almond raspberry layer cake
My mother is the original marzipan fanatic in my family, and the biggest cheering squad behind my single homemade attempt, not to mention all of the other almond-flavored confections I’ve given spins on this site. Thus, needless to say, for her birthday, it was an almond cake or bust and this one fit the bill perfectly — a strong almond flavor, and it came together quickly.
By the way, if you find yourself baking cakes for small gatherings, I cannot underscore enough the awesomeness of investing in a set of 6-inch round baking pans. There were just going to be four of us for dinner at the restaurant, so one of my typically giant cakes seemed particularly ridiculous, but that shouldn’t mean that the birthday girl can’t have a real birthday cake. Plus, the volume of a 6-inch round pan is (here comes the fancy math!) just a little shy of half the volume of a 9-inch round which means that you can effectively halve almost any cake recipe and end up with a mini bit of awesome. And, you know, we’re all about the mini bits of awesome around here these days.
Layer Cake Tips: Read these tips before you get started if you’re intimidated by stacked, filled and frosted cakes.
More Celebration Cakes: Not the triple-stacked madness you had in mind? We’ve got cakes a-plenty over here, have fun mixing and matching their parts until you find what you want.
One year ago: Cherry Cornmeal Upside-Down Cake
Two years ago: Baked Eggs + Chive Biscuits + Homemade Bloody Marys
Almond Rasberry Layer Cake
Adapted from Sky High. Of course. Always.
The almond cake is pretty intensely flavored, and really quite easy to make — a true “white” cake (as in, no egg yolks, just whites) whose advantages are that they’re pretty and light (and quite traditional for wedding cakes) but having the disadvantage of benefiting from a brush with a simple syrup if you won’t be eating it right away. The raspberry jam filling couldn’t be easier, and whether you cover the cake with a whipped bittersweet ganache (as we did), a Swiss buttercream or cream cheese frosting, it’s guaranteed to be the prettiest little thing to cut into.
Oh, and if you have a friend who loves nothing more than a good seven-layer (rainbow) cookie, don’t resist the temptation to tint the top layer green and the bottom one pink. Gah, can you imagine how adorable it would be?
The Happy Birthday Mom was piped with a handful of white chocolate chips melted with a teaspoon of cream and tinted with blue food dye before letting it thicken to a piping consistency. It was a little puddly to write with, but still so much tastier than those awful tubed things.
Makes a 9-inch triple layer cake that serves 16 to 20 people
4 1/2 cups cake flour
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup prepared almond paste (7 ounces)
2 2/3 cups sugar
2 1/2 sticks (10 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon almond extract
10 egg whites
1 1/2 cups whole milk
For assembly:
1 cup simple syrup (to keep cake moist)(optional)
1 cup seedless raspberry preserves
Frosting ideas: Swiss Buttercream (with or without two teaspoons of almond extract for flavoring), Cream Cheese Frosting or Whipped Bittersweet Frosting (recipe below)
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch (but 9-inch will work just fine) round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set the dry ingredients aside.
3. Place the almond paste and sugar in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in another large bowl if using a handheld mixer. Begin to cream the mixture on low speed to break up the almond paste, then increase the speed to medium for about 2 minutes, or until the paste is broken into fine particles.
4. Add the butter and almond extract and beat it well, then the egg whites, two or three at a time, beating just long enough to incoperate after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl several times to make sure it is evenly mixed.
5. Dust about a third of the dry ingredients over the batter and fold in with a large rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in about half the milk. Fold in half the remaining flour mixture, followed by the remaining milk. Finally, fold in the last of the dry ingredients just until no streaks of white remain. Use a light hand and do not overmix. Divide the batter among the three prepared cake pans.
6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in their pans on wire racks for about 10 minutes. Turn the cakes out on to wire racks, carefully peel off the paper liners and let them cool completely, about one hour.
7. Assemble the cake: Place one layer flat side up on a cake stand or serving plate. Slide small strips of waxed paper under the edges to protect the plate from any messiness accumulated while decorating. Brush first layer with simple syrup, if using. Spread 1/2 cup of the raspberry preserves over the cake, leaving a 1/4 inch margin around the edges. Repeat with the second layer, brushing syrup if using and using remaining preserves. Add the third layer and brush with syrup if using.
