First make the cake, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F and butter the inside of a 9inch springform pan (I used my cheesecake pan). Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit on the bottom.
Then in a stand mixer, add the butter, sugar, lemon zest and seeds from the vanilla bean and beat until mixed well and combined. Then add about half of the ground almonds and continue to mix to combine. Then add the eggs, one at a time until well combined. The add the rest of the ground almond, the flour and salt and continue mixing until everything is incorporated. Use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom.
Pour mixture into prepatred pan and use the spatula to smooth the top of the cake and bake at 350 degrees F for about 40-45 minutes.
*Note: At 30 minutes it was starting to brown so I placed foil on top and continued baking.
As the cake bakes, make the syrup. IN a small pot add the Meyer lemon juice, vanilla bean pod, sugar and water and bring to a boil and then down to a simmer until syrup thickens slightly, about 5-7 minutes. Once done, remove from heat and allow to cool.
When cake is done, remove from oven and use a fork to gently prick the top of the cake all over (I actually used a met tenderizer since the prongs are thinner) and use a pastry brush to brush syrup allover warm cake.
Allow cake to cool before removing springform pan and garnish with more lemon peel.
Notes
Adapted with some personal touches from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi