Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan, then line the pan with a round piece of parchment paper. Butter the paper top, but no need to flour it. Set the pan aside.

In a small saucepan, melt 8 tablespoons of butter. Set aside to cool – you’ll want it warm enough to be liquidy, but not hot.

While the butter cools, sift together flour, baking powder and kosher salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the melted and cooled butter, vanilla, and milk. Set this aside too.

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar together on high speed for several minutes, until the mixture is pale and thick.

On low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the butter mixture to the egg mixture – mixing after each addition just until blended* – and ending with the flour mixture. *To achieve a soft, tender cake, it’s important not to overmix the batter. You can also fold the ingredients together by hand if you prefer.

Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes – at this point the top of the cake will be just barely set.

While the cake is baking, make the topping. In a saucepan, combine butter, sugar, cream, flour and salt. Place the sauce pan over medium-high burner, stirring constantly as the butter melts. Once the butter has fully melted, add the almonds, then stir again, bringing the mixture to a simmer. Simmer for 1 minute, then remove from the heat and stir in the almond and vanilla extracts.

Once the cake has baked for 20 to 25 minutes, carefully remove it from the oven. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Gently spoon on the almond mixture over the cake, making sure to evenly distribute the topping all the way to the edges.

Place the cake back into the oven, and bake for another 15 minutes or so, until the topping is lightly golden brown.

Cool the cake completely on a rack. With a thin, sharp knife, loosen any of the topping that may have stuck to the edges of the springform pan.  Remove the springform ring and place the cake on a platter for serving.

Slice and serve with whipped cream and fresh strawberries on the side if you’d like.