8. Spread a thin layer frosting of your choice over the top and sides of the cake. Let frosting set in the fridge for about 20 to 30 minutes (this is your crumb coat) then spread a thicker, decorative coat over the base coat. If you have any frosting remaining, pipe a decoration of your choice.
Whipped Bittersweet Frosting
Makes about 3 cups, or enough to coat a three layer 8- or 9-inch cake. You’ll want 1 1/2 this amount if you’re using it for filling as well.
7 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1. Melt the chocolate with the cream in a double boiler or metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk to blend well. Remove from heat and let stand, whisking occasionally, until the chocolate mixture thickens to the consistency of mayonnaise. (No doubt, exactly what you want to think about when making chocolate frosting).
2. Place the butter in a large mixer bowl and with an electric mixer on medium speed, whip the butter until light and fluffy. Add the chocolate cream and whip until lighter in color and somewhat stiff, about three minutes. Do not whip too long or the frosting may begin to separate.
Looks wonderful, and I’m totally making a “rainbow cookie cake” for my sister’s next birthday. Brilliant! FYI, if you halve the ingredients for a 9″ triple layer cake, you can use 2 8″ pans. The math works out, and it couldn’t be easier (especially if the original recipe calls for an even number of eggs)
Granted, I was a music major in college, but your fancy math has me a bit confused.
I’m guessing you meant to say, “Plus, the volume of a 6-inch round pan is … just a little shy of **Half** the volume of a 9-inch round” Is that right?
I don’t do math. I’m an editor who only uses her math skills around election season. *Shudder* But I trust you.
What did you do with all the leftover yolks? (That’s a lot.) Ever tried freezing them?
Ryan — Yes half, music major. :) [Ahem, d'oh! See comment #76.]
The area of a 6-inch circle is 28.26. The area of a 9-inch circle is 63.5. I do so much math when I bake sometimes, it hurts my brain. That’s what I get for having majored in psychology.
Abby — Leftover yolks freeze just fine. They’re great for ice cream.
What a beautiful cake!! I love it. As always, you don’t disappoint!
An absolutely lovely cake! I always think chocolate brown and robin’s egg blue look so brilliant together…
Thanks for being a constant inspiration!
Now that is just darling, and I LOVE the idea of small pans for small cakes for small gatherings. Wee! Another excuse to buy cookware!
Please tell me if you use the eggs raw in your ice cream or do you make a cooked custard. Many, many years ago my mother made ice cream with a cooked custard using eggs. Today I know raw eggs are dangerous an I never use them in any recipe. For ice cream I use instant puddings for my own ice cream. Do you think I am overly anxious bcause I won’t use raw eggs.
Gorgeous,as always. Now… I’m off to find some 6 inch cake pans.
As a certificed chocoholic, I feel confident in saying that this is a truly stunning cake. I can see this going with a nice scoop of buttermilk ice cream (what can I say, I’m from Alabama). :)
Small pans are absolutely the best, I think they make things seem even more special because you made something just for that person! Well, and you, too. ;) And I love that you whipped up your own stuff for the piping, I agree that the stuff in the tube tastes just terrible–and why would you ruin such a beautiful thing with nasty tasting piping?!
My mother is a lover of all things almond, chocolate, and raspberry! Will have to bookmark for future, as it was just her birthday in March, and Mother’s Day last weekend!
Beautiful. Thanks for the tip on the frosting, I’m slightly afraid of the stuff in a tube…seems suspicious that it can be shelf stable for that long and still be edible.
So cute. I love the old-fashioned piping around the edge.
What a pretty cake! Lucky mom! Your frosting recipe is similar to one I use and love. I almost always have some white, homemade, buttercream frosting in the fridge for tinting and piping, but I like your white chocolate idea a lot. Nicely done!
Jessica — Funny enough, the color really comes from the fact that white chocolate is a little yellow-y so when you add a drop of blue, it’s a little more turquoise than plain blue. Oh, and then you can pretend that you meant to do that, because it really is prettier.
Dorothy — I had never heard of ice cream with raw yolks. Every recipe I’ve made cooks them lightly into a custard.
The cake looks delicious. I desperately need to go purchase some new cake pans. I love the idea of the smaller size, and I may just have to buy Sky High to try out the few recipes left that you haven’t shared. ;)
THAT looks so delish! Thanks for sharing. And … Happy Birthday to your Mom!
Thanks for the tips on the 6 v. 9 inch pans. I loved the height of these layers and was wondering what you’d done.
