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New Years Almond Pound Cake (Good Luck Cake)

written by Ashley Fehr

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5 from 6 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 16 slices

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Published on December 14, 2015 / Last updated on June 6, 2020

A rich, moist Almond Pound Cake that’s made better for you with yogurt! A fun New Years dessert with one whole almond baked in — whoever gets the almond will have one year good luck!

whole almond pound cake on glass cake plate with almond slivers baked into the top

The first time I made this, I failed miserably.

I had gotten the recipe from a cookbook, and it just did not turn out. I’m not going to deny that part of the reason is my occasional inability to follow instructions. But the other part of the reason is that it was not a great recipe.

So I went to Pinterest (obviously) and was on the hunt for an Almond Pound Cake recipe. I knew I wanted to use a pound cake base because (even though I’ve technically never made a pound cake) I wanted something somewhat dense, but still rich and moist. I wanted beautiful, luscious slices of cake.

slice of almond pound cake being pulled out of the whole on the glass cake plate

I found a great base recipe, but I wanted to lighten it up (I mean, after the Cranberry Chocolate Chunk Blondies and the Apple Crisp Cinnamon Buns and the Brown Sugar Pecan Cookies….) . I used low fat Greek yogurt in place of the cream cheese (for less fat and a boost of protein!). I added some almond extract, and some sliced almonds in the pan before adding the batter.

And then I crossed my fingers.

It may or may not have been the finger crossing, but the cake came out of the oven perfectly moist and luscious (it’s just the word that comes to mind with a pound cake, right?).

One of the best parts of this Almond Pound Cake is the single whole almond baked inside. After you pour the batter into the pan, you press in one whole almond. You serve it up at your New Years party, and whoever gets the slice with the whole almond inside will have one year good luck!

slice of almond pound cake on black plate with whipped cream swirls and toasted almonds

I mean, not really. But it is so fun, right?

As I was putting this cake into the oven, I actually had forgotten to put the almond in. I could have just let it bake, and you really would never know if there was one whole almond or not. But the anticipation of who will get the almond is just too much fun — I couldn’t resist! So I quickly pulled it out of the oven and slid the almond into the batter.

close up image of slice of almond pound cake on black plate with whipped cream

We haven’t gotten that far into the cake yet (there are only 2 of us who eat cake!), so I can’t even tell you if it’s going to be me or not 😉

I think this is such a fun idea to do with any dessert, even cupcakes! Pop a whole almond in one and see where it turns up. And a healthier but still delicious dessert is the perfect way to kick off a New Year, don’t you think?

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New Years Almond Pound Cake (Good Luck Cake)

written by Ashley Fehr

5 from 6 votes
A rich, moist Almond Pound Cake that’s made better for you with yogurt and reduced sugar! A fun New Years dessert with one whole almond baked in — whoever gets the almond will have one year good luck!
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Cuisine American
Course Dessert
Servings 16 slices
Calories 337cal

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds
  • 1 cup butter room temperature
  • 1 cup low fat plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 6 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Optional: whipped cream to serve

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and grease a bundt pan well with non stick spray. Sprinkle slivered almonds in the bottom and on the sides of the bundt pan (you can use the spray to keep the almonds on the sides if you want). Set aside.
  • In a large bowl with an electric or stand mixer, beat butter until smooth and creamy (I used my whisk attachment for the whole recipe, but you can use a regular beater too). Add yogurt and beat until combined. Add the sugar and beat until combined.
  • With the mixer on low, add eggs one at a time, beating until combined. Add extracts and beat until combined.
  • Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix on low speed just until combined. Pour into prepared bundt pan and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
  • Let cool in pan for 10-15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Serve with whipped cream and toasted almonds if desired.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 337cal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 167mg | Potassium: 121mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 444IU | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 2mg

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Almond Pound Cake recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens.

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Meet Ashley

My name is Ashley Fehr and I love creating easy meals my family loves. I also like to do things my way, which means improvising and breaking the rules when necessary. Here you will find creative twists on old favorites and some of my favorite family recipes, passed down from generations!

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Comments

  3. Stacey @ Bake Eat Repeat says

    I’ve never heard that about good luck with the whole almond in your slice – sounds super fun! I totally need to do that next time I make a cake now! This one looks just delicious – I love almond flavoured things!

    Reply

  13. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says

    Definitely doesn’t look like you failed on this attempt! This cake loooks gorgeous, Ashley!! LOVE the pound cake base and the addition of almonds! I need all the luck for the next year, so I think I should make 7 of these and eat them all by myself! 😉 Cheers, girlfriend! <3

    Reply

  14. Cakespy says

    I love the look of this cake – but possibly even MORE, I love the idea and tradition behind it! I love the idea of bringing in the new year with sweetness like this.

    Reply

  16. Kelly says

    This is such a beautiful pound cake! I am such a big fan of desserts with almonds in them and I love that you lightened it up! The single whole almond sounds like so much fun!

    Reply

  17. Dorothy Dunton says

    Hi Ashley! Pound cake is my husband’s favorite cake, one reason being that he’s not much of a frosting fan. I always put a little almond extract in mine, it adds that extra something special. I love the idea of the almond slices added to the pan before the batter! I think it’s pound cake time!

    Reply

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