LEMON AND ALMOND CAKE WITH LEMON SYRUP

I Love Lemons and my Husband Loves Almond,so this for us is cake Heaven.The citrus element , though intense, just melds with the almonds to give a slab of damp, dense, sharp toned meltiness . I made this for our first Valentine post marriage and we instantly became an addict.Somehow it represents us, one is intense and the other half is calm. Though it may not look grand, but when you will eat it , you will realize how much flavor and character it has.It is a plain cake, but gloriously plain.

Ingredients:

225g soft unsalted butter
225g caster sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
4 large eggs
50g plain flour
225g ground almonds
1/2 teaspoon almond essence
grated zest and juice of 2 lemons( fresh)
GLAZE
Juice of 1 lemon(fresh)
1/4 cup sugar
21-33cm Springform cake tin, lines on the bottom.

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 ° C.
Cream together the butter and sugar until almost white and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding a quarter of the flour after each addition.When all the eggs and flour have been incorporated , gently stir in the ground almonds, salt, baking powder alternately with milk then the almond essence, lemon zest and juice.
Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 1 hour until cake pulls from sides of pan and is springy to the touch.
Let cool upright in pan on a wire rack while you make the glaze.Heat lemon juice and sugar over low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.Pour evenly over top of cake and let cake cool thoroughly in pan before turning out.Push some icing sugar over the cake through a fine sieve when serving.I can’t stop myself saying “strawberries ” to you , either.
This cake is very tender, so slice it thick.
Serves 6-8.