Strawberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

This is the best coffee cake I've ever had!  And I know I say that a lot with all of my recipes ("this is the best           I've ever had!"), but I'm telling the truth! I only post the best of the best recipes for that specific food on my blog.  So I'm telling you again: this is the best coffee cake EVER.  It's seriously a hundred times better than anything I've ever had at Starbucks or other coffee shops.  It's so good with a [cup of coffee] in the morning.  It tastes best after it sits overnight because all the strawberry-cream cheese-almond flavor from the filling seeps into the almondy-buttery-cakey layer underneath.  Coffee cakes are generally supposed to be dry so that they soak up coffee well, but this is much more moist than any coffee cake I've ever had...it's almost more like a pound cake.  It also looks so pretty and would be the perfect addition to any brunch or holiday event. Or serve it as dessert! And because it calls for strawberry jam and not fresh strawberries, you can make it any time of year and bring a nice touch of spring to your table.  The only not-so-great thing about this cake is that there's definitely nothing "light" about it, but ---> it's worth every calorie-loaded bite.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons white sugar
• 6 tablespoons cold butter
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons sour cream
• 1/2 egg, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 
  
• FILLING:
• 4 ounces (half a package) cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 egg
• 5 tablespoons strawberry jam
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Remove 1/2 cup and set aside. To the remaining crumbs, add baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the sour cream, half an egg and almond extract; mix well. Spread evenly in the bottom of a greased loaf pan.
2. For the filling, in a small bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and half an egg until blended. Pour over batter; spoon strawberry jam on top. Sprinkle with almonds and reserved crumbs.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean (do not over bake!). Let stand for 15 minutes.  Run a knife around the sides of the pan to loosen before slicing or removing from pan.

***note: when warm/fresh from the oven, the almond taste is almost overpowering.  It settles down when completely cooled; for best results, I would recommend serving this at room temperature.

***You can also double this recipe and bake in a 9-inch spring form pan.  If doing this, you may need to bake it another 5-10 minutes longer.