Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Lemon Sugar-Almond Topping:

1/4 Cup Sugar
1 1/2 Tsp Finely Grated Zest from 1 Lemon
1/2 Cup Sliced Almonds

Cake:

2 1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/8 Tsp Baking Powder
1 1/8 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Table Salt
1 stick + Two Tbs Unsalted Butter (Softened)
1 Cup + 7 Tbs Sugar
1 Tbs Finely Grated Zest + 4 Tsp Lemon Juice
4 Large Eggs
5 Tbs Vanilla Extract
1 1/4 Cups Sour Cream
8 Ounces Cream Cheese (Softened)

Method:

1. For the topping, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together sugar and lemon zest in small bowl until combined and sugar is moistened. Stir in almonds and set aside.

2. Spray 10 inch tube pan with non stick cooking spray. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in medium bowl. Set aside.
In another bowl, beat butter, one cup plus two tablespoon sugar and lemon zest at medium speed, until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time.

3. Add four teaspoon of vanilla extract, reduce speed to low and add third of the flour mixture, followed by half of sour cream, mixing after each addition, for five to ten seconds. Repeat until sour cream an flour finish.

4. Fold the batter, once or twice with rubber spatula, to incorprate any remaining flour. Reserve 1 1/4 cup of batter and set aside. Spoon remaining batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Beat cream cheese, reamining five tablespoon sugar and remaining one teaspoon vanilla, on a medium speed. Add 1/4 of a cup of reserved cup of batter, until its incorprated. Spoon cream cheese filling over batter, keeping the filling at about 1 inch from the edge of a pan, smooth top. Spread remaining cup of reserved batter filling and smooth the top.

5. With a spatula, swirl filling into batter, using a figure 8 motion. Do not drag the filling to the bottom or the edge of the filling. Firmly tap pan firmly on the counter, twice. Spinkle lemon sugar- almonds topping over batter and gently press into the batter to adhere.

6. Bake for 45- 50 minutes until the top is golden and firm. Insert a long skewer into cake and it should come out clean. Remove pan from oven and place on wire rack and leave it to cool to room temperature for about 1 1/2 hours. Cut into slices and serve.