almond blackberry cake
I really don’t know if I’ll ever make a layer cake larger than 6 inches in diameter. I mean, how cute is this guy?
Gushing aside, this Almond Blackberry Cake might be my favorite yet. Lightly tinted with almond essence and beautifully swizzled with violet blackberry jam that turns a dusty magenta when it hits the white buttercream, this one is a supreme centerpiece for your backyard barbecue or birthday party. The fruitiness is a bit of a deviant from typical rich cakes. It’s sweet without causing you to foam at the mouth from the sugar. The best kind of sweet to me.
I’m glad the summer months seem to be rather happening as far as life transitions go. As much as I love having cake around, I need to not devour a whole thing in three days with marathon training running strong and, you know, general health being a concern. Thus, friends to which I can pawn off slices are useful.
I owe one of J’s run club buddies some cake since our birthdays fall on the same date and I failed to offer up a slice of my Peanut Butter Milk n’ Cookies Cake before its prolonged freezer confinement…
One of my coworkers’ 21st occurred last weekend…
A lifeguard at the pool I frequent graduated college and is moving at the end of the week…
Mom wants a slice…
Then, of course, a couple left for J and I since I made the cake, after all, and deserve at least a bit of it.
I wasn’t keen on recreating the standard berries-and-lemon flavor marriage, despite my adoration for such a combo. Almond is a less-known yet fantastic pairing with blackberries and I decided to get over my fear of over-almonding a baked good so to actually enjoy the taste it lends. Turns out, this cake was a perfect muse.
The cake base is rather typical: butter, sugar, eggs, leaveners, salt, flour, and buttermilk. I added almond, vanilla, and cinnamon for the taste combination I wanted.
To start, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating to completely incorporate before adding the next. Blend in the vanilla and almond extracts.
In another bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Alternate mixing in 1/3 of the dry ingredients and 1/3 of the buttermilk (or choice milk) into the butter bowl. The result should be a thick but fluffy batter that can be scooped, but not poured. If it’s watery, you done goofed, pal.
Grease your cake pans – 9 inch or 6 inch, depending on your preferred size – and evenly distribute the batter. Bake 35-40 minutes until the center is set. Cool in the pan 5 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack for at least an hour. If the cake is a bit stubborn, run a knife around the perimeter to loosen the sides and prevent a big ole irreparable tear. If one happens anyway, just eat it. Or slap some buttercream on and stick the thing in its rightful place.
The velvety buttercream is a simple vanilla one, so to not overtake the rich almond cake or the dollops of blackberry jam. The whiteness also serves as a canvas to scoop up the deep violet preserves and create various light and dark plays across the surface of the cake. Each swoop will be unique, which is part of the delight of this cake.
I also don’t encourage overfrosting the cake. Leave a few “naked” bits to really emphasize the swirl and, again, not overpower the almond.
Garnish with a few blackberries and maybe a big flower of some kind. I had some carnations so I snipped a bud off and laid it overtop. It’s just small enough to not get smooshed by my cake stand lid.
Cake baking still does not come naturally to me, much like marathon pace running and filtering my sarcasm. Practice has, however, taken some of the fright out of the process, and I’m starting to read my creations’ efficacy pretty well before even baking the layers. Batter texture tells me a lot about how the finished product will look. This one certainly did not disappoint.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Berry wonderful summer dishes:
Simple Blueberry Swirled Lemon Custard Tart
Strawberry Cheesecake Swirl Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk, whole milk, or oat milk
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/2 cup blackberry jam
vanilla buttercream
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 2-3 tbsp milk, to thin
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease 2 9-inch cake pans or 3 6-inch cake pans.
- With a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy and light yellow in hue, about 2-3 minutes. Whip in eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Blend in the almond and vanilla extracts.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Measure the buttermilk (or whichever milk you choose) into a pyrex measuring cup or some other easy-to-pour-from vessel.
- Alternate mixing 1/3 of the flour mixture with 1/3 of the milk into the butter mixture until both are used up.
- Pour batter evenly into the prepared cake pans. Gently tap the bottoms against the counter to loosen any air bubbles and distribute the batter more evenly. Bake for 35-40 minutes until center is just set and a toothpick removes clean with only a few crumbs.
- Cool cakes for 5 minutes in the pans, then slide a knife around the perimeter of each layer to loosen and turn onto a wire cooling rack. If you have casualties, it's ok! That's what frosting is for. Cool for about an hour before frosting.
- When the cakes are cooled, prepare the frosting. With the stand or hand mixer, whip together the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. If the frosting is grainy and thick, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until smooth and spreadable.
- Level each cake by carefully slicing the top off with a sharp serrated knife. If your cakes are flat, ignore this step, you lucky bastards. Spread about 1/4-1/2 cup buttercream atop one layer, then 2-4 tbsp blackberry jam (measurements depend on if you used 6 inch or 9 inch pans). Set second layer atop and repeat. If you have a third layer, repeat frosting steps. Set cake in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- With the remaining buttercream, lightly frost the outside of the cake. The jam from between the layers will mix in with the frosting and create a pretty ribboned effect. If desired, swirl small amounts of additional jam into the frosting.
- Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the fridge up to a week, or the freezer up to a month.
