Almond Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, plus more (room temp)
• unsalted butter, for buttering pan
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus more
• all-purpose flour, for prepping pan(s)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 (7 ounce) package almond paste
• 4 egg yolks, at room temp
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Cream Cheese Icing

• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 1/2 cups icing sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Butter sides and bottom of two 8 inch pans and flour them.
3. Place pan(s) in freezer.
4. Sift flour and salt into a small bowl. Set aside.
5. In a mixer with a paddle, beat butter and sugar at hight til fluffy (5 min).
6. Add almond paste, one chunk at a time and beat at medium speed for 8 minutes.
7. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time.
8. Beat in almond extract.
9. Mix baking soda and sour cream together and add to butter mixture.
10. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, turn off when just blended.
11. Divide among the two 8 inch pans.
12. Bake about 35-40 minutes and start checking.
13. Cool in pans on wire rack.
14. Take out of pans.
15. When cooled, top bottom cake layer with cream cheese icing and stack the 2nd cake on top.
16. Frost the whole cake and sides with remaining frosting.

Cream Cheese Icing

1. Soften cheese and butter.
2. Beat well.
3. Add sugar and vanilla.
4. Beat again.
5. Spread on cooled cake.