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1
Place all ingredients in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
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2
Reduce the heat to medium low and keep the mixture at a gentle boil until the liquid is syrupy and reduced by almost half, about 45 minutes.
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3
Let cool at least 1 hour.
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4
Discard the cinnamon sticks and vanilla pod.
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5
Place the cream and mascarpone in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
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6
Whisk on low speed until just incorporated.
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7
Increase the speed to high, add the sugar and lemon zest, and whisk until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes.
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8
Drain the cooled prunes through a colander set over a large bowl, gently stirring to let the syrup drain through.
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9
Roughly chop the prunes in batches (chopping all of the prunes at once will leave a syrupy mess on the cutting board).
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10
Return the chopped prunes and any syrup on the board to the bowl of syrup; set aside.
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11
Thinly slice off the pound cake ends and discard.
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12
Cut the remaining cake crosswise into 8 (roughly 1-inch-thick) slices.
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13
Lay 4 of the slices flat in a 3-quart trifle dish, trimming them as needed to fill any gaps in the bottom of the dish for an even layer.
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14
Pour half of the prunes and syrup evenly over the layer of pound cake.
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15
Top with half of the whipped cream, spreading it to the edges of the dish in an even layer.
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16
Evenly sprinkle half of the almonds over the whipped cream.
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17
Repeat, layering the remaining pound cake, prunes, whipped cream, and almonds.
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18
Serve immediately.
