Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and line three 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Do not grease. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, eggs, salt, and almond extract for 8-10 minutes, or until the mixture has tripled in size and become a pale yellow. It will be fairly thick, with the mixture standing on top as it drips down. 

In a small bowl, sift together the cake flour and vanilla pudding mix. Then, sift the mixture again over the egg mixture. Using a spatula, fold the mixture together. This will take several minutes, and you'll want to turn your bowl often, and be sure to scrape all the way to the bottom to avoid any pockets of flour. 

Divide the batter evenly into your prepared cake pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the cakes completely, and trim off the tops to make them even. 

In a large bowl, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form, and then beat in the powdered sugar. Layer the cakes as seen in the photos above- cake, whipped cream, sliced almonds, cherries. Frost the outside of the cake lightly if desired, and top with extra cherries and almonds if desired. Enjoy!