This looks delicious!
The first cookbook I ever bought for ice cream was the Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream book, and the first of their ice cream bases uses eggs without any instructions for heating. It wasn’t my favorite ice cream base in the book, but when it came time to pack I left the Perfect Scoop out and packed the B&J one. Ice cream is definitely one of my favorite treats!
I’ve always wondered, what is the primary difference b/w almond paste and the almond and pie filling? I see both right next to each other.
Oh wow. I love raspberry and almond. That looks unreal.
Question? Did you think that a tablespoon of almond extract was too much almond flavor? Would you adjust it next time? I’m sure it was an intensely flavored cake, but sometimes there’s a bitter aftertaste with a lot of almond. Was there in this recipe that you noticed? I usually cut almond with vanilla to smooth it out some. Sound reasonable?
Gorgeous. This could be the perfect cake for my mother-in-law’s 80th birthday. I’ve even got the 6-inch pans. Have you ever flavored the simple syrup with, say, orange zest? Do you think it would compete with the almond?
Looks really good!
I am topying with weddign cake recipes for my sisters wedding. Would this be a good one? the cake rather than the frosting (which will probs be white). Is it strucural? Can it withstand weight?
Also, the marizpan makes me thinkof my sesmae pastes I’ve been making lateley. Wondering if I can switch it out…
BTW….I do realize that if you halved the cake recipe, that you used only 1 1/2 tsp of almond extract. It’s still alot of flavor!
Oh my sweet Jesus. Almond, raspberry AND chocolate??? You may have to pick me up off of my cubicle floor here.
Susan — Actually, I thought it was a colossal amount of almond extract. It was hard for me to put the whole amount in because I was so sure it would be a disaster. But when it baked, it was a bit mellowed, and remember, I was making this for a marzipan fanatic, so there’s no such thing as too much almond extract. (I learned when I made marzipan that the flavor is 75% extract, 25% actual ground almonds.) But, if you’re concerned, definitely dial it back.
If you like smaller desserts, the book Small Batch Baking has amazing miniature cakes and pies!
oh….. you are making me look so bad in making a simple single layer glazed cake for my wonderful Father for his birthday. I did stretch and make creme fraiche mixed with lemon curd which he inhaled and later almost licked the bowl clean – told me to make it again ANYTIME and not to forget the topping. So maybe I am ok, but this one for your Mom – WOW!! Wish someone loved me enough to bake this for my birthday! Maybe this year, I bake it for myself. Thanks for one of my favorite Blogs!
mmm delicious! i have wanted to make a layer cake like this for ages. chocolate and raspberries…classic.
What a gorgeous cake!!
So, would you recommend Sky High over Baked? Cake looks delish!
I am in LOVE. I adore anything raspberry, add chocolate and you can’t go wrong. This looks amazing!!!! Happy Birthday to your mom.
Yum … I love the combo of raspberry almond and chocolate.
Recessionipes — They’re different books. Sky High is ALL layer cakes, frostings, fillings. If you make a lot of birthday cakes, you should have it. Baked is great, it’s got a lot of nostalgic flavors like butterscotch pudding (tartlets) and peanut butter bars and chocolate malt things, only a few layer cake recipes.
Raspberry and almond…two of my favorite flavors. The cake looks great!
I imagine that the almond paste keeps it fairly moist without resorting to simple syrup — nuts always seem hygroscopic in cakes. Does the chocolate overwhelm the almond flavor though?
This looks amazing. I am trying to decide on a suitably awe inspiring birthday cake for my 30th and a tripe layer extravaganza might just fit the bill.
Happy Birthday Smitten-mom!
Soon to be Smitten-spoil-the-little-kiddo-rotten-mom!
Deb, the cake looks great. Your mother is so lucky to have such a good chef as a daughter. One quick questions though… I’ve had so much bad luck with melting white chocolate. I’m wondering, since you seem to have successfully melted and used it if you have any brand recommendation for white chocolate? Hopefully, it’s recession friendly and not too hard to find. thanks!
Yummmmm…I love almond! I’ll have to give it a try! I’ll also have to do the 6″ pan variation-cute!
Alix — Me too, many times. Make sure you buy a real white chocolate (even Ghiradelli sells “white chips” which are not real chocolate and melt terribly) that is labeled as such. I buy Callebaut white chocolate pieces at the New York Cake and Baking Supply on 22nd Street sometimes; that’s what I had on hand.
