Danish Cream Cake

One of my great grandfathers came from Denmark around 1900. Since his was the only country of origin anyone could readily identify, my father's family became "Danish". Rarely do I find a recipe purporting to be Danish, so I had to try this one. Taken from one of Craig Claiborne's New York Times cookbooks, we did enjoy this. My family commented that it seemed more like a coffee or tea cake than a rich dessert cake, but there was none left over (and I never even got to try it), so it seems that this was a hit.

ALICE PETERSEN'S
DANISH CREAM CAKE

1 cup heavy cream
2 eggs
2 tbsp almond extract
1-1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Topping:

2 tbsp butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp flour

Whip the cream until stiff. Beat in the eggs and almond extract. Sift together the dry ingredients, and fold into the cream mixture. Pour into a greased and floured 8" springform pan. Bake for 45 minutes at 350F. While it's baking, prepare the topping:

In a saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour, then add the cream and sugar; heat until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the almonds and remove from the heat.

When the cake has baked for 45 minutes, remove it from the oven. Carefully spoon the almond topping over it, then return to the oven for exactly 10 minutes. Cool the cake, remove the springform sides, drizzle with a glaze of confectioner's sugar and cream, and serve.

For a number of years, the man who lived across the street from me invited us to his birthday parties every June. His family came from the same city in Denmark that my great grandfather came from. The first year we were there, one of his elderly aunts, who was an immigrant from Denmark, demanded of her nephew, the host, to know how I was related to them. He explained that I lived in the white house over there, and I explained from whence my Grandpa Olaf came. She listened, then barked, "You're very pretty. You must be one of our cousins." I guess old ladies can make such proclamations. I wish I'd had this recipe to make for them when they were alive.

Of course, if it isn't truly Danish, I'm sure Monica will tell me, so I can cross out the name in my cookbook, and change it to something more suitable.