Caramel Almond Snack Cake

Inspired by a simple cake from a coffee shop in Bordeaux, this caramel almond cake is super moist and lightly sweetened. With a crunchy caramelized almond topping and a simple crumb, it’s perfect for pairing with a morning espresso.

Guys, this recipe has been two years in the making and it is finally here! It was actually supposed to be next week’s new recipe, but I just could not keep it to myself any longer so some things were shuffled and here we are!

It all started two years ago on our European adventure, in a tiny little coffee shop in Bordeaux. We had a pretty full day planned visiting Cite du Vin, the world’s largest wine museum, and decided to pop into a coffee shop for a cappuccino and a bite of breakfast before catching the train. The narrow cafe was almost completely empty when we stepped inside. A countertop ran down one side of the wall, piled with espresso machines, cash registers, coffee cups, and the usual coffee-shop necessities. A long bench lined the opposite wall and two or three wooden tables sat perched in front of it. We ordered our cappuccinos and a little slice of cake from the glass case and sat side by side along the bench, snacking on cake and attempting to read a French newspaper.

I’m not exactly sure why this particular cake stuck with me the way that it did. I had a whole notebook filled with dessert notes from that trip and if you were to just look at the notes, this cake wouldn’t stand out as anything spectacular. It was simple. Maybe it was the simplicity, or the way it paired with a cup of strong espresso, or how well executed the flavors were, but I have not been able to get it out of my head for two years.

the original slice of caramel almond cake from blacklist coffee shop in Bordeaux

the perfect caramel almond snack cake

For this cake, I veered ever so slightly from my original inspiration in a couple of ways.

First, no loaf. I’ve made a bunch of loaf cakes on the blog recently and was feeling a bit loafed-out so we went with a simple round cake. Very classic.

Second, if you look at the picture of the original, you can see it had a really dense, tight crumb making it a pretty hefty slice of cake. This was definitely not a bad thing, but I wanted something a tiny bit lighter.

I dug through a trove of recipes online and in cookbooks and decided to adapt a yogurt-loaf cake from Marti Buckley’s Basque Country cookbook for my cake base. When I’d asked the woman at the coffee shop about this cake, she replied that it was a “traditional french caramel cake”. Since then, I’ve done a lot of Googling and have had trouble narrowing down this specific type (a lot of French almond cakes are exceptionally light with whipped egg whites and this one was definitely not that) so I decided to go regional. Bordeaux is in the Southeastern corner of France and while it is not technically in the Basque region, it is quite close. This cake was also really simple and rustic, like most desserts out of the Basque region, so I thought this was a good place to start.

The topping is made similarly to a flan or fruit-based upside down cake. A simple caramel is poured into the bottom of the pan and topped with slivered almonds. The cake batter goes on top and the whole thing is inverted after it has been baked.

This cake stores beautifully in the fridge for 4 or 5 days and pairs so well with a strong cup of espresso. You might even feel like you’ve taken a little trip to the French countryside.

Yield

one 9" cake, 8 servings

Author

Anna Ramiz

Prep time

15 Min

Cook time

40 Min

Total time

55 Min

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Caramel Almond Snack Cake

Inspired by a simple cake from a coffee shop in Bordeaux, this caramel almond cake is super moist and lightly sweetened. With a crunchy caramelized almond topping and a simple crumb, it’s perfect for pairing with a morning espresso.

Ingredients

for the caramel almond topping

• 2 oz unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup (130 g) granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp heavy cream
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds

