Almonds, Dried Cranberries and Maple Cake

The following cakes will indulge anyone who is into moist, syrupy cakes.

When I made the cake, I wanted the almond and maple flavors to be the dominant ones, but, at the same time, I still wanted to have other flavors in it. The solution was to add some warm spices to it, to enhance the maple and almonds’ sweet aroma, and dried cranberries and buttermilk, for a bit of tanginess to balance the sweetness.
The cake is quick and easy to prepare, and will fill your kitchen with wonderful aroma while baking, and even more so, when maple syrup is poured on it, once it’s out of the oven. It is best served warm, with tea or coffee. It will also work well as a new addition to the traditional Thanksgiving deserts table. Try it and enjoy.

Notes:
* The quality of maple syrup is important here, so make sure to use pure real maple syrup, not any commercial substitutes.

Makes: 16 squares
Prep time: 30 minutes
Baking time: 35-40 minutes

Ingredients:
1 stick (115 grams) butter, very soft
2 L eggs
½ cup sugar
¼ cup maple sugar (or light brown sugar)
½ cup whole buttermilk
½ tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp vanilla paste
1 cup fine almond flour
1 cup white flour
1 Tbs baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ cup dried cranberries (I used lightly sweetened with apple juice)
½ cup maple syrup (see notes)

1. Preheat the oven to 350F (175C). Line an 8×8” (20×20 cm) pan with baking paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar and maple sugar. Add the eggs and whisk to a smooth mixture. Add the buttermilk, cardamom, and vanilla, and whisk again (the mixture will seem “broken”, but that’s fine).

3. Add the almond flour and whisk well. Add the white flour, baking powder, salt and dried cranberries, and mix briefly to combine. Pour the batter into the lined pan.

4. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Pour the maple syrup all over the top of the cake while it is still warm. Place on a rack, to let cool and absorb the syrup. Serve warm.