When we first saw the Sweet Paul Cake, we immediately Googled it. Who the heck is "Sweet Paul" and what is this cake?

Paul Lowe, the genius behind Sweet Paul, is a champion of yummy recipes and DIY inventieveness. He's basically the male version of Martha Stewart, minus the crazy Twitter account.

Also, you're probably wondering how this cake made its way to being the best in the world:

This cake was awarded the title of Norway’s National Cake a few years back. It’s called verdens beste in Norwegian, and I agree that it just might be the world’s best. You may be skeptical of its superiority, since it isn’t iced as are many American cakes. When we photographed it, I left it at the studio apartment of Alexandra Grablewski, this book’s photographer, and the next day she confessed to having eaten two huge servings. “I guess the Norwegians are right,” she said.
-- Sweet Paul Eat & Make

The cake's ingredients are as simple as its presentation. The recipe is one of many from the new book "Sweet Paul Eat & Make," which holds a combination of recipes and DIY craft projects that showcase Sweet Paul's "Nordic roots and New York tastes," as Tyler Florence puts it.

How can you not want to try baking this cake now? Luckily we have the recipe below:



WORLD'S BEST CAKE
Serves 8
Ingredients:
10 1/2 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 1/2 tablespoons) butter, softened
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
5 large eggs, separated
1/3 cup whole milk
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, with a rack in the middle position. Line an 8-x-12-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Beat the butter and 2/3 cup of the sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and creamy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the flour and baking powder and mix well on low speed.
4. Mix in the egg yolks and milk.
5. Scrape the batter into the baking pan.
6. In a large clean bowl, beat the egg whites and the remaining 1 cup sugar to soft peaks. Spread on top of the cake layer. Sprinkle with the almond slices.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown and puffed. Cool on a wire rack in the pan. Transfer to a cutting board.
8. When the cake is cool, put the cream in a medium bowl and scrape in the vanilla seeds. Discard the vanilla pod. Beat to soft peaks with an electric mixer, about 3 minutes.
9. Cut the cake in half crosswise with a serrated knife. Place one half of the cake on a serving tray and cover with the cream. Place the other half, meringue side up, on top.
10. Let the cake sit for 1 hour in the fridge before serving.