A few weeks ago I visited Naomi and Tamir in Israel. Naomi and Tamir are very good friends of our family and one of the few couples I know, that is married for many many years and still seems really happy together (maybe that is the magic secret behind this cake ;-)).
As I woke up at their home, I went to the fridge and found a box with homemade cake. As other people need coffee, I need sugar in the morning. I ate a piece and was overwhelmed. I was sure I came across a special, oriental cake with interesting spices. But Naomi revealed the cake as a Scottish Speciality, that Queen Elisabeth gets served for Tea every day. There is a reason for that!
If someone had shown me the ingredients of this cake, I would have never made it. I am not fond of raisins and things like that. But honestly this cake is amazing, thats why I want to share it with you. Thank you Naomi for the recipe!
PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 170°C. Cream butter and sugar. Mix flour and baking powder and break up eggs. Add eggs and flour alternately to the creamed butter beginning with flour and ending with flour. Add the rest of the ingredients except the almonds. It should get dropping consistency. Put baking paper in a round and 24 cm tin and fill in the dough. Flatten and bake it for 1,5 hours. After 45 minutes baking, arrange the almonds on the cake and put it back in the oven. If you put the almonds from the beginning, they will burn and sink. After 1,5 hours turn off the heat and open the door a little bit and let the cake cool down in the oven. The riper the cake, the better it tastes. Keep it wrapped in the fridge.