Oh man, I’m jonesing for a picture of the sliced cake! Any chance you’ve got one?
I want to see those beautiful layers!!
Nope, sorry. I am stubbornly unwilling to take pictures in restaurants, even at the expense of a useful photo.
I just have to say that I love Sky High and would have never found it without you. Gracias from the bottom of my cake-lovin’ heart. If you haven’t made the marbled lemon-blueberry butter cake, it’s divine. Your mom would probably also really dig on the chocolate cake with almond cream filling on page 59. It’s super yummy, though the next time I make it, I am going to cut back on the almond in the cream filling because it was a bit much. But the frosting and apricots more than made up for it!
Beatiful cake! This is a rhetorical question, but how do you get your frosting to be so nice and even?? I was frosting a cake last night for 20 minutes and it really wasn’t going well (even with a crumb coat). And then I sighed, gave up, and took a few swipes at the bowl of Nutella buttercream. Gah!
mmm. i seriously think i just drooled on myself. your recipes (and your photos) are fantastic always!
Looks great – three of my favorite things!
Thanks! Makes me miss my Mum, her birthday was on Tuesday. She would have loved that cake. I love the frosting. I’m going to send her your recipe for the frosting, she will love that.
gosh you’re so talented – not just a great cook but a great baker too :) keep ‘em coming!
This looks so good, my mouth actually watered.
Ah, I love the encouragement to get 6-inch pans. I’ve been wanting a set for exactly the reasons you describe – half of a regular-sized recipe and extreme cuteness.
Yum. Yum. Yum. Cute picture in BHG, by the way!
Wow, what a lovely combination. Fruit and chocolate cakes are my favorite! I will definitely have to try this!
As for the leftover egg yolks: mayonnaise! Homemade mayonnaise is easy-peasy, especially in a food processor, and astronomically better than anything that comes in a jar! And you can make it as heavy/light as you want, and flavor it for your own use. I even like an extra egg yolk in mine, makes it nice and rich and yellow. Just don’t try to make it before or during a thunderstorm. Granny was right, simply will not work.
Wow! This looks so wonderful. I just love raspberry and chocolate together!
Want.
I love 6″ cakes, I don’t make them enough and I’m not sure why.
Happy Birthday to your mom!
There’s nothing like a daughter making a beautiful cake like this one. I wish her many more birthdays and cakes.
Happy birthday to your mom!
Irene, OMG SHARE THAT RECIPE!
A lovely cake, but I am really commenting on the memory of that cherry cornmeal upside down cake – I made that last year after you posted it, when I was newly pregnant myself. It brought back lots of happy early pregnancy memories – and now I have a 4.5 month old baby girl sleeping in the next room! Enjoy your pregnancy, it is such a special time! Congratulations :)
Oh it’s so beautiful, but couldn’t we see a slice of the inside?
Oh yummmm. Super yum in fact. We could eat that cake batter with a spoon. It sounds really light and very almondy.
Your cakes always look and sound amazing. I can’t get over you madd baking skills. I really need to make more cakes.
I’ve seen so many recipes from “Sky High” that I want to try… but I only own two round cake pans (9″), because that’s what most of my other cake recipes use. Seems like a lot of “Sky High” cakes are written for three 8-inch pans, so I’m excited to see this one written for 9″. There’s no room for new pans in my teeny kitchen.
If I didn’t want to risk a math malfunction (dividing 10 egg whites by 3, say), do you think it’d work to make this cake in two 9″ rounds plus some cupcakes? If so, think I’d get a full dozen cupcakes out of 1/3 the batter?
wow what a cake
YUM! this looks delicious!
I’m not sure I’ll ever make a cake this lovely. I’m just happy to see it on your blog!
Where does one get 6 inch cake pans…and 6 inch pie plates, for that matter??
Rose — Ha. Thanks for noting that because I mistyped it — it is actually 8-inch. HOWEVER, I also own only two 9-inch pans and always use them instead. Every recipe you’ve seen on this site from that book has been made in the larger pans. The layers might be slightly thinner (very slightly) but nobody will ever be the wiser because the cakes are so tall to begin with.
RJ — The mention of 6-inch cake pans is linked to Amazon, where you can buy them. I have bought miniature (4-inch, I think) pie tins there too.
