This rich, buttery pound cake is made with whole wheat flour and blanched almonds. Try replacing all or a portion of the almonds with another nut such as pistachio, hazelnut, or pecan. This cake is delicious the day it is baked but reaches its prime about three days after baking. The nut oils condense the cake, making the texture extra dense. Serve alone, or with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of fresh whipped cream. Recipe courtesy of Mary Helen Leonard from Mary Makes Good.
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Grease and flour five mini loaf pans then set them on top of a baking sheet. Set aside.
Combine the whole wheat flour, baking powder, and salt in a small mixing bowl. Whisk together.
Mix the sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Once blended, add the butter and cream on medium-high until light and fluffy (about three minutes).
Reduce the speed of the mixer then add the eggs one at a time. Follow with the extracts.
Add the almond flour followed by the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Scoop the batter evenly into the five loaf pans.
Bake for sixty minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of one cake. The toothpick will come out dry when the cake has finished baking.
Allow the cakes to cool on the pan for about fifteen minutes. After that, turn them out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.
To make the topping, combine the sugar, lemon zest, and juice in a small saucepan. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat, stirring well to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to low and allow the syrup to simmer for ten minutes. Turn off the heat, add the almonds, and stir to coat them well.
Spread the coated almonds over the tops of the cooled cakes.
