4 1/2 c Flour
1 1/2 c Sugar
1 1/2 c Butter
2 Egg; beaten
1 1/2 c Sour cream
1/2 ts Salt
1 ts Baking powder
1 ts Baking soda
2 ts Almond extract
1 lb Cream cheese; softened
1/4 ts Vanilla
2 Egg; beaten
1/3 c Sugar
1/2 c Raspberry preserves
2/3 c Almonds, raw
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease two 9″ springform pans. Combine flour with 1 1/2 cups sugar, and cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve two cups. To the remaining crumb mixture, add the first two eggs, sour cream, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and almond extract. Mix, and spread over the bottom and up the sides of the pans. Combine the cream cheese with the vanilla, the remaining eggs, and 1/2 cup sugar. Spread half of this mixture over the batter in each
pan. Spread the raspberry preserves on top of the cream cheese mixture in each pan. Whirl the almonds in a food processor until chunky. Combine with the reserved crumb mixture and sprinkle over the preserves on each cake. Bake cakes 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick tests clean. Cool the cakes at least half an hour before attempting to serve. This works better if made the night before and refrigerated. —*Catering to Nobody* Diane Mott Davidson