This raspberry almond cake has a light, soft almond sponge slathered with almond buttercream frosting. It is filled with tart raspberry jam, creamy almond filling, and garnished with fresh raspberries. It's a beautiful layer cake, perfect for special occasions!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- There's almond extract in the cake layers and frosting, so every bite has that rich, nutty taste that almond lovers will adore. I love the combination of raspberry and almond together so much, I also made these raspberry almond muffins! If you like almond as much as I do, you also love almond cupcakes and this almond poppyseed cake!
- Using the reverse creaming method (beating butter into the dry ingredients) gives the cake a soft, tender crumb that bakes up evenly and stays moist.
- The fillings are store-bought, so no extra work! One layer is filled with raspberry jam for a bright pop of flavor, and the second has almond pastry filling.
- It's a small 6-inch cake, making it less intimidating than a full-size layer cake, and the smooth American almond buttercream spreads easily for a clean, polished look.
Ingredient Notes
- Because I couldn't find cake flour, I mixed all purpose flour and cornstarch together to mimic cake flour's soft, tender texture. The mixture is combined with granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Instead of creaming unsalted butter with sugar, it is beat into the dry ingredients. This technique is called the reverse creaming method. Coating the flour in butter limits gluten development, resulting in a super silky texture. I used the same method for these raspberry almond cupcakes!
- Oil is added to the batter as well to keep the sponge moist. It gets its delicious nutty-sweet flavor from vanilla extract and almond extract.
- Sour cream and whole milk add more fat and liquid to the cake. The sour cream is extra important because its acid softens the gluten strands, helping achieve that tender texture. If you don't have sour cream, substitute plain Greek yogurt or buttermilk!
- Large eggs are added one at a time to bind the batter together and add richness. They need to be room temperature so you don't end up with eggy chunks in the batter.
- The almond frosting is made by beating unsalted butter, vanilla and almond extract, and salt together until fluffy. Then the powdered sugar is slowly added, followed by heavy cream until it becomes light and fluffy.
How to Make the Cake
Step 1: After preheating the oven to 350ยฐF and lining 3 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper, beat the flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl on low speed until combined.
Step 2: Add softened butter and beat on low speed for 3-5 minutes until the mixture looks like wet sand.
Step 3: In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, vanilla and almond extracts, sour cream, and milk together. Slowly pour it into the dry ingredients, mixing on low until a thick batter forms.
You'll want to mix the wet ingredients separately first so they mix into the dry ingredients evenly. Then mix in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each one so they combine fully.
Step 4: Use a cookie scoop to evenly portion the cake batter between the pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with a few sticky crumbs attached (means it's still moist!).
Another way to test for doneness is to gently press the top of the cake. If it springs back, it's ready! If it sinks, bake for 2 more minutes and test again.
Make sure to let the cake layers cool completely (in the pans for 10 minutes, then on a wire rack) before frosting.
For full instructions, see the recipe card below.
Assembling the Cake
Step 5: Add a layer of almond buttercream to first cake layer, then pipe a ring on the outer edge. Add a thin layer of raspberry jam.
Step 6: Place the second cake layer on top and repeat the previous step, but add a thin layer of almond pastry filling.
Step 7: Spread a thin coat of frosting all over the cake, going from top to bottom to lock in loose crumbs. Freeze for 20 minutes or until the frosting is dry to the touch.
Step 8: Generously frost the rest of the cake and decorate to your liking! I used a small offset spatula to create a spiral and topped with cake with fresh berries, but you can also use almond slices.
Expert Baking Tips
- Weigh your ingredients! A kitchen scale is one of my favorite kitchen tools because weighing ingredients is more precise than measuring by volume. Flour can be packed down in measuring cups, which often leads to using too much and a dry cake. If you're using measuring cups, gently spoon in the flour and level it off with a knife to avoid overmeasuring.
- Chill before assembling if needed. If the cake layers feel soft or fragile, chilling them for 20-30 minutes makes stacking and frosting much easier.
- To prevent the filling from leaking, pipe a thick, tall ring of frosting around the outer edge of each cake layer before adding the jam.
Storage
You can store the raspberry almond cake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I stored mine in a cake carrier, but any large airtight container works. You could also tightly cover it with plastic wrap.
The cake keeps best whole rather than sliced into individual pieces. The slices dry out much faster.
More Cake Recipes to Try
๐ Recipe
Raspberry Almond Cake
Equipment
- 1 Electric hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment
- 1 cake turntable
- 1 offset spatula
- 1 bench scraper
Need Metric or US Customary Measurements?
Use the buttons below to toggle between grams and cups!
Ingredients
Cake
- 240 grams all purpose flour
- 40 grams cornstarch
- 300 grams granulated sugar
- 2 ยฝ teaspoons baking powder
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- 114 grams unsalted butter room temperature
- 114 grams vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ยผ teaspoons almond extract
- 120 grams sour cream or plain greek yogurt
- 120 grams whole milk room temperature
- 3 large eggs room temperature
Almond Buttercream Frosting
- 226 grams unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ยฝ teaspoon almond extract
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- 454 grams powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream cold
Fillings
- 170 grams raspberry jam
- 170 grams almond pastry filling I used the brand Solo Foods
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF and line 3 6-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, and salt to the bowl of a hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix on low until combined.240 grams all purpose flour, 40 grams cornstarch, 300 grams granulated sugar, 2 ยฝ teaspoons baking powder, ยฝ teaspoon salt
- Add softened butter and beat on low speed for 3-5 minutes until it looks like wet sand.114 grams unsalted butter
- In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, vanilla, almond extract, sour cream, and milk together. Slowly pour it into the dry ingredients, mixing on low until a thick batter forms.114 grams vegetable oil, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 ยผ teaspoons almond extract, 120 grams sour cream, 120 grams whole milk
- Mix in the eggs on low speed one at a time until the batter is smooth.3 large eggs
- Scoop the cake batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake for 20-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
- Let the cakes cool in their hot pans for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Almond Buttercream Frosting
- For the frosting, beat the butter, vanilla, almond extract, and salt on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy.226 grams unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 ยฝ teaspoon almond extract, ยฝ teaspoon salt
- Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time on low speed. Then mix in the almond extract on medium-low. Add heavy cream 1 teaspoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.454 grams powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon heavy cream
Assembly
- To assemble, first remove the domes from the cakes with a serrated knife.
- Pipe a dollop of buttercream on your cake stand or turntable, then place one cake layer on top. This will help keep the cake from slipping.
- Pipe a tall ring of frosting around the edges (this is a cake dam that will keep the filling inside) and fill the center with the raspberry jam.170 grams raspberry jam
- Lay the second layer on top and repeat the process with the almond filling.170 grams almond pastry filling
- Place the last layer on top upside down so the top is flat. Apply a thin, smooth coat of frosting, or crumb coat, all over the cake using an offset spatula, smoothing it out with a bench scraper. Chill the cake in the freezer for 20 minutes or until the frosting is dry to the touch.
- Spread a thick final layer of frosting all over the cake. Garnish the cake with fresh raspberries and enjoy!
Notes
- Use a kitchen scale to measure the flour and other ingredients accurately.
- Storage:ย Store the cake in a large airtight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Serve at room temperature.
- Freezing:ย Refrigerator the cake until frosting is dry to the touch, then wrap it in plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and eat at room temperature.
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