for the cake

• 3/4 cup (105 g) all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (50 g) spelt flour*
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream*
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (106 g) brown sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (120 g) olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325° F and line a 9” round cake pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. To make the caramel, place butter and granulated sugar in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat, swirling the pot occasionally, until mixture is simmering, bubbly and a deep tan color. Sugar should be almost completely dissolved.
3. Remove the caramel from the heat and whisk in heavy cream until smooth. Pour the caramel into the bottom of the prepared cake pan and tilt the pan until it completely coats the bottom. Sprinkle slivered almonds on top and set aside to cool while you prepare the cake batter.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, spelt flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together sour cream, eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until mixture is light and smooth.
6. While whisking continually, gradually stream in the olive oil. Mix until batter is completely homogenized.
7. Add the dry ingredients and gently fold in using a rubber spatula until no flour streaks remain.
8. Pour the cake batter into the pan over top of the caramel almond topping and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top of the cake is deeply golden and the edges are beginning to pull away from the sides.
9. Let the cake cool for just about 5 minutes in the pan and then invert it onto a plate to finish cooling. (If you don’t invert the cake while warm, the caramel topping will stick to the pan, so be sure to flip it soon after removing from the oven.)
10. Slice and serve with strong espresso.

Notes:

• I used spelt flour to add a bit of nuttiness to the cake, but you could use 100% all purpose flour or substitute the spelt flour for rye flour, buckwheat flour, or even almond flour.
• If you don't have sour cream, you can substitute full-fat plain yogurt.

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Pear Tarte Tatin

Sour Orange and Tequila Upside Down Cake

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Roasted Grape and Olive Oil Cake

A classic lemon olive oil cake, topped with bright, late summer grapes, roasted with brown sugar and fennel.

Baking with grapes is just so much fun. All through pastry school, we never touched grapes. We used lots of berries, created a bunch of cakes with bananas, and even played with tropical fruits like mango, pineapple, and passionfruit. But grapes, those were basically for snacking and really nothing else. The idea of creating desserts with grapes truly did not even cross my mind until I was working on the pastry team at Blackberry Farm. We were the most spoiled pastry chefs in the world and would daily get garden deliveries from both the farmers at the resort and other local farmers in the area. Produce deliveries were the highlight of the day and we’d smoosh together (obviously pre-COVID) around cardboard boxes of warm summer strawberries and peaches, snacking as we cleaned them and transferred them to sheet trays (where we would continue to snack off of them all through service…half of the good produce made it into desserts, the other half went straight into our bellies.

Then, in early August, our daily berry haul started to turn into grapes. We got baskets of dark, seedy concord grapes and moon grapes that looked like baby eggplants. They made the most stunning colored sorbets and were worked them into all kinds of desserts on the menu. My mind was blown. But then I returned home where I was greeted with sad, grocery store grapes meant for lunch boxes. Until we moved to Minnesota.

I’ve talked before about our cute little co-op across the street literally bursting with local, seasonal produce. I walked in a few weeks ago to find little satchels of bright, seasonal concord grapes lining the shelves and it took every single ounce of my willpower not to bring them all home with me that very minute. I did, however, start brainstorming about this little cake recipe.

how to make a roasted grape cake

For this cake, I really wanted to grapes to shine so we made them the focal point. A very simple, lemon olive oil was the perfect canvas for our little grape babies. We make the cake by simply whisking together flour, sugar, lemon zest, leavening agents and salt. I added a little semolina flour for a bit of texture, but if you don’t have it, you can just substitute more all purpose flour. Then we mix together the wet ingredients—eggs, buttermilk, lemon juice, and olive oil. The wet ingredients join the dry ingredients and are whisked until the batter is very smooth.

While the cake is baking, we roast the grapes. Simply toss the grapes in brown sugar, some crushed fennel seeds, and olive oil and transfer it to a baking dish. Let the grapes roast until they are beginning to blister and burst (like cherry tomatoes) and the liquid is bubbly. Then spoon the roasted grapes over the cooled and sliced cake and enjoy!

And, if you have any leftover grapes and juices, save them for spooning over ice cream or serving with a dollop of creme fraiche and some shortbread cookies. The flavors in this super simple dessert will impress all your friends, I promise!

Yield

one 9" cake, or 8 servings

Author

Anna Ramiz

Prep time

15 Min

Cook time

50 Min

Total time

1 H & 4 M

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Roasted Grape and Olive Oil Cake

A classic lemon olive oil cake, topped with bright, late summer grapes, roasted with brown sugar and fennel.

