Almond Raspberry Cake
Hello, friends today I am sharing one of my favorite cake flavors of all time: Almond Raspberry Cake.
Layers of almond cake, brushed with almond simple syrup, to keep it nice and super moist, just perfect. Filled with raspberry jam and frosted with Almond Cream Cheese Frosting, this cake is very elegant and rich in almond flavor.
How to make the Almond Cake Batter
The ingredients for this cake batter are unsalted butter, vegetable oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, almond flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, buttermilk and salt.
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Using oil in combination with the butter in this recipe makes the cake very moist, and steps up the level of its texture.
Adding buttermilk to the batter will also contribute to making a moist and soft cake, because the acid in the buttermilk will react with the baking soda, creating a nice rise on the cake. The buttermilk also prevents gluten formation, which helps the fluffy texture of the final result.
If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use milk instead. However, making buttermilk at home is super easy, just add 1 tsp of vinegar to the milk and let it sit for a minute before adding to the recipe.
Tips for making the cake moist
- Start by not over mixing the batter. Mixing the batter too long once the flour has been added will promote gluten development, which makes the baked goods tough and dry.
- Use buttermilk instead of milk, or add a bit of vinegar to the milk before adding to the recipe. Buttermilk helps create a tender crumb.
- Don’t over bake the cakes. Bake just until the cake springs back when touched, or a toothpick comes out clean.
- Use a simple syrup on the cake. Simple syrups are not mandatory, but they do help cakes become moist and they add flavor as well.
How to make Almond Cream Cheese Frosting
The Almond Cream Cheese Frosting is made with cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, a dash of almond extract, and heavy cream. And it’s no secret that cream cheese frosting is my number one favorite in the whole world!
If the frosting is too stiff, add a bit of milk or heavy cream to thin it out, and if the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar.
The amount of powdered sugar used will also vary based on the temperature of your butter and cream cheese. If the butter and the cream cheese are too soft (below 72 Fahrenheit), the frosting will naturally be a bit runnier, and you will need more powdered sugar to make it the proper consistency for cake frosting.
It’s best to use the butter and cream cheese when they are at 72 Fahrenheit.
As for the raspberry filling, you are free to use store bought raspberry jam!
I just made it the raspberry jam myself, because I like it to be a bit less sweet for the cake filling, since the cake itself will already be sweet with the frosting.
Also, I like to strain the jam, and enjoy it seedless. That’s also an option you have. If you prefer your jam to be seedless, strain the jam while it’s still hot as soon as you turn off the heat.
You can use either frozen or fresh raspberries for the recipe. The fresh raspberries often yield a thicker jam over using frozen ones, because the frozen raspberries release more water.
How to assemble the Almond Raspberry Cake
I chose to brush the layers of cake with simple syrup.
Because this cake is already naturally pretty moist, with the addition of buttermilk, oil, and almond flour, you may find that brushing the cake layers with simple syrup is not needed. And that’s totally fine.
I always prefer my cake extra moist, so the simple syrup did a great job at making this cake even more delicious, moist, and soft.
Simple syrup is very easy to make, just has to be made ahead because you should use it while it’s cooled or cold. You can store it in the fridge for months, as long as you don’t get any cake crumbs in it, so be careful when you dip the brush from the cake back into the simple syrup container.
You can flavor the simple syrup with many different flavors, I chose almond because of the cake flavor, I felt like it complimented the cake really well.
Tips on assembling the cake layers
- Brush the cake layer with almond simple syrup as you are assembling it.
- Spread a thin layer of frosting on the cake before adding the jam to the center, that prevents the jam from being absorbed by the cake.
- Pipe a tall ring of frosting around the edges of the cake to prevent the jam from seeping through.
- Don’t fill the cake with too much jam, or most of it will escape and run down the sides of the cake.
- Frost the cake with a crumb coat before applying the final coat of frosting. That will seal the cake crumbs in.
- Use a cake scraper and a turntable to assist in getting a smooth frosting layer.
When I made this cake, I also went ahead and made a half recipe, baked in small 4″ pans, and made mini cakes.
I absolutely love mini cakes, specially because they feel like a whole individual cake made just for you! They are fun to eat, and also super cute.
By halving the recipe I was able to obtain two mini cakes.
After cutting the cold cake from the fridge, let it sit for about ten minutes before serving. I always like to give the cake a chance for the frosting and the fat in the layers to soften up.
This cake recipe is simple and will make you feel fancy, serve a slice of cake and a cup of tea, enjoy your homemade tea shop dessert!
