{recipe} Winter Citrus Cake

Winter is one of the best times for baking, because there is so much wonderful citrus to juice and zest. I am not a huge fan of straight lemon desserts, but I really love mixed citrus as a flavoring. For this cake, I used sweet, juicy clementines and Meyer lemons to give it a bright flavor, plus a bit of Greek yogurt and almond flour for an almost pudding-like consistency.

The recipe calls for almond flour, which you can buy or make in a food processor. To make it, pulse raw almonds until they have a sandy consistency. It works better with almonds that have the skin removed. Be careful, because if you process them too much, they will turn into almond butter.

You can serve this cake with ice cream or whipped cream. I like to make lavender caramel sauce to really put it over the top. It’s equally at home on a dessert tray or at the brunch table.

Recipe: Winter Citrus Cake
serves 8-10

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• juice and zest from 2 Meyer lemons
• juice and zest from 2 clementines or mandarins
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• large pinch salt
• 2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
• powdered sugar for dusting

METHOD:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a springform pan with cooking spray and a circle of parchment paper in the bottom.
• In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
• Add eggs one at a time, mixing very well after each egg.
• Add citrus juice and zest and mix again. (At this point it may look lumpy, but don’t worry.)
• In a bowl, whisk together flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter and eggs and mix gently just to combine. Add yogurt and mix again. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix just to combine. (Don’t overmix or the cake will be tough.)
• Pour into prepared pan and spread out evenly. You can also slam the pan on the counter to even it out.
• Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick or knife comes out cleanly.
• Let cool, then unmold and dust with powdered sugar.