Hi all, I sincerely apologize for the lack of updates this past two weeks, work has definitely picked up quite a bit as we transition into fall. However, the weather lately does not suck, around perfect mid-80s all week long, I wish it stays like this forever.

Anyway, I went through some old pictures and dug some out of the archive… Here’s a good one that I have made multiple times, and it’s always a great hit at parties, pairs perfectly with all kinds of berries.

Almond Cake with Blueberry Coulis (from Chocolate & Zucchini)

Pictures taken by Jennifer Hsu

This is THE cake for any occasion. it’s so light and fluffy, and the subtle but aromatic almond flavor is just so delicious! The recipe doesn’t really need any modification since it was already modified from the recipe Amanda Hesser posted on New York Times – greek yogurt instead of sour cream, less butter, less sugar…etc. But everything still balances out exquisitely. If you have trouble finding almond paste in your grocery store, you can order them on KAF or even Amazon.

I experimented with using half almond meal and half flour on one occasion, and I can say that while I do love the stronger almond taste, it was way too crumbly and moist, not easy to cut cleanly – if you are into presentation and that sort of things. Anyway, while I flipped the cake mold over to extract the cake pictured below, something horrible happened! A chunk from the middle stayed behind….Perhaps I didn’t wait for it to cool down enough or perhaps I blame it on the excessive crumbly texture, but I quickly covered it up by smearing raspberry preserve, then topped with toasted almond slices and finished with powder sugar.

I’d imagine this will go well with some hot fudge drizzle or strawberry puree, or both! Be creative! But don’t go overboard though, you’d cover up the delicious almond cake itself. Oh, and to kick things up a notch, maybe pierce the cake and spoon some delicious liqueur throughout, like Grand Marnier (orange) or Amaretto (almond)…you get the idea 🙂