If you liked this recipe, you may also like:
- Almond Strawberry Cake
- Dulce de Leche Mocha Cake
- Lemon Blackberry Cake
- Strawberry Nutella Cake
- Raspberry Coconut Cake
- Grape Cake
Almond Raspberry Cake
Ingredients
Almond Cake
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 223 grams
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter softened, 85 grams
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar 150 grams
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1 cup buttermilk
Almond Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 1/2 cup softened cream cheese 340 grams
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened (170 grams)
- 5 cups powdered sugar 637 grams
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 2-4 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
Raspberry Jam
- 2 cups raspberries 280 grams
- 1/4 cup sugar 50 grams (or any sweetener, you can use maple syrup or honey as well)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
- 3 tbsp water
Almond Simple Syrup
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar 100 grams
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
Instructions
Almond Cake
- Grease and flour 4-6” cake pans. Or simply grease the pans, and place a parchment paper circle on the bottom of the pan.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350F.
- Mix the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and set aside.
- Beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer for 2 minutes, on medium speed. Add the sugar, oil and mix to combine for another two minutes.
- Add the eggs to the mixture, one at a time, mixing on medium speed. Scrape the bowl and add vanilla and almond extract and mix.
- Add the almond flour to the bowl and stir to combine.
- Add half of the buttermilk to the bowl and mix briefly.
- Follow with half of the flour mixture, add it to the bowl and stir for 30 seconds or so, to combine.
- Add the remaining buttermilk and mix on low for 30 seconds. Finish with the remaining flour.
- Divide the batter evenly between your cake pans.
- Bake on pre-heated oven for about 20-25 minutes. Smaller cake pans will take less time to bake.
- Remove the cake from the oven when a toothpick comes out clean once inserted in the cake.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes and flip it over in a wire rack to let it cool completely before proceeding with frosting and filling.
Almond Cream Cheese Frosting
- Sift the powdered sugar and set it aside.
- Now, beat the softened cream cheese and butter together in the bowl of an electric mixer, for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Add the powdered sugar, mix on low until incorporated. Add almond, vanilla extract, and 2 tbsp of heavy cream or milk. Raise the speed to medium high, and beat for another minute or so.
- If the frosting is too stiff, add more heavy cream. And if the frosting is too runny, add more powdered sugar.
- This frosting will store well in the fridge for up to 5 days, covered.
- Make sure to always leave your frosting covered. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap, because otherwise, the surface will dry out and get hard.
Raspberry Jam
- Place raspberry, sugar, and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes. If mixture becomes dry, add a tablespoon of water (or more lemon juice), to the pan.
- Dissolve the cornstarch in the water.
- Add it to the pan and cook for 1 minute until the jam is thick.
- Remove it to a small bowl, you can strain if you don’t like the seeds. Let it cool in the fridge until completely chilled.
Simple syrup
- Place the sugar and the water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring it to a boil, while stirring, so the sugar will melt with the water. Turn the heat off and add the almond extract. Mix until combined. Set the syrup aside until it cools down completely. Store in the fridge. Only use it when it’s completely cooled.
- The simple syrup is optional, but I do love how syrups can make cakes even more moist and delicious.
To assemble
- Place a cake layer on a cake plate or stand. Brush a bit of the simple syrup on the cake layer.
- Put some of the Almond Cream Cheese Frosting in a piping bag and snip the end of the bag to form a small hole.
- Pipe a circle of frosting around the edges of the first cake layer. This is meant to keep the filling inside the cake without leaking out to the sides.
- Fill the bottom layer with jam.
- Spread evenly.
- Top with another cake layer. Repeat the process of brushing with the syrup.
- Pipe another circle of frosting around the edges of the cake.
- Spoon some of the raspberry jam in the middle of the cake.
- Top with another cake layer, followed by a simple syrup brushing.
- Pipe another circle of frosting around the edges of the cake.
- Fill it with jam.
- Top with the last cake layer.
Frost cake with the Almond Cream Cheese Frosting
- I spread a thin layer of frosting around the cake, and then placed the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes so the layer of frosting would set.
- This is called crumb coating, and it helps keep crumbs away from the final layer of frosting coating the cake.
- While the cake rests in the fridge, remember to keep the remaining frosting covered with plastic wrap, so it won’t form a crust.
- Then, remove the cake from the fridge and apply a thick coating of frosting.
- Place some frosting in a piping bag and pipe on top of the cake. Top with raspberries.
This sounds so delicious! What size cake pans did you use for the mini cakes?
Hi, Camila!
Can I make cupcakes with this recipe instead? Thank you in advance.
yes you can!!!
Thank you for responding! I’m definitely going to make some cupcakes!
Que bolo delicioso! 😋 😋 😋 esse eu provei e adorei!! Obrigada, Camila!!
Hi! I am wondering if you have a different frosting recipe that will go well with this cake, as I don’t like cheese of any kind? Thank you
I want to make this, as it looks and sounds delicious,but need a different frosting recipe.
there’s an almond buttercream in this recipe that would work https://www.piesandtacos.comalmond-strawberry-cake/
How many 4 inch pans do you need for the mini cakes if you make half the recipe?
6 small 4 inch pans.
Thank you!
