture of this cake is nothing short of magical, somehow light and substantial at the same time, with a velvety, melt-in-your-mouth crumb that’s soft, tender and ridiculously moist. You’ve simply got to try it for yourself!

Y’all love my flourless pistachio cake, so much so that it’s been one of the top posts (if not THE top post) on the blog every month since it was published.

I wanted to offer a more casual alternative, using more easy-to-come-by (not to mention more affordable) almond flour in place of the pistachio flour. And while the color isn’t quite as distinctive, this almond-ized version is no less delightful than the original.

The magical combination of nut flour, eggs, sugar and butter somehow transforms into a velvety soft texture that almost melts in your mouth. Like fluffy marzipan (if there were such a thing) with a uniform crumb reminiscent of pound cake around the edges, but more like a gooey butter cake or pound cake saturated with liquid marzipan in the middle.

It’s a tighter, coarser crumb than many cakes, but still lusciously soft. Whereas many yellow cakes ‘bounce’, this one ‘gives’, if that helps you imagine the eating experience… trust me, it’s truly a delight to devour and the texture is one of the reasons why.

(more…)

from Love and Olive Oil https://ift.tt/ourn4AJ

Pumpkin Pecan Coffee Cake

This fabulous fall coffee cake will satisfy your seasonal cravings, with a tender, moist crumb packed with pumpkin flavor and fragrant fall spices, with crunchy pecans and a crispy cinnamon sugar crust on top.

The wonderfully moist texture comes from the butter and sour cream base (sour cream being the key to the most tender, decadent coffee cakes ever, thank my Grandma for that secret ingredient!) with a crispy sugar crust on top and a cinnamon sugar swirl in the middle for extra cinnamon flavor!

This recipe is based on my grandma’s sour cream coffee cake recipe, which is, quite simply, the most perfect coffee cake ever. So despite being a chronic recipe tinkerer, I’ve felt no need to reinvent the wheel by changing it, rather simply adapting the same butter-and-sour-cream base to whatever flavor profile happens to be on my mind at the time (so far I’ve done blueberry cream cheese, chocolate chip, honeycrisp apple, and espresso, and also a version with Greek yogurt, and one that’s muffin-sized!)

In the case of this particular autumnal variation, I added pumpkin puree and fragrant fall spices for the perfect seasonal coffee cake to satisfy any pumpkin spice fanatic.

Why is this recipe so perfect? Well, the sour cream is the key to getting a super moist, tender crumb that’s not dry, dense, or oily. Paired with a creamed butter base (again, most coffee cakes use oil), the result is flavorful and moist and also surprisingly light and fluffy, with the perfect balance of sweetness, pumpkin flavor, and comforting spices.

Not to mention your kitchen will smell absolutely divine, like crisp leaves and cozy sweaters and a warm, pumpkin-spiced hug has enveloped your entire house (even if it still happens to be 82 degrees outside).

(more…)

from Love and Olive Oil https://ift.tt/Bqb56f1