Amaretto-Almond Pound Cake

Here's a good pound cake recipe that I found in the March 2011 Southern Living magazine. I think it was even better the next day.

Amaretto-Almond Pound Cake

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups butter, softened
• 1 (3-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons almond liqueur
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 large eggs
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• Amaretto Glaze (see recipe below)

Preparation

•  Preheat oven to 325°. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add liqueur and vanilla, beating just until blended. Gradually add flour to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended after each addition.
•  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating at low speed just until blended after each addition. Sprinkle almonds over bottom of a greased and floured 12-cup Bundt pan; pour batter into pan.
•  Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 5 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
•  During last 10 minutes of baking, prepare Amaretto Glaze. Remove cake from oven, and gradually spoon hot Amaretto Glaze over cake in pan. (Continue to spoon glaze over cake until all of glaze is used, allowing it to soak into cake after each addition.) Cool completely in pan on a wire rack (about 1 hour and 30 minutes).

Amaretto Glaze

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup almond liqueur
• 2 tablespoons water

Preparation

• Bring sugar, butter, almond liqueur, and water to a boil in a small 1-qt. saucepan over medium heat, stirring often; reduce heat to medium-low, and boil, stirring constantly, 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and use immediately.

NOTE: I saved some of the glaze to drizzle over the cake after it was removed from the pan.