Just when I thought I was done baking for a good long while, I discovered a carton of buttermilk a few days away from expiring and half of a pack of almond paste in the back of the fridge. What to do, what to do? Well, we can’t be wasteful and since we’ve got almost a week to go before we start thinking about New Year’s resolutions and whatnot, what do you say we make one last holiday treat?
Here’s the plan: we’ll use the almond paste in combination with plenty of slivered almonds to make a few dense, nutty little loaves. We’ll call it bread, so we can eat it for breakfast (who am I kidding–like I haven’t been eating Christmas cookies for breakfast all week with little remorse), but really it’s bordering on pound cake. Dried figs will get plumped up with a bit of Grand Marnier and folded into the batter along with rosemary, adding a dose of holiday cheer.
Remember a few weeks ago when I told you I was on the prowl for a go-to apple cake recipe? I made a 
