This Almond Raspberry Cake is delightfully pink and incredibly flavorful. With two layers of moist almond cake, jammy filling, and raspberry buttercream, it is as perfect for a tea party as it is any birthday or shower.
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Tangy, sweet, tart, nutty, and buttery - you will love all the different flavors and textures of this raspberry-filled almond layer cake. Raspberry and almond pair so well together. The result is a moist and buttery cake that is light and sweet.
The cake is simple and fuss-free while yielding tremendous results. The jam does double-duty as filling and flavoring the frosting. Easily dress it up with fresh raspberries and it's ready for any party or celebration.
Why You'll Love This Cake
Almond flour adds more moisture than regular flour and make the cake layers soft and buttery. The cake stays moist for several days after baking.
This is the easiest raspberry buttercream frosting ever. It uses the same jam as the filling while giving it a naturally pink color. For more raspberry flavor, you can add ground freeze-dried raspberries.
The recipe makes a simple, two layer raspberry almond cake. You can easily use the same cake batter and frosting to turn it into a three layer, 6-inch cake.
If you want a more intense raspberry frosting, check out the recipe for these Raspberry Cupcakes!
How to Make Raspberry Almond Cake
- Make the Cake Batter - This cake recipe starts by mixing soft butter and sugar together until light and fluffy using the creaming method. Next add the eggs and extracts then combine. Alternate adding in the dry ingredients with the milk for a smoother batter without over mixing.
- Bake the Cake - Next, pour the batter into buttered and floured cake pans. Bake until slightly golden on top and springy.
- Whip up the Frosting - Start by mixing the soft butter with a hand or stand mixer. From there, add in almost all of the powdered sugar and mix on low until it is smooth and mixed together. Add the raspberry jam and mix until the buttercream is fluffy. Add a little bit more sugar as necessary or freeze-dried raspberries, if using.
- Assemble the Almond Raspberry Cake - Wait until the cakes are completely cool before filling and stacking. These layers bake up relatively flat, but use a serrate knife to cut off any doming on top. Make a border of raspberry buttercream around the edges of one layer of cake before filling with jam to prevent leaks. Ice the cake with the remaining frosting.
- Decorate It! - For the stripe design, use an icing comb while the frosting is still soft. Top with fresh raspberries and/or flowers.
Bake Like a Pro
For a smooth, professional looking cake, don't forget the crumb coat. After filling, spread a thin layer of buttercream all over the cake. This layer of icing doesn’t have to be perfect. Chill for about 15 minutes before adding the outer layer of frosting. This locks in the crumbs.
Softened butter should be able to easily hold a fingerprint when lightly pressed. It should not feel greasy or be melted.
Thoroughly mix the softened butter with sugar for an ultra fluffy, tender cake.
Serving and Storage
This almond raspberry cake can be served at room temperature or chilled from the fridge. The almond flour in the cake will keep it moist and soft even after it is refrigerated.
You can keep the cake at a mild room temperature for up to two days. If you need to keep leftovers longer, then cover the cake in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for up to 5 days.
The baked and cooled cake layers can be frozen. Wrap well with plastic and freeze up to three months. Thaw the frozen almond cake layers in the refrigerator overnight.
Almond Raspberry Cake Recipe FAQs
You can bake it in three 6-inch cake pans. Adjust the baking time accordingly. Make sure to only fill the pans ⅔ of the way full.
Choose a good quality aluminum cake pan with at least 2-inch tall sides.
Yes! After baking and cooling completely, wrap the cakes well with plastic and freeze up to three months. Thaw the frozen almond cake layers in the refrigerator overnight.
Layer Cake 101
New to cake decorating? Start here:
Easy Textured Buttercream Cakes
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Buy my books! Layered and Icing on the Cake
More Recipes to Try
Recipe
Almond Raspberry Cake
Ingredients
For the Almond Cake
- 1 ¾ cup (210g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup almond flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup whole milk
For the Raspberry Buttercream
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar sifted
- ¾ cup raspberry jam divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk as needed
- pink gel food coloring optional
- fresh raspberries for decorating
Instructions
- Make the Almond Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans. Set aside.
- Whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a mixing bowl using a hand mixer), mix together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. With the mixer on low, add eggs and egg yolk followed by the vanilla and almond extract. Mix to combine. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- With the mixer on low, add in half of the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Add the milk and mix until combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until smooth.
- Evenly divide the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centers of the cakes comes out clean. Place the cakes on a wire cooling rack for 10 to 20 minutes before removing them from their pans. Cool the cakes completely before frosting.
Make the Raspberry Buttercream
- Using a stand (or hand) mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter on medium-low speed until smooth and creamy, 1 minute.
- Turn the mixer off and add the powdered sugar, ¼ cup raspberry jam and vanilla. Begin mixing on low speed until the ingredients come together - scraping the bowl occasionally.
- Turn up the speed and mix at medium-high speed for 3, until the buttercream is light and smooth. If needed, add the milk until desired consistency is achieved. The buttercream should spread smoothly without tearing the crumb of the cake but thick enough that it holds shape when piped and spread between the layers. Add the pink food coloring and mix, if using.
Assemble the Cake
- Place one layer of cake on a serving dish or cake board. Spread about ½ cup of buttercream on top. Use a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon to push some of the buttercream to the edges or use a piping bag to pipe a buttercream border around the top edge.
- Fill the center of the cake with ½ cup raspberry jam.
- Sandwich the second layer of cake upside-down on top. Fill in the gaps between the two cakes with buttercream to prevent the jam for squishing out.
- Create a crumb coat by icing the cake in a thin layer of buttercream. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- Smoothing frost the cake with the rest of the buttercream. Use the fluted edge of an icing smoother of icing comb to create the ridges on the sides of the cake.
- Decorated with fresh raspberries or as desired.
Sydney Garcia
Great cake. The almond makes it so moist. I let the frosting plain, but piled high with raspberries on top.