This delicious cake is combines lemon and lime juice with almond extract for a delicious, sweet and tart cake.  For some reason, the flavor reminds me of being in Italy.  It’s texture is just right – not overly dense, nor crumbly.

I found the recipe for Citrus Almond Loaf Cakeon A Latte Food blog via Pinterest.  I followed her recipe, with just two exceptions:  first, I used buttermilk instead of regular milk because I had some on hand and I needed to use it up.  Also, I baked it for just 45 minutes, not the recommended 55-60 minutes because the edges were starting to turn a darker brown and I didn’t want it to burn.  It was perfect and cooked all the way through.

Citrus Almond Pound Cake

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp lemon or lime juice, or a mix of both
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/4 cup slicedf almonds

In a medium sized bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and both lemon zest and lime zest. Set aside.  In a small bowl, mix together canola oil, buttermilk, eggs, lemon juice, lime juice, and almond extract. Whisk until well combined.  Slowly stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Once the mixture has just been combined, pour the batter into prepared bread pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (My oven took exactly 45 minutes).

Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan and placing on a cooling rack.  Place a sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper under the cooling rack to catch the glaze as it drips.  Allow the cake to cool another 15-10 minutes.

Mix lemon juice (or lime juice or a combination of both–whichever you prefer), almond extract, and powdered sugar together until well combined.  With the bread on the cooling rack, spoon the glaze over the bread. Immediately, while the glaze is still wet, sprinkle the almonds on top. Allow glaze to set, about five minutes or so, before cutting.  Keep at room temperature in an airtight container.