Gracewood Stitches
Some of the most meaningful Christmas memories aren’t what most would call “happy,” but are memorable for other reasons. Last Christmas was such a time at our house, when on Christmas Eve the power to the well house failed and we had no water! It was a holiday in a remote area, and there was definitely no way of quickly repairing the problem. So plans for a holiday dinner had to change quickly, and we learned anew how kind our neighbors are when they welcomed our daily trips to fill up water jugs—for 12 days as it turned out! When “plans” don’t go as planned for Christmas, it can be a great gift if it helps us think of what the day truly celebrates.
Amaretto Buttermilk Bundt Cake
21/2 cups flour 1/2 cup almond flour 21/2 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 teaspoon salt 11/2 cups sugar 1/2 cup butter, room temperature 3 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 3 tablespoons Amaretto or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 11/4 cups buttermilk Glaze 2 cups confectioners’ sugar 1 tablespoon milk 2 tablespoons Amaretto 1/4 cup toasted, sliced almonds
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt or tube pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well combined.
In a measuring cup or small bowl, combine vanilla, Amaretto or almond extract, and buttermilk. Working in two or three additions, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture to the butter mixture, ending with a final addition of dry ingredients. Stir only until no streaks of flour remain. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack before topping with glaze. Serves 16. For glaze, in a medium bowl, combine sugar, milk and Amaretto. Whisk until smooth. If mixture is too thick to drizzle easily, add additional milk 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over cake, then sprinkle cake with sliced almonds while the glaze is still wet.
Allow glaze to set for at least 30 minutes before serving.