Almond Cake with Orange Glaze & Spiked Cream

Perhaps I should change my blog name to Chez Betty's Extremely Totally Fabulous Super Fancy Cooking?  Another Bon Appetit recipe here.
Ok, so I'm kidding about the fancy part.  Just glad that I finally picked up a copy of Bon Appetit and started cooking from it.  We haven't had any fails yet, and the recipes are not as involved as I thought.  Although I've heard that they have toned it down in recent years.

As the dessert to follow the yummy blood orange scallops previously posted, I made BA's almond cake.  Their recipe calls for a 8 inch, two layer cake with boysenberry jam filling.  First, I couldn't find boysenberry jam anywhere.  Second, I'm trying to cut back on the icings and such (and I'm lazy), so I made a 9 inch, one layer cake.  The result was still fabulous!  Oh yeah, and I chose to spike the cream on my own - it was one of those days.

3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp almond paste
1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs
mandarin orange jam, to top
powdered sugar, to top

Whipped cream
1 cup whipping cream
1 tbsp raspberry jam
1 tbsp coconut rum

Heat oven to 350.  Butter 9 inch round cake pan, line bottom with parchment, butter parchment.

Blend sugar and almond paste in food processor until finely ground.  Sift flour, baking powder and salt into medium bowl.

In separate bowl, beat almond paste mixture, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated.  Fold in dry ingredients and transfer to pan.

Bake cake for 30 minutes without opening oven. Rotate pan and continue baking until top is golden and cake is firm, about 8-10 minutes more.  Cool in pan on cake rack for 10 minutes.  Invert cake and remove pan.  Let cool completely.

Once cool, spread a layer of mandarin orange jam over top.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Serve with whipped cream.

For cream, whip all ingredients until peaks form.

A little taste of sunshine for a dreary day!  And this tastes even better the next day when left out at room temperature.