Almond Raspberry Cake This stunning cake features two of my all-time favorite flavors: almond and raspberry! And it features them in multiple forms! The cakes themselves get their almond flavor from almond extract. They bake up moist and fluffy, but dense enough to be sliced and layered. It’s important they’re a little dense, because they’re going to be layered with raspberry jam AND white chocolate buttercream! The two will slightly blend together when you slice into the cake, which create almost a white chocolate raspberry buttercream… that’s been spiked with amaretto!!! It’s heavenly! But definitely on the sweeter side – as is almost anything involving white chocolate! And the final touch, a mountain of fresh raspberries on top! I just threw them by the handful for an organic look, but you can definitely arrange them neater for a more polished appearance! I also pressed thinly sliced almonds all around the outside of the cake. This adds a delightful crunch and makes the entire cake look so beautiful! This is one of those cakes people will think you bought from a fancy bakery!!! Let’s Bake Cake This is essentially my white cake recipe, but with a few tiny changes, and almond extract! You’ll need two 9″ cake pans! Be sure to spray the pans well with nonstick baking spray and then line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Think of this as your insurance policy for when it comes time to remove the cakes from the pans! Next, beat your room temperature butter and sugar until light and fluffy! A stand mixer fitted with a paddle attached or an electric hand mixer is needed for this part! Next, toss in your eggs whites. Finally, add in the dry ingredients, alternating with the liquid ingredients. Be sure to mix just until the flour mixture disappears! Over mixing is going to give you a dry and very dense cake. So mix as slowly and as little as possible to bring the batter together. Also, don’t skip the cake flour! All-purpose flour will not give you the same results. I strongly suggest weighing your flour with a digital kitchen scale so you know you’re using the right amount. Too much flour is another reason cakes come out bone dry! Finally, bake! My cakes were ready at exactly 25 minutes, but depending on your oven and the type of cake pan you use, yours could take up to 30 minutes! Or longer if you use a thick glass or ceramic type dish. So just keep an eye on the baking time! You’ll know the cakes are done when they’re golden, risen, and a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean! Make the Frosting While the cakes are cooling, make your frosting! First, you’ll need to melt your white chocolate! You can do this in the microwave or in a double boiler. But make sure you use real white chocolate and not chocolate chips! You’ll want to let your melted chocolate cool until it’s tepid. Next, beat your butter until smooth and creamy. Add in the powdered sugar, a little bit at a time, and beat smooth. MAKE SURE YOU SIFT YOUR POWDERED SUGAR!! Otherwise your frosting will be clumpy. I use a fine-mesh strainer for this! Toss in your heavy cream and amaretto. And finally, fold in the white chocolate and salt! This frosting is very sweet, so don’t skip the salt! It helps balance out the sweetness. Assemble Assembly this cake might sound scary, but I promise, you can do it! You’ll need a long serrated knife to slice the cakes in half. Try to get them as even as possible, but don’t worry if they’re a little wonky. Frosting and jam will cover any “flaws”. You’ll top the bottom layer with a 1/2 cup of frosting and a 1/4 cup of jam. I like this brand of raspberry jam, but use whatever you prefer! Then top with the second layer of cake, and repeat this process with the remaining cake layers. For the top cake layer, only add frosting! And then use remaining frosting to cover the sides. Finally, top with fresh raspberries and press sliced almonds around the sides of the cake. And viola! You have a stunning cake sure to impress! Ok, so jump to the recipe below and get baking! I’ll see you next week with more bright and sunny Spring recipes!