A soft and moist almond flavored cake filled with fresh cranberries and topped with a sweet almond streusel. A delicious breakfast or dessert for the holiday season.
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 6 tablespoons butter and ⅔ cup sugar for several minutes, until creamy and well combined. Add eggs, vanilla and almond extract. Beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Beat until just combined. Add the sour cream and 2 tablespoons milk, beating until combined. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients. Add the cranberries and use a rubber spatula to gently fold them into the batter.
Grease a 9x9 square baking pan or 8x11 rectangle baking pan**. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Make topping.
Topping:
Combine butter, sugar, flour, and almond extract. Use a fork to stir and mash the butter into the dry ingredients. Add the sliced almonds and mix until combined. Sprinkle the topping over the top of the cake batter. Bake for 30-40 minutes (begin checking at 30 minutes, see note), until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place the cake pan on a wire rack to cool.
Icing:
Whisk all icing ingredients. Adjust the consistency as necessary by adding more powdered sugar or milk. Drizzle over the top of the cake.
Video
Notes
*To properly measure flour, fluff the flour with your measuring cup, scoop a heaping portion, then level it off with the back of a knife. **This recipe can be made in a 9x9 square baking pan or an 8x11 rectangle baking pan. 9x9: This makes a slightly thicker cake. It will take approximately 35-40 minutes to bake. Begin checking it around 30minutes. Tent with foil if it starts to get dark. It should be golden around the edges.8x11: This is my preferred pan size. Bake time is closer to 30-35 minutes.Do NOT try to squeeze this batter into an 8x8 pan. There will be too much batter and the edges will dry out before the center is cooked through.