Hey guys! I hope you are all a few pounds heavier and happier after Thanksgiving- I know I am!
Annnnd we’re onto Christmas, amirite? Actually if I’m being honest, I’ve had my tree up for several weeks already, and there were presents wrapped long before Thanksgiving. I love Christmas and the holiday season all together, so I’m all for early celebrations!
This cake is so interesting to me, and it feels very wintery and Christmasy to me also- maybe because of the generous dusting of powdered sugar on top. It’s packs a strong almond flavor, and it’s kind of an interesting take on a coffee cake.
First, you want to partially bake your cake so that it holds up with the meringue on top, and so that it will be finished cooking when the meringue is nice and toasty. Then, you spread a soft-peak-whipped meringue on top, and sprinkle sliced almonds all over. When you bake it, it will get all puffy and lightly toasty. Then, when it cools, the meringue settles down, and becomes a thin, crispy, sugary layer of goodness sitting atop a pretty cake.
I’m into it tbh, it’s super easy, and really unique! I first heard about this as something called a Swedish Visiting Cake. I don’t know too many of the details about it, or what it’s supposed to be, but this seems fairly similar to the original concept!
So anyways, I think let’s make this cake for visitors, let’s make it for breakfast, and let’s make it for desserts when company comes over for a cup of coffee. It’s winter, it’s holiday time, so I’ll just be over here baking, and I know you will be too!
Almond Meringue Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. almond extract
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
For the meringue:
- 3 egg whites
- 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. almond extract
- 3 tbs sliced almonds
- 2-3 tbs. powdered sugar
Instructions
For the cake:
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and grease a tall 8 inch cake pan or spring form pan. If using a cake pan, insert a piece of parchment paper with flags up to help remove the cake. NOTE: IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU USE A TALL PAN HERE! The meringue will puff, so you need the room!
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In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in the eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, and sour cream and beat until combined. Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt, and beat until smooth. The batter will be thick.
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Spread evenly into your prepared pan. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the cake is puffed up and slightly golden.
For the meringue:
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While the cake is baking, beat your egg whites until foamy. Add in the cream of tartar, and beat until you have stiff peaks. Very slowly, add in the sugar while beating. Then, beat in the salt and almond extract. You should have a glossy, medium/soft peak meringue.
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Remove the cake from the oven, and carefully spread the meringue evenly over the top. Sprinkle with almonds. Return to the oven for an additional 30 minutes. The meringue will be puffy and lightly toasted. Cool completely, and dust with powdered sugar through a mesh sifter. Enjoy!
Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!
What a fantastic holiday treat! It would even be wonderful with hot tea on a Spring afternoon. A keeper. You help me feel like a successful high-altitude baker. So lucky I found your blog and Sugar High cookbook.
Hi Michele! Thank you so much for all the kind words!! This really is one of my fav new recipes, it's so festive!!
Should I use a Convection oven? Or just regular?
Hi there- convection ovens are not super common where I'm at so I always bake in a regular oven. If you do decide to bake in convection, you'll want to reduce the temperature by about 25 degrees.
Can I use almond flour for this cake?
If yes how much?
Hi there- I have not tested this recipe with a full almond flour swap, but in general it can be tough to swap out almond flour in a cake recipe because it's a bit heavier in bakes. If you're looking for a gluten free option though, I would suggest a 1-1 baking flour mix instead.
Hello! do any adjustments need to be made to this recipe if one is not baking at high altitude?
Thanks!
Hi- yes, unfortunately I'm not able to test recipes at sea level. But my suggestion would be to increase the baking powder by 1/4 tsp and decrease the flour by 3 tbs.
I want to make your recipe, which looks delicious, but I am at sea level. Any advice on how to accommodate for the lower altitude, if any?
Hi- I can't test recipes at sea level, so I can't say for sure, but I would recommend that you increase the baking powder to 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder, decrease the flour by 2 tbs. For the meringue, you shouldn't need to make any ingredient adjustments, but you'll want to make sure you beat it to medium-stiff peaks (instead of soft). I hope that helps!
Have you made this cake gluten free with either almond flour or one to one replacement flour? It looks delicious but I have many gluten-free friends.
Hi there- I have not made this cake with a GF flour, no. But in general, I prefer to swap in a cup-for-cup gluten free flour mix, and you may find that you need to add a little additional fat to the cake recipe to compensate for the GF flour- it absorbs more liquid. So I would increase the butter by 2 tbs. as well for this one. I hope that helps!
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I did and came up delicious
Se puede le puede agregar cocoa para que sea pan de chocolate en lugar de vainilla y cuánto podría ponerle gracias
Hi
Can’t wait to try this. I would like to do it for Christmas. Have you ever done it a couple days ahead would that work?
This cake looks so interesting and different that I would love to try it, but I definitely don’t live in a high altitude area. Is there a recipe adjustment that I should make?
Thank you so much!
Diana
Hi there- for this recipe I think you'll want to increase the baking powder by 1/4 tsp, but otherwise shouldn't need to make adjustments for it to work!
Very happy to have found your recipe .
Have you tried baking both the cake and top merengue part together , rather than cooking the cake and then adding the meringue ? Asking because way back someone I knew had a recipe with almost the same ingredients but cooked all at once.
I will definitely try yours as it looks very appetizing.
Hi there- I have tried it but felt that the meringue got overcooked that way!
Hello. Can it be done in advance. If so, how long will it last. Or the merengue will easily get soggy after a couple of hours?
Hello- The meringue gets cooked until it's mostly crisp, and it should last at room temp for 2-3 days. Its best when fresh though!
Can I use a springform pan?