Swedish Visiting Cake

This morning, I received an email from a blog I subscribe to with a recipe for a "Swedish Visiting Cake".  The recipe comes from an amazing baker by the name of Dorie Greenspan.  I couldn't wait to make it. I'm such a sucker for almonds. All I can say, is yum. It is a simple, yet elegant cake and you will love it.

Here's a little lemon zest shortcut....

When I have a bunch of lemons, I zest them all at once.  I take the zest and put it in ice cube trays, add a little juice to it and freeze.  Once frozen, I put it in a ziplock bag.  When I need some zest for a recipe, I remove it from the freezer, place it on a paper towel and let it thaw.

Voila.  Lemon zest.

Ok, so here's the list of ingredients for the cake.

1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
Grated zest of 1 lemon, or 1 cube
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup sliced almonds (blanched or not)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a seasoned 9-inch cast-iron skillet or other heavy ovenproof skillet, a 9-inch cake pan or even a pie pan.

Pour the sugar into a medium bowl. Add the zest and blend the zest and sugar together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and aromatic.

Whisk in the eggs one at a time until well blended. Whisk in the salt and the extracts.

Switch to a rubber spatula and stir in the flour. Finally, fold in the melted butter.

Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Scatter the sliced almonds over the top and sprinkle with a little sugar. If you're using a cake or pie pan, place the pan on a baking sheet.

Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it is golden and a little crisp on the outside; the inside will remain moist. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cake cool for 5 minutes, then run a thin knife around the sides and bottom of the cake to loosen it. You can serve the cake warm or cooled, directly from the skillet or turned out onto a serving plate.