Get out of my head! It seems like everything I’m craving, you make before I get a chance to do it! This looks wonderful, I’m about 100% positive that I will love it! Thanks for being awesome.
The bit about 6″ vs 9″ pans made me laugh out loud as I spent nearly an hour in the cooking store today … on the phone with my guy … debating the size of cake pans I should get. I waffled and waffled until I’m sure he could have smacked me (had he been there) and I finally settled on 2 9″ pans and 2 6″ pans. Nice to know my decision was a good one!
I’m definitely going to try this recipe now that I’m in cake baking mode.
Is there a typo re: volume – don’t you mean 6 inch is half the vol of 9 inch??
Yes, fixed now. And now I realize that’s exactly what Ryan (#2) was talking about — I thought he’d been questioning how 6″ could be half of 9″, d’oh. Thanks to both of you! I’m a little extra slow these days.
Wow very impressive cake. Thanks for all of the tips! I love making cakes, but am not quite up to your skill level yet :)
Sigh – this looks just so so so amazing.
This cake looks sounds wonderful! Plus, now I know what I’m making to celebrate the end of the school year!
Sigh. Yours is just plain one of my most favoritest blogs ever. (happy wiggles as I plot a date to make this cake)
Beautiful! Great job on your smooth buttercream!
Sweety cake… I want try this one for my mother b’day :)
Lovely!! I love almond too, and the icing looks incredible.
xox Sarah
oooh, I love marzipan, which means that I will be dreaming about this cake now! Yum!!
LOVE cake baking and love all the tips you give on how to do it right. Thanks!
I’ve only recently discovered your site and I think it’s fabulous. I love almond and raspberries together and really want to have a go at this cake but I’ve never come across almond paste in the UK before. Is it anything like marzipan? I imagine almond paste contains less sugar so perhaps I could try using marzipan and cutting out the sugar. Otherwise does anyone have a recipe for almond paste?
Thanks!
Boy, you can really ice a cake…. so smooth. Thanks for all the cake baking tips, today and always. My cakes always look like a 3rd grader made them. Working on it though. This one sounds delectable….almonds and raspberries…. mmmmm.
Oh wow, that does look sumptuous!
I was also going to ask what you do with all the leftover yolks (10!!) because aside from a ginger cookie recipe that I’ve got, I don’t have anything that requires yolks. (I keep hoping for more though, since I love meringue — the ultimate use for leftover whites!)
I haven’t tried making my own ice cream yet though, so thanks for the ideas deb (and others!)
You’re right about the photos in restaurants! Sort of detracts from the fun when you demand that no one take a bite before you squat down to take the perfect photo. I was being selfish :) Thanks for responding though!
Based on the number of cakes I need to bake a year, and my firm aversion to anything in a box, I think I need to buy that book from Amazon!
Oh I love cake! What a combo… almonds and raspberries! Beautiful!!
Deb-
What flavor ice cream do you think would go best with this cake? I mean, a girl’s gotta have ice cream with her cake and with all those leftover yolks…
hello! ok, so i am going to attempt this cake tomorrow for a birthday party – can i buy egg whites at the store in the little container and use them, or are fresh egg whites actually from a real egg better? any suggestions?
Tamsin — Yes, it tastes exactly like marzipan. Marzipan has a couple extra stabilizers in it — which make it easier to mold into those shapes you always see — but in a pinch, could probably replace the almond paste in this recipe.
Deb,
When you make birthday cakes, how much input do you get from the Birthday boy or girl on flavor? Do you surprise them with something you’re sure they’d like as it seems you did here, or ask for suggestions?
Well, it was my mom, I know what she likes. And if I know what the person likes, I don’t ask. In fact, I can think of very few times I’ve had to ask because I’m always making them for friends and family and I have an uncanny ability to remember what everyone likes and loathes (including how they like their coffee. Seriously.). It is practically the only thing I am good at remembering.
I’m not 100% clear on the almond paste concept – do you make it? do you buy it?
Brilliant idea about the rainbow cookie cake! I DO have a friend who loves those and she has a bday coming up this summer…
Happy Birthday to your mom. I think we have a hard time believing how old our parents parents are because if they can be 65 we must be getting older too!
Great looking cake..yummy!
Question..again! What’s the approximate time for baking the 6 inch cakes? I always check early, but don’t want to keep opening and closing the oven door unncessarily. BTW..How’s the new oven for baking? Running true? Thanks.
