This blackberry almond cake is pillow soft, velvety and moist. The tangy sweet blackberries join the nutty yet fruity flavor of almond to create a delicious burst of goodness in your mouth!
Can you tell I love almond? Those almond cherry chip cookies did not come about by accident, but from my love of almond! This cake came about from wanting to mix my love of almond with something tart.
If I'm being honest, I'm not normally one for cake. I'm really picky and it isn't usually my thing. But a few years ago I made my first almond cake and it. was. heavenly. The base of this cake has been altered from this recipe. While the recipe isn't lacking (actually, it's fabulous), I wanted something different. I wanted something tangy and berry-y to go with yet contrast the almond. After some experimenting, the blackberry almond cake was born. Honest-to-goodness this is the very best cake I have eaten in my entire life.
How to Make the Almond Cake:
Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until fluffy. About 2-3 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Then, measure out the milk and add the almond extract to it and mix gently. Next, mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients into the butter/sugar mixture a little at a time, alternating between the wet and dry. Next, using a clean whisk attachment on a stand or hand held mixer beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. It is very important to use a clean bowl and whisk, as any fat could prevent them from forming stiff peaks. Finally, fold the egg whites into the batter. Fold them in very gently and be careful not to over-mix. Over-mixing will cause a dense cake! Pour equal amounts into 2 greased, parchment paper lined cake pans and bake for 25 minutes. The cakes will be golden and should bounce back when pressed gently.
How to Make the Blackberry Filling:
First, put cold water and lemon juice in a small bowl and mix in cornstarch. Put blackberries and sugar in a small saucepan. Pour cornstarch mixture over it and heat on medium heat for 5-10 minutes. Stir constantly and mash the blackberries as it cooks. As the blackberries come to a boil, the color and texture of the mixture will start to change. It will lose its slightly milky appearance.
How to Make the Blackberry Buttercream:
First, put blackberries and lemon juice in saucepan over medium heat. Cook 5-7 minutes and mash the blackberries while they cook. As the blackberries heat up, they become easier to mash. It's done when all the blackberries are mashed. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, if desired. Allow blackberry/ lemon juice mixture to cool. Whip butter in a bowl on high until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Last, add the blackberry mixture and powdered sugar and mix until well combined. Chill for 20 minutes. This buttercream is delicious, but soft.
How to Assemble:
Place a small dollop of frosting on the bottom of a cake stand or cake plate. Put base layer of cake on top. Spread the blackberry filling over the cake and place the next cake face down on top. Placing it face down gives you a nice flat cake top to work with. Frost the cake as desired, and enjoy!
Blackberry Almond Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 16 servings 1x
Description
This blackberry white almond cake is pillow soft, velvety and moist. The tangy sweet blackberries join the nutty yet fruity flavor of almond to create a delicious burst of goodness in your mouth!
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup salted butter, softened (if using unsalted, add 1/2 teaspoon salt to dry ingredients)
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 cups/ 345 grams cake flour (measure very carefully, too much flour= dense cake)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
- 1 cup egg whites (about 7 large eggs. It's okay if you're slightly under or over)
For the filling:
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 Tablespoons cold water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 8 oz fresh or frozen blackberries
- 1/8 cup sugar
For the frosting:
- 1 1/2 cups (8 oz) fresh blackberries
- 3 teaspoons lemon juice
- 3/4 cup salted butter, at room temperature (if using unsalted, add 1/4 teaspoon salt)
- 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350*F
- Grease 2- 9" round cake pans and line with parchment paper, then grease again.
- Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until fluffy. About 2-3 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Measure out the milk and add the almond extract to it and stir gently.
- Mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients into the butter/sugar mixture a little at a time, alternating between the wet and dry.
- Using a clean bowl and whisk attachment on a stand or hand held mixer beat the egg whites on high until stiff peaks form. It is very important to use a clean bowl and whisk, as any fat could prevent them from forming stiff peaks as well.
- Fold the egg whites into the batter. Fold them in very gently and be careful not to over-mix. Over-mixing will cause a dense cake!
- Pour equal amounts into 2 greased, parchment paper lined cake pans and bake for 24-27 minutes. The cakes will be a light golden color and should bounce back when pressed gently.
- Allow the cakes to cool for 10-15 minutes then loosen the edges and transfer to a cooling rack.
For the filling:
- While the cake is baking make your filling!
- Mix cold water, lemon juice and corn starch together in a small bowl.
- Put raspberries and sugar in a sauce pan.
- Pour cornstarch mixture over the top and turn on to medium low heat
- Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Allow to boil 2-4 minutes. The sauce will change color as it boils. It will darken and the white tinge from the cornstarch will go away. When the white tinge is gone and the sauce has thickened a bit:
- Remove from unit and allow to cool while the cakes finish baking. Strain through a fine mesh sieve to get rid of seeds, if desired.
For the frosting:
- While the cake bakes, make the frosting!
- Put blackberries and lemon juice in saucepan over medium heat.
- Cook 5-7 minutes and mash the blackberries while they cook. As the blackberries heat up, they become easier to mash.
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, if desired.
- Allow blackberry/ lemon juice mixture to cool about 20 minutes.
- Whip room temperature butter in a bowl on high until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the blackberry mixture and powdered sugar and mix until well combined.
- Chill for 20 minutes. This buttercream is delicious, but soft.
Assembly:
- Place a small dollop of frosting on the bottom of a cake stand or cake plate.
- Put base layer of cake on top.
- Spread the blackberry filling over the cake.
- Place the next cake face down on top. Placing it face down gives you a nice flat cake top to work with.
- Frost and decorate the cake as desired, and enjoy!
Notes
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container before and after serving! Keeps in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Can be frozen then thawed in the refrigerator for 2 hours before serving. Stores in freezer up to 1 month.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
Wow. I think this is the best cake I've ever had in my entire life. And I'm a chocolate guy!
★★★★★