Italian-Style Almond Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.

Grind almonds and 2 tablespoons of sugar to a powder in a food processor. Mix in the flour. Set aside.

Beat butter, extracts and salt until mixture is creamy (an electric mixer helps). Beat in eggs one at a time. Quickly fold the flour/almond mixture into the butter mixture and spread the batter into the pan.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until top is browned and top of cake springs back when lightly touched. Let cake cook in pan for 30 minutes before removing from pan to cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap the cake tightly in foil and refrigerate for a day before serving.

For Garnish: Sprinkle additional sliced almonds on top for garnishing. To do this, lightly brush the top of the cake (after first removing it from the pan to cool on the wire rack) with simple syrup, then sprinkle with sliced almonds.

To make simple syrup, mix equal parts granulated sugar and water. Bring to a boil for one minute and allow to cool. Store covered in your refrigerator.