Allison — You buy it. It comes in tubes or cans in the baking section of your grocery store, usually. Or you can get it in a specialty shop, baking supply store or order it online.
Susan — I don’t remember. I would start checking at halfway through the time and every five minutes from there. (I do remember it being more than half the baking time of a 9-inch but my old oven was so cool, everything took forever so it’s best to just check early and often. New oven, only used twice, seems far more accurate.)
deb– what do you usually use to do the writing on your cakes? i’ve tried mixing powdered sugar with water but always end up with something too thick that doesn’t stick to the cake, or something too thin that’s running all over the place. suggestions?
This looks amazing. I think I might try it for my birthday cake next month.
Nuala — In the recipe notes, I explain that I wrote on the cake with white chocolate. If I had started with a lighter frosting, I’d have just tinted that.
oops! that’s me being a bad student.
Can i have a bite?
I look, my mouth waters and I want to try. But I’m still intimidated. Love to bake, but afraid of cakes.
Any tips on getting the frosting so smooth and perfect looking?
Okay, maybe I am a bit slow these days, too (although I can’t blame it on being pregnant, since my youngest kids are almost 4…). Deb, I am so confused after reading your comment #72. If you only own two 9-inch pans, do you still make a triple layer cake? Do you bake two, turn them out, and then bake the third on its own? Or do you mean that you take the triple-layer recipe and bake only a double-layer cake? Yes, these are the burning questions in my mind this morning. Thanks.
The cake looks delicious and adorable, BTW. Great advice on the 6-inch pans.
Looks so yummy! You should get a commission for marketing the Sky High book. I bought it after I saw your peanut butter chocolate cake, and it’s totally wonderful. I’ve gotten so used to always making 3-layer cakes now, I made a 2-layer last month and it seemed so lackluster (well, until I devoured a slice of course) :)
Dawn — Yes, I bake two and then bake the third layer after. Takes longer but I’m so stubborn about buying extra things (obviously, I’m overdue for that third 9-inch pan) and seriously, in our new kitchen I barely have room for ten baking pans, nonetheless the 50 (approximation, but could be!) I have, so it’s hard to convince myself I’m wrong in being stingy about that third one!
Sharon — Just practice. Get a good long flat or offset spatula and play around. It’s never perfect. Whipped frostings (like this) and Swiss buttercreams get the smoothest — it has to do with the recipe too.
Oh, Deb, can’t tell you how much I love that book. And if it’s a recipe from there baked by you things are just perfect.
hi deb. cake looks yummy. and i loved the 7 layer cookie from your site. i made it for new year’s. have you ever tried just melting the chocolate and not mixing anything in? check out the book whimsical bakehouse by hansen and hansen. it’s surprisingly easy and i always just write on parchment paper, so i can have more than one go at it. just lift it off and place it on the cake. i have even traced my son’s drawings of guitars and tractors out of chocolate and put them on a cake. love your site.
yummmm, I love this book as well! Have you tried the coconut cake? AMAZING! (if you haven’t let the frosting sit in the fridge for awhile before attempting to ice the cake, it’s runny, but firms up nicely). I now make my co-workers pick from this book which cake they would like for their birthday, hehehe. This looks delish, I might make it for father’s day!
Happy birthday Deb’s Mom! Thanks for sharing so many of your amazing recipes with her (and us!) and I wish you many more healthy and happy years ahead of you.
Deb, this cake looks fantastic! I actually just got myself 6-in baking pans and they are just the perfect size, I love them!
That cake definately does not look bad to eat at all :) I should buy three six inch cake pans immediately!! I made your Pink Lady Cake from Sky High and it turned out quite well! -Chris Ann
Happy birthday to your mom!
woohoo! having 6′ pans would look adorable. One cake for the party, one cake for ME! hehe. perfect!
there are a few more birthdays coming up. so this should be very helpful…
have a nice weekend everyone!
Happy birthday to your Mom. Your cake is fabulous. I know she must have been pleased and proud.
Sam
Yes, love and completely agree with your suggestion re: a smaller cake tin. I have a few different sizes for the same reason. Sometimes you just want to have a cake, but don’t want the massive-ness of a regular size one. My mum turned 70 a couple of years ago and that freaked me out a little, too. I thought “EEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKK!!!”. BTW, love the simple decoration on this cake. Something I have to learn to be more patient with myself! Lovely job.
