April 2013
My Special One’s mom gave him some good advice for a nutritious life- half of your plate should be fruits and vegetables, which it seems, is why dessert is usually served on a separate plate!
April is the month of my health-conscious, Special One’s birthday. The more elaborate plans were slated for a birthday observed date, but I couldn’t let his actual day pass without a little token of birthday cake, and the least I could do was stir in a good portion of fruit! I also thought I owed him some bourbon!
I would recommend this denser, honey-sweetened cake as a breakfast slice, since it’s close to a sweet bread, but that idea depends on your a.m. bourbon habits. Either way, this is a slice best served warm with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla bean ice cream! For an extra bourbony drizzle, I whisked together a spoonful or two of Trader Joe’s Fleur de Sel caramel sauce and a healthy drop of Wild Turkey bourbon.
Brown Butter Strawberry Bourbon Cake
makes one 8-inch round cake
Recipe adapted from Roost
Ingredients
4 Tablespoons butter
2/3 cup almond flour
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 Tablespoons local honey
3 organic eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
1/2 cup organic strawberries, quartered (about 4-5 med/lg strawberries)
1/4-1/2 cup roasted, salted almonds, chopped
1/8 cup bourbon (Wild Turkey)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan.
Melt butter in a small pan over medium/low heat until browned and fragrant.
Set aside. Whisk together the flours, salt and baking soda until combined.
Add honey, eggs, vanilla, almond extract and brown butter.
Use a spatula or mixer to blend until smooth.
Pour mixture into a bowl and fold in quartered strawberries. Pour batter into prepared cake pan.
Top with chopped almonds. Add strawberry garnish.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove the oven to a cooling rack.
Poke holes throughout the top of the cake with a skewer. Pour the bourbon over the cake.