Our love filled life: Almond Cream Cake (Frankfurter Kranz)

There are so many things about a Saturday morning that are so special to me. I love waking up in my nice warm bed wrapped up in a cozy fluffy duvet and know that today is going to be a slower paced day for us.

Most of the time I wake up to arms being wrapped around me to cuddle - which is my favorite way to wake up. I can't say I felt this way when we first got married though! We laugh about it now of course - but I use to feel suffocated when Ben would cuddle me in the morning! Maybe its because he would squeeze me until I would have to gasp for air...but I must say this was not the most pleasant way for me to wake up. Its funny how over the years I've gotten so use to the morning cuddles and "still half asleep" morning convos that when we are apart it feels like there is definitely something missing and its hard to go without it now. Isn't that interesting how we can adjust to things like that and then they are hard to live without after?

Sometimes though I do wake up on a Saturday morning to find that my hubby was an early bird...like this morning actually. I'll wake up and hear music coming from the living room - as soon as I open the bedroom door to see what he's been up to I'll hear a big "Goooodmoorninggg!" which always makes me smile. Knowing that he will be home for the whole day is something really nice for me even if we are both doing our own separate things in the morning.

Today Ben was working on our taxes at the dining room table - He said he would be busy for a little while but he would still like some company - So I thought it would be nice to do some baking and spend some time together while he worked.

I tried this cake for the first time when Ben and I went to visit his Aunt and Uncle in Guelph. His Aunt is so amazing at cooking and baking! I am always inspired by her German cakes when we visit and I always make sure to ask for the recipe before we leave and I'm starting to get quite the collection. She makes cakes for her daughter Heidi to sell in her cafe - http://www.rumbletumcafe.ca/ and this almond cake is a really popular one. During one of our visits last summer she showed me how to make this cake and how to assemble it. I stood there in amazement just watching her! Of course this wonderful woman has at least 40 years experience under her belt in the baking department so I can't expect to be as fast as her or for my cakes to turn out as perfect as her's - but she is definitely someone I admire and love to learn from!

I have a few other cakes of hers I will make sure to post and share with all of you as well, so make sure to look out for those:) If you are ever having guests over for coffee and cake this recipe will for sure make your guests leave happy and wanting to get the recipe from you!

Here are the simple ingredients you will need for the cake:

6 eggs
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of oil
2 cups of flour
2 tsp baking powder

And the cream:

1 litre of 35% whipping cream (large carton)
1 pkg of vanilla pudding mix

As well as:

2 cups of sliced almonds
& Jam of your choice

Cream together eggs and sugar until well blended - then add oil and beat together

Then add flour and baking powder

Continue mixing on medium speed until mixture is smooth

Grease and flour your spring form cake pan

Pour batter into cake pan evenly - cook in oven at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes until nice and brown

It should look something like this when finished

For the whipped cream add 1 litre of whipping cream into a bowl

Whip the cream until half firm

Then add the pudding mix and continue mixing until the cream is fully thickened

Once cream and pudding mix are well blended it should look something like this

I think the cream is actually my favorite part of the entire cake just because its so different from anything I have ever had on a cake before! It is light and fluffy from the whipped cream and isn't a thick sweet icing that will leave you with a sugar high! But the pudding mix does give it just that little bit of sweetness that you need to make it complete.

And now for the almonds...