Almond Crusted Pound Cake

Ingredients

Frances Ard, Montgomery County

2/3 cup sliced almonds, divided

3 cups plain flour

¼ tsp. soda

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

2 ¾ cups sugar

6 eggs

3 Tbsp. amaretto (almond liqueur)

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup sour cream

Amaretto Glaze:

1/3 cup sliced almonds

4 Tbsp. butter

¾ cup sugar

2 Tbsp. corn syrup

¼ cup amaretto

Preparation

Have ingredients at room temperature.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease 12 cup tube pan or Bundt pan.  Sprinkle bottom of greased pan with 1/3 cup sliced almonds.  Set pan aside.  Sift flour twice then sift once with baking soda.  Set aside.  Cream 2 sticks butter in mixer.  Gradually add sugar.  Add eggs one at a time.  Add vanilla and amaretto.  At low speed gradually add 1/3 of flour mixture then add ½ of sour cream beating at low speed.  Continue adding the flour and sour cream alternating between the two ingredients.  Slowly pour batter into prepared Bundt pan, stopping to add part of the remaining almonds to sides of pan.  Sprinkle top of batter with remaining sliced almonds.  Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until inserted tooth pick comes out clean.  Remove cake from oven.  Cool slightly and then turn cake onto wire rack to cool for 15 minutes.  

Amaretto Glaze:

Begin making glaze by toasting almonds at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes, stirring after 3 minutes.  Be careful not to brown; the almonds should be light brown in color.  Remove almonds from pan to prevent further cooking.  In a small sauce pan, bring butter, sugar, amaretto, and corn syrup to a boil over medium heat while slowly stirring.  Reduce heat to low and boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Stir in toasted almonds.  Allow glaze to cool slightly.  Place cake on cake platter.  While cake is still warm slowly spoon glaze over warm cake.  Cool completely before slicing.