Gluten Free Cranberry Almond Cake

When I was a brand spankin' new Air Force wife, we were stationed in a little town in Florida. Another AF spouse and I bonded quickly, and we used to get together at the local bookstore and share recipes over coffee. You know, back when we were young, didn't have kiddos, and actually looked for things to occupy our time. Which is HILARIOUS to me now. Twenty years later, I would give anything to have that kind of free time again! Amy and I shared some of the sweetest times together back then AND I scored a ton of delicious recipes. But there was this one recipe ... the one that became my ALL. TIME. FAVORITE. Just a ton of butter and flour and sugar and almond extract and cranberries. I had given up on ever having this again until I was working on a cookie recipe and BAM. Instant time travel back to Panama City in 2001. So back to the kitchen I went, and this beauty is now a reality. And it's kinda perfect for Valentine's Day. Grain free and gluten free, this cake is the perfect blend of tart and sweet. Since the base of this is a cookie recipe, just know that the batter will be thick! But the moisture from the berries gives it the texture of cake or muffins. This can be baked in a variety of ways, but my favorite is in a cast-iron skillet. Pull it out of the oven, top it with a big ole scoop of vanilla ice cream, and plunk it on the table. Hand out some spoons and encourage everyone to dig in. Then wait for the moaning to begin. Because yes, it is THAT GOOD.