Sour Cream Vanilla Almond Pound Cake Topped with Fresh Strawberries

I have said it before, my husband loves strawberries. Strawberries and peaches are pretty much neck and neck in the race for for being his favorite fruits. I love both of these luscious fruits myself, but I think he is even crazier about them than me.

It is not strawberry season in South Carolina yet, so when someone where my husband works asked if he would care to split a flat with them last week, he quickly agreed to do so. When he came home with them late last week, we gave our two daughters two pints each and kept the remaining two pints for ourselves. These strawberries had just arrived in Aiken from Plant City, Florida!

Strawberries from Plant City, Florida

These strawberries are very good. Not only are they very large, but they are quite sweet and flavorful. The first thing I thought of was to bake a pound cake to pair up with these luscious beauties. In short time, I set about to making a Sour Cream Pound Cake. I used my recipe I posted about here. I did make one minor change with the cake I baked last week. I added 1/2 teaspoon of Almond Extract. I often change out the flavorings in this recipe to suit either the person I am baking it for or what I (we) are in the mood for. Other than adding the tiny bit of Almond Extract in addition to the Vanilla Extract in the original recipe, the recipe is the same as when I first posted it here.

Doesn't this look delicious? It is!-

Sour Cream Vanilla Almond Pound Cake with Fresh Strawberry Topping

Sour Cream Vanilla Almond Pound Cake with Fresh Strawberry Topping

This recipe makes a nice moist pound cake. As you can see, my recipe makes a cake with a really nice crust on top, as well.

Sour Cream Vanilla Almond Pound Cake

You can see the crust in this picture!

Sour Cream Vanilla Almond Pound Cake

A Slice of Warm Sour Cream Vanilla Almond Pound Cake

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Warm Sour Cream Vanilla Almond Pound Cake

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Sour Cream Vanilla Almond Pound Cake with Fresh Strawberry Topping

Do you know what I love to drink with pound cake? A great cup of coffee is always good with any dessert, but my favorite drink with pound cake is hot tea. Now, I am not posting an endorsement here and I will drink most any decent brand of hot tea but, Twinings of London Classics is, by far, my favorite brand of hot tea. I really like most of the Twinings Classics blends but I love nothing more than a cup of Twinings of London Classics Earl Grey tea! I love the flavor, of course, but the bergamot aroma of their Earl Grey blend takes me to a happy place in my mind and relaxes my spirit. I simply adore it!

Twinings Classics Earl Grey Tea

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A Heavenly Cup of Twinings Earl Grey Tea

Sour Cream Vanilla Almond Pound Cake with Twinings Classics Earl Grey Tea

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Sour Cream Vanilla Almond Pound Cake with Fresh Strawberry Topping

Once again, here, is the original Sour Cream Pound Cake recipe.

This is the recipe which I revised to add a bit of Almond Extract. 

 SOUR CREAM VANILLA ALMOND POUND CAKE

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

3 cups sugar

3 cups all purpose flour (I use only King Arthur All-Purpose Flour)

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

6 large eggs

8 ounces sour cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¼ to ½ teaspoon Almond Extract

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until it is creamy(about 2 minutes). Gradually add sugar, beating a medium speed for 6 or 7 minutes until mixture is well mixed and creamy looking. Combine flour and baking soda and add to butter mixture alternately with sour cream, starting and ending with flour and blending well after each addition. Add eggs, one at a time, beating at low speed, just until yellows disappear. Stir in vanilla extract.

Spoon batter into a Bundt or 10-inch tube pan that has been sprayed with baking spray(the kind that already contains flour). Bake 300 degrees for 1 hour and 45 minutes or up to   hours(until toothpick inserted into top comes out clean).

Cool on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes.  This recipe Makes  one 10-inch cake.

If  you love strawberries, you will understand they are the perfect topping for this Sour Cream Pound Cake. Preparing the topping could not be any more simple. In addition, I used Cool Whip to top off the pound cake and strawberry topping.

Fresh Strawberry Topping

Ingredients:

1. One (1) Pint of Fresh Ripe Strawberries
2. 1/4 Cup of Granulated Sugar

Directions:

• Wash and dry the one pint of Fresh Ripe Strawberries and remove the caps from the strawberries.
• Cut each strawberry into quarters and place in a small bowl or container, just big enough to hold the entire pint.
• Pour the 1/4 cup of granulated sugar over the top of the cut strawberries and mix so that sugar coats all the berries.
• Cover the top of the container of strawberries with plastic wrap or other air-tight lid (a sealing plastic container of some kind works perfectly, as it can be resealed to keep the strawberry topping fresh in the refrigerator.
• Place the sealed container of strawberry topping in the refrigerator for at least an hour or two so that the sugar can work to pull out the juice from the strawberries and make a sweet syrup.
• When the strawberry topping has formed a syrup in the container, stir it once again and spoon the desired amount of topping over pound cake or other dessert.

Top with purchased whip topping such as Kool Whip Non-Dairy Whipped Topping or canned whipped dairy cream, such as Reddi Wip real whipped cream or whatever suits your taste.

If  you like a moist and delicious old-fashioned Pound Cake with a wonderfully crusty top, you are sure to love this one.  I hope you will try it!

As always, thank you for stopping by Mimi Mine and for taking time to check out my Sour Cream Vanilla Almond Pound Cake with Fresh Strawberry Topping. The time you spend with me is so very much appreciated!

I am linking this post up to some great blog parties. I hope you will click on these links to check out all the great decor ideas, recipes, DIY and other fabulous things going on at these parties. Just click on each of the party links below:
Thoughts of Home on Thursday.
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
Share Your Cup Thursday
Homework:Creative Inspiration
Five Star Frou-Frou at A Tray of Bliss