Sofia cake ~

 ~ Sofia cake ~

Sofia cake for a spiritual sunny Sunday gathering.  It was Miss Little Bit and myself alone all weekend.  Truth be told, I was grumpy and testy a fair percentage of the weekend, I felt for her.   I did pull it together to ask her if she wanted to help me make a cake for Sunday's spiritual gathering, I was on snack duty.  I already had brownies made, more snacks were needed.  Please forgive the oil....I was low on butter, feeling financially pinced, I had lots of oil on hand, was too lazy to run to the store.  Pick an excuse, most of them are hardly valid save the second and last one.  Substitute 1 1/2 sticks melted butter or simple cream room temp butter with the sugar, the flavor will be softer, richer, more depth with butter.  On to...

Sofia cake ~

 

3 1/2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

4 tsp. pumpkin spice

2 c. sugar

1 c. oil (or substitute 1 1/2 sticks butter)

15 oz. pumpkin puree

4 eggs

1 c. buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. almond extract

1 c. chopped whole almonds

• Why almonds?  Because when I asked Sofia is she wanted nuts, that I had plenty of almonds, she replied, "Yes!  When I think of almonds, I think of yummy!"  I don't feel the same about almonds.  This is not my cake. 
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour a baking pan of choice.  Either a bundt or angel food size pan with a removable bottom.
• Mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin, sugar, oil, eggs, extracts.  Mix well.
• In thirds, add the flour mixtures and buttermilk, starting with the flour, ending with the buttermilk.
• Fold in the almonds.
• Bake for....oh....start checking on it at 55 minutes.  It might take 10-15 minutes longer than that.  I'll leave that to you and your oven.  It should spring back or leave no crumbs on a toothpick...or a pretty handy dandy Swedish cake tester like we have.  :)