Weekday snack cake



I baked this cake awhile ago, evidently. Haven't seen the sun since.

No matter. When the weather's not brightening your day, sometimes a cake can do the trick.

Toasted Pine Nut Cake
4.5 ounces pine nuts, toasted and cooled
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup salted butter, cut into pieces
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour an 8-inch round cake pan (mine was 9-inch, which explains why my cake is so squat compared to the one in the Gourmet photo).

Pulse the toasted pine nuts and sugar in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the butter and process until combined. Repeat with the eggs and vanilla.

Add the flour and baking powder and pulse just until incorporated. Spread the batter in the prepared cake pan.

Bake until the cake is just firm to the touch and a wooden pick inserted into the centre comes out clean (about 30-35 minutes). Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, before flipping it out onto a rack to cool completely.

Store, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Notes: You see that dense bit in the centre? I'm not sure if it's because pine nuts contain more oil than walnuts, or because I underbaked the cake. It didn't *seem* underbaked, so I wouldn't worry if yours turns out the same. For the record, we ate ours with a smear of blackberry jam à la J-Bo. I'm sorry you can't do the same.

Source: Based on Walnut Jam Cake, originally published in Gourmet, April 2009.

Labels: