Almond White Cake with Raspberries

Happy Monday! Oh wait . . . are you not so happy that it's Monday? Are Mondays typically a bit dreary? Well, the obvious solution to that is to . . . bake cake! This post is LONG over-due because this cake is an absolute favorite in our house. It is Stuart's favorite cake, and he requests it every year for his birthday (this is high praise as usually he is a peanut-butter-and-chocolate type of guy all the way). Recently, we shared this cake with some friends and they loved it so much that they wanted to make it for their own family member's birthday. So you could say that I have been holding out on you for a while.

I think I had rationalized not posting about this cake because I have not been able to take photos that do it justice. I just haven't seemed to master the art of cake photography. So, just bear with me here and my lack of frosting/decorating skills, and trust that this is a cake worth making. Immediately.

 

Make sure the egg whites are fully whipped until stiff - they should almost look like the consistency of homemade whipped cream. This can take several minutes using a stand mixer.

 

The batter and whites can take a while to incorporate, but Try not to over-mix.

 

For a casual dessert, you can keep the cake in the pan and serve from there

 

...Or, spruce up the presentation by adding sliced almonds to the sides!

 

Definitely serve with vanilla ice cream (sadly not pictured). 

Cake Ingredients:

2 cups flour


1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt


5 egg whites, room temperature

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature


1 1/2 cups sugar


2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon almond extract


1 cup milk


1 pint fresh raspberries

1 1/4 cups sliced almonds, toasted, cooled (optional for decorating)

Frosting Ingredients:   

16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
                                                                          

 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature                                                                          

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar                                                                                                      

 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
                                                                                                             

1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

Cake Directions:

1.     Preheat to 350. Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

2.     In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

3.     In a large bowl or stand mixer set on high speed, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside and prepare to rinse and re-use stand mixer bowl, if using.

4.     In a large bowl or stand mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter until light. Gradually add the sugar, beating until well blended. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts.

5.     Reduce the speed to low and, dividing the flour mixture into 3 batches, beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture alternately with the milk just until combined.

6.     Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the beaten whites into the batter just until incorporated.

7.     Divide the batter between the prepared pans; smooth with the spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer to racks and let cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the pan sides to loosen the cakes. Invert onto racks and let cool completely.

Frosting Directions:

1.     In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese and butter. Using an electric mixer set on medium-high speed, beat until smooth.

2.     Reduce the speed to low, add the confectioners’ sugar and again beat until smooth. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts until well blended.

3.     Spread the frosting in between the two layers and over the top and sides. Ring the top with raspberries and press the toasted almonds onto the sides. Serve immediately, or cover with a cake dome and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.