Strawberry Cheese Brunch Cake

Mix all cream cheese ingredients together until smooth, set aside.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and side of 10x3 inch springform pan or 11x7x1-1/2 inch rectangular baking dish; lightly flour pan.

Cake directions:

Mix flour and sugar in large bowl. Cut in butter, using a pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Reserve 1 cup of the crumb mixture. Stir baking powder, baking soda, salt, sour cream, almond extract and egg into remaining crumb mixture. Spread batter over bottom and slightly up the side (about 1/4 inch thick) of pan. Spread cream cheese mixture over batter.

Carefully spoon preserves evenly over filling. Mix reserved crumb mixture and sliced almonds; sprinkle over preserves.

Bake springform pan 50-60 min.; rectangular dish 35 to 45 min, or until filling is set and crust is deep golden brown. Cool 15 min. remove from springform pan. Serve warm or cool. Store covered in refrigerator.