Almond Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
Flour for dusting the pan
1 (18.5-ounce) package plain butter recipe golden cake mix
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
4 large eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil, such as canola, corn, safflower, soybean or sunflower
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract

Lightly mist a 10-inch tube pan with vegetable oil spray then dust with flour. Shake out excess flour and set pan aside.

Place cake mix, cream cheese, eggs, water, sugar, oil, vanilla and almond extract in large mixing bowl.

Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed.

The batter should look well blended. Pour batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula.

Place pan in the oven.

Bake cake on center rack of preheated 350-degree oven until it is golden brown and springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, 35 to 40 minutes.

Remove pan from oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake, invert it onto a rack and then invert it onto a serving platter so that it is right side up.

Slice the cake while it is still a little warm. Serves 16.

Note: Freeze this cake, wrapped in aluminum foil, for up to 6 months.

Thaw cake overnight on the counter before serving.