Cream Cheese Wreath Cake with Maple Glaze

What a great holiday dessert! Ingredients: Cake 2 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 8 ounces butter, softened (2 sticks) 8 ounces cream cheese, softened 2 cups sugar 6 eggs Glaze 1 tablespoon almond extract 1 tablespoon melted butter 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 tablespoons maple syrup Decoration 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar 1/2 cup organic raisins or organic sweetened cherries 1/2 cup organic almonds Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube or bundt pan. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese. Add 1 1/2 cups of the sugar and blend well. Add egg yolks, one at a time, and almond extract, and beat well. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and blend well. In a clean bowl—and with clean beaters—beat egg whites until frothy. Add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat until whites are glossy and stiff. Fold egg whites into the batter. Pour batter into the pan. Bake about one hour, or until cake tests done. Cool for 10 minutes in pan, then turn onto a cooling rack. To make glaze, melt butter, vanilla extract, and maple syrup in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar. Drizzle warm glaze over the cooled cake, then sprinkle with raisins or cherries and slivered almonds. Add a decorative bow to the wreath and encircle it with evergreen boughs. Nutrition Facts: As prepared, each serving contains 330 calories, 19g total fat, 50mg cholesterol, 190mg sodium, 41g total carbohydrate and 4g protein.

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