Heavenly Almond Pound Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 and generously butter either your tube pan or 2, 9 x 5 loaf pans – I also lined my loaf pans with parchment (I would recommend both ways), and buttered that as well.  Using your electric mixer, beat together the butter, cream cheese and sugar on high for about 5 minutes until fluffy – scrape down the sides at least once.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then the almond extract and salt.  With the mixer on low, slowly add in the flour and then mix for 2 minutes on medium speed until the batter is smooth and perfect.  Scrape down the sides again and mix again.

Pour the batter into your pan(s) of choice (I weighed my loaf pans), smooth the tops, and then for loaves, bake for exactly 1 hour and 5 minutes (in my oven), and for the tube pan, she recommends 1 hour and 15 minutes.  The top will be slightly cracked, the middles will bounce back to a light touch and the whole thing will be a deep golden brown.  If you have an instant thermometer, you want the middles to finish at 205 degrees…which means the edges can get quite dark, which is why I recommend lining the parchment both ways.  Allow the cake(s) to rest for about 15 minutes before removing them from the pan to cool completely.  This is a heavy, dense, amazing pound cake and if you allow it to cool completely, you’ll get perfect clean slices which are amazing on their own, but even better with whipped cream and berries.