2/14/16

Frangipane Cake




While in Elementary School, Mr. Man-Pants fell in love with a lady, named 'Britney.' He spoke of her incessantly. And even professed his love for her in a quixotic, and beautifully-illustrated love letter. A letter I have treasured for many years. And now, the time has come, to share it with you, my friends, this Valentine's Day.

 Be forewarned. The innocence and cute factor will make your heart go BOOM!
Enjoy his artwork, and grammar.


Before publishing this, I asked the boy:

'Would it be okay to post your love letter to Britney?'

'Who?'

. . . And fare thee well, my only Love,
And fare thee well a while!


May Cupid aim in your direction this Valentine's Day. But if he misses, whate'er. There's always cake!

Frangipane Cake

This cake is delicious on its own. I gave it a light dusting of confectioner's sugar, and served it with poached fresh figs. I made the sugar rose, but, fresh flowers would look just as pretty in this heart Bundt cake.

1 pound almond paste, broken into small pieces
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup AP flour
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla paste, or vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
¼ teaspoon salt
6 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup coarsely chopped figs, pears, peaches or whole mixed berries

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.

2.In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine almond paste, granulated sugar and flour. Mix until mixture resembles cornmeal. Add butter, vanilla paste, almond extract and salt, and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, until smooth.

3. Pour batter into prepared pan. Place fruit on top (if using). Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until a light golden brown. Cool cake in the pan on wire rack. Remove from pan and cool completely.

4. Dust with confectioner's sugar. Adapted from Intermezzo magazine.





I have been away far too long. Please, forgive my disappearing act.  Sam was married last year. And we got a little preoccupied with the wedding. As well as helping the newlyweds (and their dog) move back home. Not complaining, but a Calm Down button would sure be nice.


15 comments:

  1. A heavenly cake! Glad that you are back.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Rosa; it's always good to see you!

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  2. I missed you so!
    Worth the wait..always..OMG your Sam is married!
    Where did time go?
    I bet the wedding was exquisite ..
    Love the cake..and that chair..could be a Louis Icart painting.

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    1. Mon ami Monique! I've missed you dearly. I evenmiss my French lessons with you. Hugs.

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  3. Anonymous14/2/16

    Fantastic. Frangipani my favorite.Pitty Valentine is over , cake looks amazing!

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    1. Welcome Dubravka! Needless to say, I'm also a big fan of Frangipane, in cake or tart form.

      Btw, the cake is not relegated to V-day only. I make it year-round, using fruits in season. It's particularly good with apricots. Enjoy.

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  4. Oh my goodness that is SO sweet! I love how gentle he is and no pressure. And the texture of this cake looks divine! :D

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    1. Thank you, sweet Lorraine! His love letter still makes my heart skip a beat. Although, it is possible my ticker ain't what it used to be :)

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  5. Imagine my surprise and delight to see your post! We recently returned from vacation and I'm still trying to catch with my blog list. Oh my gosh, Mr. Man Pants got married??? Congratulations to your family and your son. Maybe, one day soon, you'll join the ranks of Nanahood. We just had our third grandson in January! What an adorable letter your son wrote to Britny (who?) LOL. He must be a wonderful, loving husband. I love almond cakes and if I didn't gain a few pounds on vacation I'd make it tonight! So good to 'see' you, Marysol!

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    Replies
    1. Oh, nooo, Susan! Don't marry off the boy just yet! Mr. Man-pants has just recently noticed girls. There'll be no more weddings, for at least another 15 . . . 20 years.

      It was daughter Sam who got married last spring in Nashville.

      Btw, congratulations on the 3rd grandson! What a wonderful way to keep busy. Can you hear my grandma clock ticking?

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  6. This is just adorable Frangipane Cake. I have never seen such a beautiful cake. I will be having a fairy wedding soon and would like to have this cake on my big day. Right now we are webbed in finalizing wedding venues which are good and fits in your budget.

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  7. Seriously? Sam is old enough to get married? Thumper's love letter is as sweet as it gets - what a lucky girl Britny is/was. Did he give her the letter? Missed you.

    P.S. Nice cake - but that rose? Oh my!

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  8. Stunning like all that you create, dear Marysol. Magic fingers and so picturesque. Missing you, dear friend. Need to catch up!

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  9. Do my eyes deceive me? Woodie, I've missed you!
    I can't decide whether I'm happy or sad. Maybe a little bit of both. Happy to see you, but also sad, because I can't give you an actual hug.



    Joey, life's been a roller coaster ride. And yes, we have a lot of catching up to do, my dear friend!

    You sweet girlfriends have made my day!

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  10. Hey Sol, you might just be hugging me one of these days cause I might very well be stalking you as our son still owns a home in Saugatuck and when we come to visit, I'll try my darndest to hunt you down and that other Annie as well - she's easy, you're a tough cookie but hey we'll see :)

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