Almond Raspberry Cake

You guys know I prefer my baking to be as easy as possible.

I rarely do any kind of decorating. I have no patience for piping bags. I only use cookie cutters occasionally. And if something requires more than 2 mixing bowls, well, it’s not the recipe for me.

Of course, the downside of that kind of baking is that sometimes you want to make something special and beautiful and extra nice. For me, it was this spring almond cake. I wanted it to be different than my usual fare. I was willing to take extra steps.

So no, this is not a box mix, it is made from scratch. But it honestly wasn’t complicated or difficult, and because I kept the frosting really simple, it looks beautiful even without any decorating skills. Which is a real bonus for me.

I have no decorating skills.

If you’re like me and don’t want to pipe some fancy frosting onto a cake, you can always count on fresh berries to make a plain old cake look beautiful.

Or, in this case, raspberries and sliced almonds.

It’s such an easy way to decorate. And it gives the cake a fresh, spring look to it, which is exactly what I was going for.

To keep the filling simple, I used raspberry jam. I just softened it up in the microwave for a few seconds, and stirred in a little almond extract. I spread the warm filling on the cake, and tried not to overdo it.

After all, the cake is the star here, not the filling.

Actually, it’s the almond flavor that’s the star. The raspberries are like the sub-plot. They keep it interesting and give some diversity, but beautiful, delicious almond is the diva.

Since it’s the Easter season and all, I paired the cake with a vase full of orange tulips and a little vanilla ice cream.

And some sunshine. And Easter candy. And lots of family.

It really made for a lovely Sunday afternoon.

Print Recipe

Almond Raspberry Cake

An almond flavored cake with raspberry filling and vanilla frosting.

Cook Time35 mins

Servings: 12 slices

Author: Jen @ Jen's Favorite Cookies

Ingredients

For Cake:

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs + 2 egg whites
• 2 teaspoons almond extract
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup milk

For Filling:

• 1/3 cup raspberry jam
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

For Frosting:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• fresh berries and sliced almonds, for garnish, optional

Instructions

For Cake:

• Place butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and mix until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. 
• Add eggs, egg whites, almond extract and sour cream and mix well. Add salt and baking powder and mix well.
• Mix in flour and milk alternately, mixing just until combined.
• Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by greasing or linin. Pour batter evenly between the pans. Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove cakes from their pans, and let cool on a cooling rack.

For Filling:

• Place jam in a small dish. Microwave for 10-20 seconds to melt. Add almond extract and mix. 

For Frosting:

• Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl, and use a hand mixer to beat until smooth.
• Spread raspberry filling on top of one layer of cake. Spread a small amount of frosting on the BOTTOM of the other layer of cake. Place frosted layer on top of the other layer.
• Use remaining frosting to frost the top only, leaving sides of cake bare. Top with fresh berries and almond slices, if desired.