This weekend the air in Chicago turned sweet. Stepping outside on Friday afternoon, I took my first few breaths of the unseasonable weather, mildly unsure if the warmth I was feeling was true. After my second breath, I was convinced, spring is definitely coming.

It’s interesting how as the seasons change our tastes begin to turn as well. We trade in cozy sweaters for swingy sun dresses and prefer morning runs over Netflix marathons. As the winter grays fade way to blue afternoons and pink sunsets, we start to crave foods that match our vernal surroundings–brighter, fresher, lighter.

As one might assume, I spend a fair amount of time on Instagram, scoping out inspiration for weekend baking projects and the blog. Lately I’ve been swooning over @claudiabrick from The Brick Kitchen‘s gallery full of lust worthy pastries and other culinary creations.

Before the February heat hit Chicago, she posted a picture of a Plum, Pistachio and Lemon Cake that I just could not shake. Even though we’re a far cry from stone fruit season, the apropos weather had me longing for the taste of warmer weather. With that thought in mind, I jotted down the ingredients and got to work on week 8.

The dry ingredients of the cake include mostly of almond and pistachio flours. The combination creates a lovely floral aroma and makes the most moist cake with an irroestiable texture that had me going back for seconds and contemplating thirds. Before baking, halved plums are placed on top, which sink into the cake, slowly turning from brownish pink to bright crimson.

Each bight bursting with the sun-ripened sweetness of the stone fruit–I found myself dreaming about this cake all week long. After the last slice was served and plates were licked clean, I couldn’t help but hope that the warm weather manages to stick around longer than this cake did.

Final thoughts on Plum, Pistachio and Lemon Cake:

• God damn… this is so good.
• Do I have to share?