Preheat the Oven: Start by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C). This ensures that the oven reaches the perfect temperature for baking your Costco almond cake to perfection.

Mix Dry Ingredients: Mix the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium-sized bowl using a whisk. This step is crucial for a fluffy cake, as it evenly distributes the baking powder and salt throughout the flour.

Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the unsalted butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. This introduces air into the batter, making your cake lighter.

Add Eggs and Almond Extract: Beat in the eggs, one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Then, stir in the almond extract for that signature Costco almond cake flavor.

Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Add the dry ingredients and sour cream to the butter mixture one at a time, beginning with the dry ingredients and ending with them. Don’t mix any further than that. When you mix the cake too much, it can become thick.

Prepare the Pan: Grease your 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper to prevent sticking.

Pour the Batter: Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

Add Almond Topping: Sprinkle the sliced almonds evenly over the top of the batter. This will add a delightful crunch to your Costco almond cake.

Bake: When the oven is hot, put the cake in it and bake it for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean.

Cool: Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes in the pan. After that, put it on a wire rack to cool down fully.