This looks terrific!my stomach is growling!
I just wanted to say I tried your broccoli slaw and am in HEAVEN. It is so tasty. It’s 10:00 at night and I want to go back for another helping. Thank you so much!
I’ve been a follower of your site since I learned about your blog from an article in the Boston Globe in 2007 and have been hooked ever since — you do great work — thank you!!!
Question: What size decorating tip did you use for the star rosettes on the cake?
gorgeous! I love chocolate and raspberry. this post makes me feel a little less afraid of assembling cakes now.
Sandy — Sorry, didn’t check. I never pay attention to those things. I have a set of like 8 and just grab whatever looks good.
Gorgeous! That frosting wouldn’t make it onto the cake if I had been there….
Oh, what deliciousness this must be…my mom loves raspberry and I adore marzipan.. a cake made in heaven! Happy Birthday, Deb’s mom! Lucky daughter, luck mom!
Deb, I’m a new reader and found you from the recommendation in Entertainment Weekly. Lovely cake. My 5yo son was reading over my shoulder as I brought up your site, and he went wide eyed when he saw it.
My husband is reading Jacques Pepin’s Complete Techniques, after we saw it recommended by Tom Colicchio in a recent NYT magazine:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/magazine/03wwln-domains-t.html
Pepin says that freezing egg whites is fine, but not yolks, as the bacteria in yolks doesn’t get killed till some ridiculously low temp. Mayonnaise is a great idea, as is a high cholesterol omelet or frittata, mixing them with an equal number of whole eggs, or a Caesar salad. Nigella Lawson has a lovely lemon linguine recipe that calls for at least one raw egg yolk.
@ Dorothy, that raw eggs are bad is up for debate. There are raw egg advocates who maintain that raw ones have increased health benefits over cooked, as long as they’re fresh and healthfully produced, not factory farmed.
wow, that cake looks divine!!!!!!! my mouth is already watering!!!! i’m definitely gonna have to find an excuse to make that this week ;)
Beautiful cake. Hope your Mom had a wonderful birthday.
I made this cake yesterday and while it turned out absolutely beautiful it was decidedly dry. I’m regretting not brushing with a syrup – completely forgot this step before frosting. I also think that I ended up mixing too much, which I did because the almond paste really was difficult to cream into the sugar and I was concerned about the lumps it left in the batter. Oh well, cake lesson learned.
Beautiful cake!!! Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Thanks so much for the tip re: 6″ pans. I am quite comfortable with le math, but never bothered to actually do it, as I didn’t know I could get a 6″ pan! There’s only two of us in my household (not counting the cat) … and there is still a chunk of your chocolate-peanut butter cake in my freezer from October (Alex is aghast, I’m sure). Now I can make red-velvet cake, and not make too much! So – thanks very much.
You mentioned not wanting to buy a third 9″ pan, so I thought I’d share with you my “cheat”. I have a 9″ springform pan that I use as that third. It’s actually very nice, just slip a piece of parchment over the bottom and snap the frame tight before you grease/flour it and it’s pretty much strong enough to handle almost any batter, not to mention it’s a breeze to unmold.
My Mom died just a few months after she turned 65. I baked her a cake and in the humid Texas air, the happy birthday scribble on top of the Italian meringue slide right off the top of the cake. (I’m sure it had nothing to do with how stable my Italian meringue was). Anyway, congratulations on your Mom’s 65th, and I know how lucky you both are to celebrate it together.
Happy b’day to your mommy! I miss my mom … we live pretty far apart these days, and I don’t usually get to be there for her b’day :( But it’s all good, ‘coz I spoil her when we do meet up (and get completely spoiled rotten in return). That cake has got all the right elements for me … almondy, fruity AND chocolatey. Hallelujah!
I’m looking for a white or lemon cake recipe that I can make for my best friend’s baby shower. Can this one be adapted just exclude the almond paste and extract? Thanks!
Rachel — Check out the celebrations cake page or the list of cake recipes for ideas. There are a ton of cakes that are already either white or yellow that lemon can be added to, without taking out a major ingredient.
I got married two weeks ago and this was our wedding cake (except with plain buttercream icing) – I’m so excited to have the recipe for future celebrations! Thanks Deb!!
Ooh is that a le creuset spatula in the batter-in-the-tin photo? I love those things, I nearly cried when it got caught on the blade of my food processor and got split in half!
