This cake has an almond sponge, filled with homemade Strawberry Jam, covered in Almond Buttercream. Topped with a pink drizzle, and meringue cookies.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword cake
Prep Time 50 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour20 minutesminutes
Servings 12servings
Calories 280kcal
Ingredients
Almond Cake
1/2cupunsalted butter softened4 oz, 113 grams
3/4cupgranulated sugar5.29 oz, 150 grams
2large eggs room temperature
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
1/2teaspoonalmond extract
1 3/4cupall-purpose flour7.87 oz, 221 grams
1/2cupalmond flour1.69 oz, 48 grams
2teaspoonsbaking powder
1/4teaspoonsalt
1cupbuttermilk room temperature
Strawberry Jelly
2/3cupgranulated sugar or maple syrup4.69 oz, 133 grams
1cupmashedor pureed strawberries (I like to process mine in the food processor, you will need about 16 ounces of strawberries to obtain 1 cup of puree)
3tablespoonscornstarch
1/4-1/2cupwater
Almond Buttercream
1 1/2cupunsalted butterat room temperature (12 oz, 340 grams)
5cupspowdered sugar22.5 oz, 637 grams
3/4cupalmond flourfinely ground is best (2.5 oz, 72 grams)
2teaspoonsalmond extractor to taste, some find almond extract to be overpowering
1teaspoonvanilla extract
2-4tablespoonsheavy cream
Instructions
Almond Cake
Grease and flour 4 6” cake pans, or 2 8” cake pans.
Pre-heat oven to 350F.
Cream butter in the bowl of a stand mixer for 2 minutes, on medium speed. Gradually add sugar and cream for 3 minutes until mixture is fluffy and lighter in color.
Add eggs to the mixture, one at a time, mixing on medium speed. Scrape bowl and add vanilla and almond extract. Mix on medium-low speed until incorporated.
Sift flours, baking powder and salt.
Add half of the buttermilk to butter/egg/sugar mixture. Mix on low for 30 seconds. Add half of sifted flour mixture. Mix on low for 30-45 seconds until almost entirely incorporated.
Add remaining buttermilk and mix on low for 30 seconds. Add remaining flour and mix on low until incorporated.
Divide 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 cake from the oven when a toothpick comes out clean once inserted in the cake.
Let 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.
Strawberry Jelly
Place strawberries, and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, and let it boil for 5-10 minutes. If the mixture is getting too thick, add a tablespoon of water or so.
Let mixture cook down, regulate the heat to keep it at a gentle simmer.
Once mixture has cooked down and it’s syrupy and the sugar has melted, you can dissolve the cornstarch in 1/4 cup of water and add that to the strawberry mixture, stirring and cooking over medium heat.
Let mixture simmer and get thick, for about 10 minutes. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of water if necessary.
Remove and let mixture cool down in the fridge all the way before using it.
Almond Buttercream
Start by sifting the powdered sugar and almond together. Set aside. Make sure the almond is finely ground, so you can have an easy time frosting the cake.
Cream the butter with a mixer, at medium-high speed, for about 2 minutes.
Add powdered sugar and almond flour. Mix on low to combine the dry ingredients and the butter. Raise speed and cream mixture for 1-2 minutes, until fluffy. Add heavy cream, as necessary. I always check the consistency first, and see if it even needs the heavy cream. The thing is that depending on how you measure your powdered sugar (by scooping, by weighing) you might end up with a totally different amount than what the recipe calls for, which is why is so important to use a scale when baking.
So, if you accidentally measured too much powdered sugar, your buttercream might be stiffer, and might need more cream. Start with one tablespoon and see where it leads you.
Add extracts.
Always keep your buttercream covered, because this is the kind that forms that crust, and you don’t want your frosting to form the crust before you put it on the cake.
The buttercream can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week, and in the freezer for up to 1 month. Make sure to let buttercream come to room temperature and then rewhip it before using if you refrigerated, or froze it.
To assemble
I always like to frost my cakes when they are cold, so they will hold up nicely during the process of decorating. Since I like my cakes very moist and fluffy, refrigerating them really helps with having a sturdier cake when it’s time to assemble.
First step is to place one cake layer on a cake plate, or board.
If using simple syrup*, brush some on the cake layer.
Place some of the Almond Buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a round tip.
Pipe a ring of frosting around the edges of the cake.
Spread some of the Strawberry Jam in the middle.
Top with another layer. Repeat with all layers.
Cover the cake with some of the almond frosting, I like to do a crumb coating at this point and just frost my cake with a layer of frosting. Then I let my cake rest in the fridge until the frosting has set. That’s when you come in with the second layer of frosting, and the finishing one. We do this crumb coating process so the cake won’t have any crumbs on the final frosting.
I decorated my cake with meringues made using the recipe from Bakerella, and made the drip with candy melts.
Storage
Keep cake stored in the fridge, preferably covered, for up to 1 week.
Notes
*Simple syrup is equal parts of sugar and water brought to just a boil, and then cooled down. I use it to brush on my cakes to keep them moist. I usually make a large batch of simple syrup and keep it in my fridge for when I make cakes. Simple syrup will last quite a bit in the fridge if you keep it safely. Don’t let any cake crumbs in it though, or you it will mold.