Amazing Almond Cake by Melody

Preheat overn to 350, rack in middle position

Before you start to mix up the recipe, grease a 4x8 inch loaf pan

Cut a strip of parchment paper 8 inches wide and 16 inches long.  lay it in the pan soa that the bottom is covered and the strip sticks out like little eats on the long side of the pan (this makes it easy to remove your bread when it's done.  Press the paper down and spray it with pam

1 Stick unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups white sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp almond extract

2/3 cup cream or half and half

1 1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Sprinkle almonds into the bottom of the pas

Note #1- Don't let this next step scare you, it's extremely easy and will keep your cake from turning to brown around the edges

Place the stick of butter in a small microwave safe bowl.  Zap it for 40 secs on high or until melted.  Pour melted butter through a fine mesh strainter, the kind you would use for tea (or a large strainer lined with a double thickness of cheesecloth.   After the melted butter has dripped through dump the milk solids that have gathered into the trash, you now have clarified butter.

Set your clarified butter on the counter to cool 

Mix the white sugar with the egg in a medium size bowl.  Beat until they are light and fluffy.  Add baking powder and almond extract.  Mix well.

Cup your hands around the bowl of clarified butter.  If you can hold if comfortably an dit's not so hot that it will cook the egg add it to your bowl and mix it in.

Note #2- In the following steps you are going to add half the cream and then half the flour.  Don't worry about being precise, just guessing is fine

Add half the cream, mix it in

Add half the flour, Mix it in

Mix in the rest of the cream

Mix in the rest of the flour

Pour batter into loaf pan and smooth top with a spatula.

Bake at 350 for 50-60 mins or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  

Let the loaf pan sit on wire rack for 15 mins

Loosen the cake from around the pan with a spatula

Tip the cake out on a pretty platter and remove the parchment paper.  Let it cool and then dust the top with powdered sugar.