This lovely cake was passed on to me from our very vibrant American community here in Kinvara, always willing to share the recipe and the cake! very simple to make, only tedious bit is taking the cardamon seeds from the pods, maybe recruit a helper!
Line a 23cm spring form cake tin with non stick baking paper
Set the oven 180c gas 4
150g butter plus 1 tablespoon
60g almonds, toasted and chopped, not too fine
260g caster sugar plus 2 tablespoons
4 eggs
160g plain flour
1 tablespoon cardamom seeds
grated rind 1 lemon
grated rind 1 orange
Melt all the butter, then take a tablespoon of the melted butter and brush it over the base of the lined tin, set the remaining butter aside. Sprinkle the chopped almond also over the base of the tin plus the 2 tablespoons of sugar (this becomes the top of the cake when it’s baked). Whisk the remaining sugar and eggs together until thick and creamy, fold in the flour, cardamom seeds, lemon and orange rind. Now fold in the melted butter. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 30/35 minutes. Allow to cool in the tin, turn on to a serving plate and carefully peel off the paper. The base is now the top of the cake. Serve just as it is or very good with poached fruit, rhubarb now in season and thick cream.