Almond Cake with Balsamic Glazed Strawberries

"Three Ghostesses"

Three little ghostesses,

Sitting on postesses,

Eating buttered toastesses,

Greasing their fistesses,

Up to their wristesses.

Oh, what beastesses

To make such feastesses!

And what a feast this was eating Almond Cake with Balsamic Glazed Strawberries.

Cook's Notes: This cake scores a 10 on my radar. The almond flavor is incredible in this moist cake. Balsamic glazed strawberries are the piece de resistance. No matter what time of the day this cake is served it will be well received. 

The recipe was adapted from parents.com 

Note you will only need 1/2 of the package of almond paste (7.2 oz). Be sure to plastic wrap the remaining almond paste before putting back into the box to retain its freshness.   

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 box (3.5 ounces) almond paste
• ½ cup butter, softened
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1/2 teaspoon each vanilla extract and almond extract
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups sliced strawberries
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon dark balsamic vinegar or chocolate balsamic
• 1/2 cup almonds mixed with sugar 

Directions:

• Heat the oven to 350°. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan. Line the pan with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit the bottom and butter and flour the paper.
• Place the sugar and almond paste in a food processor and pulse until it's blended, about 40 seconds. 
• Add the butter, zest, and extract. Pulse until smooth, about 40 seconds. With the processor running, add the eggs one at a time. Remove the lid and add the flour, baking powder, and salt, then pulse a few more times, just until blended, about 15 seconds. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
• Press sugared almonds on top. 
• Bake the cake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place the berries, honey, and vinegar in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Refrigerate for at least one hour or until the berries are juicy.
• Cool the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then loosen the cake's sides with a knife, invert it onto a serving plate, and peel off the parchment. Serve the cake  topped with drained berries.