Raspberry Almond Coffee Cake

This is a popular recipe that has managed to eluded me, at least until now. The recipe has been featured on a lot of blogs, so it was difficult to track it back to its original source. I do, however, feel pretty sure that it first appeared in Taste of Home magazine. If I am wrong let me know, so I can correct the attribution. While this coffee cake has many things going for it, the ease with which it comes together has to be at the top of the list. It requires no special equipment to make and it takes about 15 minutes to prepare. You can swap out the berries if you wish, and as long as you are sure the cake is done when you take it from the oven, you'll have a breakfast cake that is a wonderful way to start the day. I have slightly altered the original recipe because I thought almond extract made more sense than vanilla in a cake that's made with raspberries and sliced almonds. My only caution should you decide to make this, is that it is best when served warm from the oven. If allowed to sit, the raspberries will soak into the bottom layer of the cake and make it gummy. This is a great, nearly effortless, coffee cake and I know you will enjoy it. Here is how it is made.

Raspberry Almond Coffee Cake

Ingredients:
Cake
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries, thawed
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup sliced almonds
Icing
1/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons whole milk
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8-inch round pan. Set aside.
2) Combine raspberries and brown sugar in a bowl. Set aside.
3) Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
4) In a small bowl, whisk egg, sour cream, butter and vanilla together in a small bowl
5) Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until moistened. Batter will be dense. Spoon half of batter into prepared pan, making sure to completely cover bottom of pan. Top with raspberry mixture. Spoon remaining batter over raspberries. Sprinkle with almonds.
6) Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before removing from pan. During cooling time, carefully run a sharp knife around the edges to loosen them.
7) To make icing: Whisk confectioners' sugar, milk and extract in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle over coffee cake and serve. Yield: 8 servings.