almond cake

it turned windy and chilly here a couple of days ago and i wanted to do nothing more than fill my apartment with the smell of freshly baked cake (what is it about chilly weather that makes me want to bake)? i was craving something sweet and buttery but not too heavy. 
alice waters to the rescue. i found this easy recipe in her the art of simple food cookbook and after a quick trip to the market for some almond paste, made a delicious, buttery almond cake. 
with some imported sicilian orange marmalade, it was the perfect breakfast, afternoon pick-me-up and midnight snack. 
Ingredients
1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
7 ounces almond paste
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 pound plus 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 eggs, room temperature

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).
2. Butter a 9-by-3-inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Butter the paper and dust the pan with flour, shaking out the excess.
3. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
4. Stir together the almond paste and sugar until the almond paste is in very small pieces. Or, more easily, pulverize together in a food processor or stand mixer.
5. By hand or in a stand mixer, beat the unsalted butter until lightened. Add the almond-paste-and-sugar mixture to the butter and cream together until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract. Beat the eggs into the butter mixture one at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl repeatedly to ensure that all the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.
6. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
7. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool.
8. Turn the cake out of the pan and remove the parchment paper. Serve the cake plain or with sliced fruit and whipped cream.