Strawberry Lemonade Almond Pound Cake

This is a rich dense Italian-style almond pound cake with fine ground almond flour in the batter that is drenched in a tart lemon syrup right out of the oven. It’s the perfect Summer cake. For bakeries, it stays moist for up to 7 days even without the berries on top, so it is ideal during the slower time of the year. This cake is not only an ideal canvas for fresh strawberries but any fresh fruit. Take a tropical spin on it and top it with grilled pineapple and toasted coconut. Try it with fresh mango and kiwi. Fresh nectarines and a flourish of blackberry compote would sing from your dessert plates atop this masterpiece. You’ll find it to be one of your most popular desserts this season. Enjoy!

Don’t have a commercial kitchen and just want to make this cake at home? Here’s the home baker’s version:

Strawberry Lemonade Almond Pound Cake

Yield 1 9-inch pound cake

1 1/2 cups Almond flour

3/4 cup Panhandle Milling all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. baking soda

4 eggs

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 Tbsps.  fresh lemon zest

1 tsp. almond emulsion

1/2 cup melted butter

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine almond flour, all purpose flour, salt, baking powder, and soda and sift well. Set aside.
• In a blender combine eggs, sugar, lemon zest, and almond emulsion 2 minutes on high until sugar is dissolved. Add the butter and blend 1 minute more.
• Add the wet blender mixture to the flour mixture and stir well.
• Pour into a greased 9-inch cake pan lined with parchment paper. Bake 55-60 minutes.

Lemonade Syrup

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup sugar

Directions:

• While cake is baking, combine ingredients for the lemonade syrup in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook about 3 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly.
• When cake is finished baking, a toothpick inserted into the cake will come out clean.
• While cake is still hot, pour lemonade syrup over the cake.
• The syrup will absorb into the cake as it cools.
• Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack about 1 hour.
• Run a knife around the sides of the cake. Invert on a plate. Remove parchment paper.

Fresh Strawberries

1/2 lb. sliced fresh berries

1 cup pre-made strawberry glaze

Directions:

• When cake is cool, arrange fresh strawberry slices over the top of the cake and drizzle with strawberry glaze.
• Slice and serve in wedges.
• This cake will remain moist and delicious for several days.

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