Ingredients

for the roasted grapes

• 10 oz (300 g) grapes
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 tbsp olive oil

for the olive oil cake

• 1 1/4 cup (250 g) granulated sugar
• Zest of one large lemon
• 1 1/2 cup (180 g) all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (80 g) semolina flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• Juice of one large lemon
• 1 cup (200 g) olive oil
• 1 cup (227 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
• 3 eggs, at room temperature

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Roughly chop fennel seeds and place them in a large bowl. Add the grapes, brown sugar, and 2 tbsp of olive oil and stir to coat. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish and roast for 20-25 minutes, until grapes are soft and have just begun to burst. Remove from the oven and let cool.
3. Grease a 9” springform pan with olive oil and line with parchment paper, set aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine granulated sugar and lemon zest. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar until well-mixed. Add the flour, semolina flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to the sugar mixture and whisk everything to combine.
5. In another medium-sized bowl or large glass measuring cup, whisk together olive oil, buttermilk, lemon juice, and eggs until smooth and homogenous.
6. Slowly pour wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients, and whisk until the batter is smooth and no clumps of flour remain.
7. Pour batter into your prepared springform pan and smooth into an even layer using a knife or offset spatula. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until the cake is dark golden brown in color, the sides are beginning to pull away from the pan, and the center is set and no longer wiggly. (If the top is getting too brown, but the center is not yet set, you can loosely place a piece of foil over the top to slow down the browning.)
8. Let the cake cool completely in the pan before inverting onto a plate. Slice the cake and spoon the roasted grapes over top of each slice.

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Grapefruit and Thyme Olive Oil Cake

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Lemon Olive Oil Tart

An easy lemon curd filling and an olive oil tart crust pair in this bright, citrus-filled summer tart. Plus tips on creating desserts with olive oil and how to make homemade lemon curd.

Attention all: Minnesota in the summer is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. I’m writing this blog post with the windows wide open. There is a gentle breeze in the air and little birds chirping is my current soundtrack. The weather here has been such a contrast from the Florida humidity and maybe it’s simply the change that I love so much. Tahini is also loving the fact that we go on longer, slightly cooler walks almost everyday without feeling like we’re traipsing through a rainforest. I might feel differently about my change in weather come winter, but I’ll just become a snowbird and escape to a warmer climate if needed.

This lemon olive oil tart pairs perfectly with my perfect summer weather and I’m so excited to share it with you. This is a really simple recipe that feels fancy and upscale with very little effort. I’ve also waxed poetic before about how much I love incorporating olive oil in pastry, but I have no problem talking about it again. Good olive oil is my very favorite ingredient in the kitchen. It’s so versatile and in the dessert realm, it can add a savory component, cutting through and balancing out sweetness in a very mild, approachable way.

ways to incorporate olive oil in dessert

Olive oil is a liquid fat, which means it can be substituted easily in places where vegetable oil or melted butter is used. It really shines in simplicity, like in this Lemon Olive Oil Loaf Cake (also, it pairs so well with citrus).

I also really love incorporating olive oil in custards and ice creams. There’s something about the way the grassy oil gets along with the richness of heavy cream that I just can’t get enough of. It’s great mixed into a custard, like this Basil Olive Oil Gelato, or even just drizzled on top like in this Fancy Strawberry Shortcake.

A great way to start playing around with olive oil desserts is to make your own vanilla olive oil! It’s so easy. Just fill a deli container or glass jar with about a cup of olive oil. Scrape 1-2 vanilla beans into the oil and then add the used pods to the oil. Seal it, give it a little shake, and then keep it in your pantry for drizzling on top of ice cream or fruit or cake all season long.

