CREAMY ALMOND COFFEE CAKE

Coffee cake filled with cream cheese and topped with sugar and nuts has always been on my list of breakfast favorites. However, it turned out to be rather difficult to get this type of cake just right. I started with a recipe I had clipped from a magazine years ago, but I felt it needed some adjusting. I got the base and flavor exactly how I wanted it, but twenty-five cakes later I still had a cream cheese filling with gaping holes and no zing. Finally, my tweaks were perfected, thanks to a few tips I found online. The cake needed just a squeeze of lemon and a good bang or two on the counter, then everything came together: a moist crumb, a subtle almond flavor, and a cream cheese swirl to knock it all out of the park. serves 8 to 12

2¾ cups (391 g) all-purpose flour

1¼ cups (248 g) sugar

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1¼ teaspoons salt

14 tablespoons (1¾ sticks; 199 g) unsalted butter, room temperature

¾ cup (65 g) sliced almonds

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ cup whole milk

¾ cup sour cream

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

CREAM CHEESE FILLING

8 ounces (226 g) cream cheese, room temperature

⅓ cup (66 g) sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Adjust the oven rack to the lower middle position. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch tube pan.

FOR THE COFFEE CAKE: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, mix the flour, sugar, lemon zest, and salt on low. Add the butter and mix on medium until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Transfer 1 cup of the flour mixture to a small bowl, stir in the almonds, and set aside.

Add the baking powder and baking soda to the stand mixer bowl. Mix on low to incorporate into the remaining flour mixture. In a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine the milk, sour cream, eggs, vanilla, and almond extract. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry and mix on medium to combine, beating until the batter is almost smooth, 20 to 30 seconds. Transfer all but about 2 tablespoons of the batter to a large bowl. Set aside.

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FILLING: Put the cream cheese into the mixing bowl with the 2 tablespoons of batter and beat on medium until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Mix on low until combined and then beat on medium until smooth and creamy.

FOR BAKING: Pour half the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Scoop the cream cheese filling on top of the batter, distributing it evenly and doing your best to keep it away from the edges of the pan. Use a knife or offset spatula to even out the top. Cover the cream cheese filling evenly with the remaining batter and smooth out the top again. Use a knife or offset spatula to gently swirl the cream cheese into the batter using a figure-eight motion, trying not to drag the filling to the bottom or edges of the pan. Sprinkle the reserved flour-almond mixture evenly over the batter and press the topping down gently. Give the pan a few sharp taps on the counter.

Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until the top is golden and firm and a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Note that the toothpick will be wet if it is inserted directly into the cream cheese.)

Remove the pan from the oven and give it another three or four taps on a heatproof surface. The cake will sink a bit, but this will ensure there are no large holes in the cream cheese filling.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for at least 1 hour before removing it from the pan. Invert the cake on a plate or baking sheet, remove the tube pan, and then invert the cake topping side up onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Let cool to room temperature before serving.