Almond Cream Cheese Pound Cake

I have another easy, delicious recipe for you today. This recipe comes from a book called "The Cake Mix Doctor" by Anne Byrn. Anne is the cake mix queen. All of her delicious recipes are easy and have a cake mix base, but no one eating the cake would ever be able to guess that. If you've committed to making yet another treat for a birthday, holiday, class party or any other celebration and need something delicious, easy and fast, I strongly recommend buying any of her cookbooks.

Almond Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Ingredients:
1 (18 oz) box of "Butter Golden" cake mix (I use Duncan Hines)
1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, at room temp
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place all ingredients in large mixing bowl. Mix with an electric mixer on low for one minute until all combined. Mix at medium for two minutes. Batter should look uniform and thick. Back in greased and floured 10 in tube pan* at 350 for about 45 minutes. Cake should spring back when touched.

*I have never used a tube pan. Use the pan appropriate for what size cake you want to make. I have always used 2 9 inch round cake pans.

I usually frost this cake with Wilton's buttercream icing recipe, but the cake is rich enough that you could frost it with a glaze instead. If you don't have a huge sweet tooth, you could just serve this cake with berries and whipped cream. I have always iced it and made a strawberry or raspberry cream cheese filling to go in between the layers.

Here are some different ways I have decorated this cake. I made it for one of my roommates birthday last year, and she requested it again this year. I also made it for one of my friend's family when they moved to good ole South Carolina. They still talk about the cake to this day.