Heyy!! I am planning to make this for my birthday but with 8inch pans and 4 layers, should I just double the recipe ? Also did you use vanilla bean paste in the buttercream for the specs of vanilla?😍
Bes
This was delicious and received rave reviews from my guests. My family LOVED it. My husband doesn’t love cake and this one was a different story. ❤️❤️❤️
The bonus is you can tweak to personal tastes. I don’t enjoy overly sweet and I amended the frosting recipe from 5c of sugar to 2c and it was plenty sweet and delicious!
Love it thank you!
Absolutely incredible! Everybody said it was the best cake I’ve ever made. The cake was so delicate with the most tender crumb and the jam was so perfectly tart. SO good. Just finished up another slice (for breakfast) and I’m not sorry. Thank you for sharing!
Love cake for breakfast lol! I am so happy everyone loved the cake!!! Hats off to you because you baked it!!! Thanks so much!!
Hi! I wanted to ask do we have to have the 4 or 3 layers of cake can we do just 2 layers? And it wont be different?
you can do 2 layers but they will have to be 8 inches, because if they re 6 inches, the pans will be too full.
I’ve made this recipe multiple times and it is one of my absolute favorites! I also have doubled the recipe and made a 9 inch cake with perfect results. It’s delicious. Another winner! Thank you!
Thank you so much Tracy!!!
Is it possible to substitute almond extract with almond essence as we can’t have any alcohol based products?
sure thing
Made this cake for my daughter’s birthday, it was a hit! The cake is dense and moist and the frosting has the perfect level of sweetness. Will definitely make this again. Thank you for sharing!
thank you so much Im so happy to hear that!!!
Hi! I don’t see any mention of the temperature of the eggs or butter …cold or softened, room temp etc Thanks in advance
Sorry I meant just the butter 🙂 temp
yes room temp 🙂
First, this cake is absolutely wonderful! 🥰🥰 I’ve made it twice in 3 weeks and will be doing another one this week! My very picky sister even love loved it!! The first time I made it, I did a 1 1/2 recipe and it made enough to fit into 3-6”, 3-4”, and 1-7” pans. The second time I just did one recipe and put in 2-8” pans. My layers didn’t “bake up” or rise to be very high in height, is this normal? I didn’t it notice too much the first time because I had so many pans. But when I baked just the 2-8” it was very noticeable. Would you suggest making 1 1/2 recipe and bake into 2-8” pans to yield taller layers maybe? Thanks for your response in advance!
Que delícia!! Perfeito!!
What a great recipe! I came in second place at my company bake off with this fantastic cake 🙂 So I made it again for some friends for a very special dinner party and used almond buttercream instead of almond cream cheese frosting. I’ve never seen a better reaction to a cake!
sounds wonderful! thank you!!! and congrats on your bake off placement!!!
Hi Camila,
this looks delicious, can I use almond flour instead of all- purpose flour? I want to make a gluten-free cake and I think substituting all-purpose flour with almond flour will make it much more delicious than replacing it with gluten-free flour.
Thanks
Leila
I am not sure how it would affect the texture. I think it wouldn’t be the same. It’s worth experimenting.
How could I make this recipe into a 3 layer 8inch cake ? Would I half the recipe and make extra batter? Thx!
I would double the recipe.
How long would I bake cupcakes for? This is my favorite almond raspberry cake recipe!! 🩷
cupcakes probably 15 to 20 minutes, until the top springs back or a toothpick comes out clean
Absolutely delicious cake and gone in a second!! I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 flour with great success.
Hi Camila!!
I wanted to try this cake in the mini version! About how long do you bake the 4 inch cakes for? Thank you!
out 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean
How long would you bake in 8 inch pans. Dies it matter if you use a convection vs conventional?
convection oven requires lower temperature (about 25 degrees less) and often times a bit less baking time. Just keep checking until a toothpick comes off clean when inserted in the cake.
Would this recipe work in 2 8” pans? And if so how long would you suggest to bake?
I believe you can. This recipe makes about 16 cups of batter, and you can fit about 6-8 cups in a 8″ pan.
6″ cake turned out moist and delectable using the simple syrup. Made a white chocolate almond buttercream frosting. Not too sweet, not too much. Pressed sliced, toasted almonds around the sides and garnished with fresh raspberries. Perfection! A Valentine for my husband. He loves it.
Receita maravilhosa e deliciosa! Bolo lindo!!🤩
I made cupcakes, baking them for 15 – 17 minutes. Half of them I filled with raspberry jam. I topped them with the cream cheese icing (using 3 cups powdered sugar instead of 5), swirled the raspberry jam on top, and then candied some sliced almonds and put those in a pattern on the top.
Hey! I am planning on making this beautiful cake for my birthday!! However I would like to do 4 layers with 8 inch tins each, instead of 6. Would this mean I just double the recipe? And for the buttercream, I noticed there are specs of vanilla. should I use vanilla bean paste to achieve this ? Thanks 🥰
Yes you can double the recipe. And the specs it’s because I think I used vanilla bean paste which has vanilla specs on it, so you definitely can use the vanilla bean paste.