As soon as the wind blew cold we began looking forward to the almond cakes that would soon grace our tables — not to mention the lively debates between my grandmother and Mrs. Olson as to whose recipe was better.
The two of them shared responsibility for the kitchen at our church, across the street from my grandmother’s house. It was always fun to ask either one who was in charge, then sit back and wait for the fireworks.
As a boy I spent a lot of time going back and forth between the house and Sunday school, and if I wanted to find my grandmother I need only look in one kitchen or the other. They were always cooking something. My grandmother’s name was Greta, and I looked forward to collation after church so I could work through everything the ladies had baked.
Where this recipe came from
According to my mother, Grammy Greta got her almond cake recipe from her friend Mrs. Olson — who got it from her mother, Hilda, back in Sweden. So this is the original, and everything else in our family is a rendition of it, with ingredients added or taken away to make theirs the best anyone had ever made. Not that anyone in my family competes.
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups sugar
- 1 egg
- 1½ teaspoons pure almond extract
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1¼ cups flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 stick melted butter
Method
- Grease an almond cake pan.
- Beat the sugar, egg, almond extract and milk together in a bowl.
- Add the flour and baking powder and mix well.
- Add the melted butter and mix well.
- Bake at 350°F for 40 to 50 minutes. The edges must be golden brown.
- Cool in the pan before removing — the cake will break if you turn it out too soon.
- Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.
What the argument was actually about
Put the two recipes side by side and they are the same cake, ingredient for ingredient, to the half teaspoon. Greta’s version adds one teaspoon of vanilla. That is the whole difference, and it was enough for two women to argue about across a church kitchen for years.
Kathi’s went further — raw sugar, whole milk, and coconut oil on the pan instead of spray.