almond cake with orange-elderflower liqueur

Picture yourself in a Parisian apartment on a dewy morning in May. The trees are blossoming, the air smells of fresh rain, and you’re gazing out the window of your Juliet balcony at the glossy streets of Paris. That, at least, is the visual I come up with when I take a bite of this sweetly delicious almond pound cake with orange-elderflower liqueur. It seals the deal when I pair it with a cup of breakfast tea or cafe au lait.

what makes this cake so fantasy-inducing

I don’t know that I would say it’s a fantasy so much as a daydream…but “dreamy” is a great word to describe this cake. It’s perfectly moist, just melting in your mouth with each bite. The almonds add some crunch while also complementing the sweet with a nutty flavor. And perhaps the greatest *chef’s kiss* of this dish is the orange-elderflower syrup that soaks through the cake and dances on your tongue with its citrusy, subtly floral notes.

have i sold you yet?

Unless you’re allergic to almonds or hate sweets (in which case of either I’m not really sure why you clicked on this recipe, but no judgement, maybe you come to this blog for my brilliant prose), you are probably ransacking your kitchen cabinets to see if you have all the ingredients for this recipe.

Luckily, other than the elderflower liqueur, this recipe is pretty simple to make and you probably already have most of the ingredients. Here is what you shall need:

Eggs, yogurt, and EVOO If you were wondering where all the aforementioned moistness comes from…also, you can use vegetable oil instead of olive, but EVOO is my heart and soul so I use it with almost everything

Sugar and vanilla extract Those sweet, sweet somethings

AP flour and almond flour Okay, here’s where things get interesting. You can absolutely sub all-purpose flour for the almond if you don’t have it on hand, but I recommend using it to intensify the nuttiness of the flavor. You can also use almond meal if you find/have it

Baking soda and baking powder Rise and shine my little cake

Sliced almonds A coating of thinly sliced almonds atop the cake adds a little crunch and delicious flavor

Orange juice, sugar, and elderflower liqueur You don’t need to add the syrup to the cake, especially if you like your treats to be less sweet. I personally love this addition, though, and check out the notes below for tips and modifications

⟶ the recipe

almond cake with orange-elderflower liqueur

ingredients

2 large eggs

1 cup plain yogurt

1 cup sugar

⅓ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup almond flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

⅛ teaspoon salt

⅓ cup slice almond

½ cup fresh orange juice

½ cup sugar

2 teaspoons elderflower liqueur

Prep time

15 minutes

Cook time

45 minutes

Total time

1 hour

1 loaf

instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9×5-inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, yogurt, sugar, oil, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the mixture to the wet ingredients, folding in until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and sprinkle the sliced almonds over the top. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

While the cake is in the oven, make the syrup by combining the orange juice and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the elderflower liqueur until combined. Set the syrup aside.

When the cake is done, cool it on a rack for about 10 minutes. Then, use a sharp knife to poke slits all over the top of the cake. Pour the syrup over top and give it a few minutes to sink into the cake.

Once the cake has cooked completely, remove from the pan and serve.

⟶ recipe notes

I know it’s tempting to dig into something right when it comes out of the oven, but if you’re adding the syrup make sure to give it time to fully seep into and saturate the cake. Otherwise you’re going to have bites that are overly sweet and others that are more dry (“dry”: a bad word in baking, a good word in winemaking)

⟶ modifications

Like I mentioned earlier, you don’t have to include the syrup at the end, especially if your tooth isn’t as sweet as the rest of ours. You won’t get all the wonderful flavors and as much of the moistness as I’ve been raving on about, but you’ll still end up with a deliciously nutty coffee cake
If you are making the syrup, you can be playful and substitute other citrus flavors as well. I think orange goes great with almonds, but lemon would also probably be great. Just keep in mind if you’re using lemon, you might need to increase the amount of sugar in your syrup so it’s not too tart!
Elderflower liqueur is always a staple in my kitchen, probably because I have a giant bottle of St. Germain and only use a little bit of it at a time. If you don’t have elderflower, you can try another type of liqueur like Cointreau (which will boost the orange flavor)
Finally, if liqueur is not your bread and butter or sounds nasty in a syrup, you can scrap it altogether. Just dilute the orange syrup with some water OR get fancy and substitute something like rose water or orange flower water