Meyer Lemon Almond Torte - Or a cake that dared to be different

I made this torte the other day. It was an experiment in baking (not wise) that turned out good (lucky). I actually brought it to guests (OK, in-laws) for dessert and had no clue what it was going to taste like. 

Fortunately it was delicious, or to quote my sistah-in-law Bliss, "F'in fabulous!" This was yet another recipe I tweaked; it was supposed to be a "cake." However, the substitution of almond meal flour for regular flour turned it into something very different. I have actually tweaked the recipe below a bit more because I don't think it needed all the oil or sugar I originally used. If you try it and it comes out of the oven with a concave shape, don't freak out. The edges should be pliable enough to push down to level it out a bit. This will make for a beautifully chewy "crust." And any other mistakes (I'll spare you the details here) can be covered up with the frosting.

2 ½ cups almond meal flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

3 Large eggs

1 ½ cups sugar

½ cup canola or corn oil

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh Meyer lemon juice (divided)

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (divided)

2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract (divided)

1 cup sour cream

5 tablespoons (2/3 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

Oil bottom, sides 9-inch or 10-inch springform pan. Line bottom of pan with wax paper or parchment paper and oil the paper. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until thickened and lightened to a cream color, about 2 minutes.

On low speed, mix in oil, ½ cup lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest and 2 teaspoons vanilla until blended. Blend in flour mixture and incorporate the two, then mix in sour cream until no white streaks remain.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake on center rack of preheated oven until top feels firm and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour.

Let cake rest in pan 15 minutes, then run a knife around edge of cake and center tube to loosen it. When cooled, invert onto a serving plate. Discard paper liner. Leave cake, bottom side up, to cool and frost.

In large bowl, using electric mixer on low speed, beat butter, cream cheese, remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice, remaining 1 teaspoon lemon zest and remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar until frosting is smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Use a spatula to spread frosting over top, sides and in center hole of cake. Cake can be covered and stored in refrigerator up to 3 days. Serve cold or at room temperature. Makes 12 servings.