Erin Mann is baking a new cake every week for a year from the "All Cakes Considered" cookbook and shares her adventures here on AnnArbor.com. Read past columns here.

"Many of the bonds my family has were forged over the dinner table and through the sharing of recipes. Cooking is the way we express our love for one another...."
-- Paula Deen

I visited my parents last week. One night, my mother prepared a delicious dinner for the family. It got me thinking about our family dinners throughout the years and how these sit-down meals have always been a way for us to spend quality time together.

Growing up, my siblings and I were typically busy with extracurricular activities at school. But my mother always made family dinners a priority, even if that meant we had to adjust our dinner time because of our schedules. I am grateful for those times spent around the dinner table and think our nightly family dinners have a lot to do with my relationship with food today.

Later that evening, I made Paula Deen's Sour Cream Almond Pound Cake in my mother's kitchen using her stand mixer. The mixing directions for this recipe differ slightly from the usual method of creaming butter with sugar and mixing in eggs, followed by adding the dry ingredients.

First, I creamed the butter with the sugar and mixed in the sour cream. Next, I added 1/2 cup of the dry ingredients, then an egg, alternating between the two ingredients until all quantities were added to the batter.

After baking and ample time for cooling, I mixed the (optional) almond buttercream frosting and applied it to the cake. I gathered the family 'round to sit down and enjoy a slice of cake and a cup of tea in lieu of a typical breakfast. We all started the day with a sugar high!

My parents and siblings are accustomed to reading about my baking pursuits or hearing me talk about them but rarely have the opportunity to taste the fruits of my labor. They were happy to participate as this week's taste-testers.

The cake is dense (as a pound cake should be) and has a pronounced almond flavor. I thought it was similar in taste and texture to the Brown Sugar Pound Cake I baked in the second week of my baking adventures.

"All Cakes Considered" author, Melissa Gray included this recipe in her book because her husband adores Paula Deen. The full recipe can be found here on Paula Deen's website.

Erin Mann is a lover of all things cake and ruining diets one cake at a time. Email her at SheGotTheBeat@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter. Facebook users can also keep up-to-date with A CAKE A WEEK by joining the group.