how to make homemade lemon curd

Making curd is another skill to keep in your baking repertoire. A fruit curd, like this lemon curd, is made from cooking down fruit juice and sugar until creamy and spreadable. They also use egg yolks and often times some sort of starch to help with the thickening process. For this homemade lemon curd, we start by simmering lemon juice and half of the sugar amount until it’s bubbling and all of the sugar has dissolved. While that’s heating, we combine the remaining sugar with cornstarch, salt, lemon zest, eggs, and yolks to form a paste. While whisking continually, we will gradually pour the hot lemon syrup into the paste (this is a process called tempering and it keeps the eggs from scrambling). The entire mixture is returned to the heat and then cooked a bit longer, so that the cornstarch is activated and the mixture is thickened. Strain the curd and then whisk in some olive oil and voila! The curd gets poured into a really lovely olive oil crust and then into the refrigerator to set!

a few tips for making great curd:

1. Make sure that you have all of your ingredients and tools prepped before you get started because the process moves quickly. I like to have two large bowls (one for the paste and one clean to strain into), a strainer, a whisk, a wooden spoon, and a rubber spatula all close by.

2. Place a cork hot-pad or even just a kitchen towel underneath the bowl while tempering. This will keep the bowl from sliding around while you use your hands to whisk and pour at the same time.

3. Whisk your sugar and cornstarch together before adding any wet ingredients in order to break up any clumps in the cornstarch.

4. Be careful not to combine your eggs and sugar together too early. You don’t want it to set for more than about 5 minutes or the acid from the sugar will start to cook your egg yolks.

Yield: one 9" tart

Author: Anna Ramiz

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Lemon Olive Oil Tart

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 30 MinInactive time: 3 HourTotal time: 4 Hour

A bright, citrus-filled summer tart. This simple olive oil shortbread crust is filled with creamy olive oil lemon curd.

Ingredients

for the crust

• 1 1/3 cups + 1 tbsp (75 g) all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp cornmeal
• 1/3 cup +1 tbsp (50 g) powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 1 tbsp lemon zest (from one lemon)
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tbsp fruity olive oil

for the lemon curd

• 3/4 cup (175 ml) lemon juice
• 1 tbsp lemon zest (from one lemon)
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (56 g) unsalted butter, cubed
• 2 tbsp fruity olive oil

Instructions

to make the crust

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, cornmeal, powdered sugar, salt, and lemon zest. Pulse for 30 seconds, until combined.
2. Add the cubed butter and pulse for about 1 minute, until butter is broken down into pea-sized pieces. Add the egg yolk and olive oil and pulse again, just until mixed and dough begins to come together around the blade.
3. Transfer dough to a clean, lightly floured work surface, and pat into a disc, about 1” thick. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour, or up to 24 hours.
4. When the dough has sufficiently chilled, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently roll it out to 1/4” thickness, about 10” in diameter.
5. Place the dough into a tart pan with a removable bottom and gently press it in to the edges. Trim the overhang and dock the surface of the crust with a fork. Place the tart shell in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to chill.
6. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375° F. Place the tart pan in the center of a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 12-13 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely before filling. (If making ahead, you can loosely wrap the tart shell in aluminum foil and let sit at room temperature for up to 24 hours.)

to make the filling

1. Combine lemon juice and half of the sugar (1/2 cup) in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until simmering and sugar has dissolved.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, salt, lemon zest and cornstarch to break up any lumps in the cornstarch. Add the eggs and egg yolks and whisk to form a smooth paste.
3. Carefully and while whisking continually, slowly stream the hot lemon juice syrup into the egg mixture. When all of the syrup has been adding, transfer all of the mixture back to the saucepan and return to heat, whisking constantly.
4. Stirring continually, bring the mixture to a boil, and then boil for 2 minutes, until thickened. Pour curd through a sieve or fine mesh strainer.
5. Immediately whisk butter into the hot curd, followed by the olive oil. Let curd cool slightly, and then pour into your prepared crust. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill until set, about 3 hours. Slice and serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Notes:

I created this recipe using Monini Olive Oils and they are favorite in our house. If you don't have access to them, you can substitute another fruity olive oil that you like.

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Roasted Apricot and Ricotta Tart

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