Challenge your flavor profiles!

Hello dear readers, I'm back! Thank you for being patient. Apparently after you get married it's not easy to pick back up on the things at home. So in case you were curious, my wedding cake choice was a delicious lemon cake made by a fabulous former White House pastry chef...she is AMAZING! I have been very much in the "citrusy" mood! As a tribute to that, I've found an interesting recipe that combines a delicious citrus with a very unique twist - cinnamon. Leave it to Jacques Pepin to make it happen!

Cinnamon-Lemon Pound Cake
by Jacques Pepin

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 2 sticks (8 ounces) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (from 3 to 4 large lemons)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3 cups cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°. Generously butter a 9-by-2 1/2-inch springform pan. Press the almonds evenly over the base and sides of the pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and cinnamon and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
3. Sift together the cake flour and baking powder. Stir one-third of the milk into the batter, then add one-third of the flour. Repeat twice more, stirring just until the ingredients are incorporated and the batter is smooth; do not overmix.
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 1 hour and 25 minutes, or until the cake is well browned and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on a rack for 20 minutes before unmolding. Serve the cake upside down to show the almond crust.

Happy baking!