Barbara's Whipped Cream Pound Cake

My oldest and dearest friend Barbara Herman comes from a long line of excellent bakers including her mother Sylvia. This is my favorite of a number of favorite desserts she bakes.

Preheat oven to 350°

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

Scant amount unsalted butter (to prepare the pan)
3 cups and 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
3 cups flour
4 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
4 eggs, room temperature, beaten
1 teaspoon almond extract (use pure almond extract; no substitutes)
2 cups whipping cream
Powdered sugar

Method

Butter a 6-cup Bundt pan, then add 2 tablespoons sugar to pan and rotate so the sugar coats the sides. Best to do this over the sink. Pour out excess sugar.
In a medium bowl, sift flour with baking powder and salt. Set bowl aside.
In a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, beat 2 cups whipping cream until thickened but still soft enough to flow slowly from the whisk. You will need to stay nearby, as you do not want to overbeat. When the cream begins to thicken, stop the mixer and test the cream. It should still fall off the beaters, but hold some of its shape when it drops back into the bowl. Exchange the whisk for the flat beater.
With the mixer on, add sugar slowly, then eggs, and finally the almond extract. Continue beating on low for 3 additional minutes.
Carefully add dry ingredients until just incorporated; do not overmix. Stop once to scrape the sides and bottom of bowl to incorporate any unmixed flour or cream.
Turn into prepared pan. This is a batter that needs to be treated delicately. No rapping to even the surface. Just use a spatula, if necessary, to smooth the top.
Bake in the upper-middle rack of your oven 55 to 60 minutes, until a wooden skewer comes out clean. Remove immediately to a rack. Let cake cool completely before serving. Sift powdered sugar over the cake’s surface.
Delicious alone, served with whipped cream and berries, or cut in layers and spread with lemon curd or with orange marmalade and whipped cream.