Lemon-Almond Pound Cake

My husband is something of a citrus fiend.  If we need freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice while cooking, chances are that I will turn around to and find him sucking on the remains of the  lemon or lime he just squeezed.  Actually, chances are that he will suck on it, Brady will come to find out what he is eating and then Brady will try to steal it and run away with it.  But since Brady doesn't particularly like citrus he tends to spit out the lemon or lime, pick it back up, spit it back out again, then give it a last lick, before finally giving up.  Anyway, Alex loves lemon poppyseed muffins so I decided to give this Lemon-Almond Pound Cake recipe a try.  I'm always the one who decides that I want to bake and then what I will be baking, so this time I decided to pick something that I knew he would like.  I borrowed this cookbook from a friend awhile ago and I copied down a lot of recipes from it before I gave it back.  I have been sitting on this recipe for some time, but decided to make it last night because it was SNOWING outside (which makes me feel like baking), plus it was Brady's second birthday, which makes me feel like cake.  So we got ourselves a bottle of champagne and I baked a cake, and Brady got some new toys to play with (including a ball shaped like a frog whose toes he has already eaten off).  Sounds like a win for everyone, doesn't it?

This cake is lovely and lemony and light.  It has just the right amount of sweetness to balance out the tartness of the lemon, without turning the whole cake sugary sweet.  I also love the crunch of the almonds.  I think I might prefer the crunch of the sliced almonds to poppy seeds, but I just don't know.  I was a little worried about the lemon glaze, and we did use it sparingly, but it's really nice too.  It would make a fantastic breakfast, a really nice snack and a wonderful light dessert.  Granted, it's not your typical birthday cake, but that's just fine with me!

Recipe after the jump!

Lemon-Almond Pound Cake

The Foster's Market Cookbook

By Sarah Foster

INGREDIENTS:

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 sticks unsalted butter, softened

3 cups sugar

6 large eggs

Grated zest and juice of 3 lemons

1 1/4 cups milk

3 cups sliced almonds

Lemon glaze (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and lightly flour two 9x5x3 inch loaf pans.  Whisk together dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt).  In another bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, on eat a time, beating well.  Combine lemon zest, lemon juice, and milk in a small bowl.  Stir well.  Add dry ingredients to egg mixture, alternating with milk-lemon mixture.  Stir until ingredients are well-combined.  Fold in almonds.  Pour batter into prepared pans and bake 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of each loaf comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and cool 10-15 minutes in the pans.  Meanwhile, make glaze.  Turn loaves out of the pans.  While the loaves are still warm, brush with the glaze and serve immediately.

Lemon glaze

INGREDIENTS:

juice of 3 lemons

1/2 cup sugar

Place lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to low boil.  Cook, stirring occasionally, 7-10 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved and mixture has thickened slightly.  Brush on top of cake.