CAROLINE HODGE (Brentwood, Tennessee) calls her grandma Mom Mom. Mom Mom is CAROLYN JENKINS BOOTH (Nashville, Tennessee), and her favorite thing to do is cook. Caroline shares that they enjoy playing cards together and taking the family’s annual summer beach trip, where Mom Mom spends a good part of the week making smoothies and delicious desserts. Another tradition is to get everyone together to celebrate family birthdays, and they can count on Mom Mom to make the celebrant’s favorite birthday food—everything from macaroni and cheese to brown rice to cherry cobbler. “Mom Mom has influenced me by teaching me how to serve others with the gifts God has given us. God has given my grandmother the gift of cooking, and she has continued to serve others by taking meals to those who are sick, grieving, or just need encouragement, and she’s always willing to make food for parties or when someone has had a baby. I am so thankful she has passed this special gift on to me. I love to cook and help other people. One year Mom Mom, my mom, and I made these almond tortes as Christmas gifts to raise money for a mission trip. Just by selling these delicious and pretty tortes we were able to raise over half of the amount that was needed for the trip,” Caroline says.
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 ½ cups of sugar, plus some for dusting
2 large eggs
1 ½ teaspoons almond flavoring
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
⅓ cup thinly sliced or slivered almonds
Sugar for sprinkling on top
1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9- or 10-inch skillet with foil, dull side up.
2 In a large bowl stir together the melted butter and sugar.
3 In a small bowl stir the eggs and almond flavoring; then use a hand mixer on low speed to blend in with the sugar and butter mixture, just until blended. Add the flour and salt and mix on low until well blended. Pour into the prepared skillet.
4 Cover the mixture with sliced almonds. Sprinkle a little sugar on the top. Bake for 30 minutes.
5 Cool completely in the skillet; then carefully lift the torte out of the pan using the sides of the foil. Peel the foil off carefully. Put the torte on a plate to serve or on a board to give away. This is a heavy cake, so cut it into very thin wedges or strips to serve.
MAKES 16 SERVINGS.