The cake looks divine! Do you reckon it would be too sweet/not as nice with a chocolate filling rather than the raspberry jam?
I, too, am a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE fan of all things almond/marzipan. My German roots have certainly contributed to this.
But what I really wanted to say is that this recipe was a HUMONGOUS hit at my very good friend’s baby shower.
Huge. Huge. HUGE. hit.
I made a few allowances, like changing the almond paste to marzipan (because that’s what I had on hand) and using a delicious peach-pomegranate jam instead of raspberry and it turned out amazingly. The recipe for the buttercream icing really did the trick. Not too heavy, not too sweet, but JUST right.
Thank you so much for blogging all of this stuff. I can’t tell you how many recipes I’ve used from here. And that cake? I’ll be making that repeatedly – for every special occasion I can come across.
Hm. I wonder who’s birthday is next…
I’m excited to try this cake for my husband’s birthday, but I have a question…do you flavor your simple syrup (almond, for example)?
Thanks!
I know this is TERRIBLY lazy, but rather than separating all those eggs could I use an egg white subsitute? Would it affect the quality of the finished cake? Or should I just not cut corners when I’m baking? :)
Hi Kelli — Have never tried to use an egg white substitute before, and certainly not with this cake, but if the box (carton?) suggests it swaps well with fresh ones in baking, I’d say give it a try. And let us know how it goes. I am sure others out there are curious.
Since is this is so high, i’m debating whether i should make a 8″ square or 8″ circle+ 4″ circle tier??
would either work? i’m worried about the balancing act when trying to cut thinner slices of a tall cake since we’ll have around 15 people..
Hi! I baked the cake layers yesterday and it turned out great. i picked off a piece where the big bubble is and had an initial taste. i can somehow taste the fine specks of almond pieces. i was pretty sure mine was broken up as much as possible. is this normal?
I plan to put whipped mascarpone cream and fresh raspberries in the middle. the dark chocolate whipped ganache outside. I hope this one works out!
Big bubble? Almond paste tends to want to stay clumped; your best bet is to beat it for a long time with the sugar to make sure it is smooth, and ready to incorporate other ingredients.
yup… i’ve made my share of cakes but sometimes, the cake come out with a nice crumb and minimal “large” bubbles, sometimes it gives me a swiss cheese effect. I am sure it tastes fine either way but always wondered what makes a difference..
i cut the tops of the cakes last nite. the cake is a bit dry. i’m gonna brush on some syrup the day of frosting. Thanks your writing me back!
And by the way, my husband and won the lottery to run the NY marathon in November. I’m excited cuz i’ve never been to the EC! woohoo! can you point out one or 2 of your favorite bakeries or restaurants (unfortunately not flecked with gold though)?
I made this cake for my mother-in-law’s birthday–she absolutely loved it! It was delicious and moist. I made sure to beat the sugar and almond paste together for a long while until it looked like fine sand before adding everything in. I did brush all of the layers with a simple syrup that I had added a little vanilla extract to. The almond flavor was lovely and not overpowering at all, even using all of the almond extract called for. I actually can’t wait to make this cake again–I think I might make it for my sister-in-law’s baby shower. Thanks Deb!
I really want to make this in layers of 6inch cakes! But the conversion math is too daunting :’( Any help?!
hey sara! i’m a big fan of excel. copy and paste the recipe on excel, add and extra column and divide the numbers by half and drag down!! =) make sure you hide the original 2x amounts so you don’t get confused.
by the way. i made these with fresh raspberries and mascarpone cream in the middle in 8″ squares. The cake definitely need the syrup. the peeps loves it, unfortunately, i didn’t get a chance to see/taste it. This just means i have to make it again!
Beautiful cake! I love almonds, almond paste and marzipan in any form. It is my mom’s 60th in 2 weeks and I plan to make the cake portion of this, but am thinking about a lemon buttercream for the frosting. When you say that you bake 2 layers and then wait to bake the 3rd once the other pan is free, don’t you have some problems with the levening in the 3rd layer since it has been sitting around?
I am making this cake for my boyfriend’s birthday, and you can bet yer sweet nether region I’m doing the pink and green coloring! <3
Deb, I thought you might want to know that The Olympian Newspaper used your birthday cake photo for their August Birthdays Column. They didn’t put in on their web site so I can’t send you a link. I saw it and immediatly knew it was your almond raspberry layer cake!!! Yay!
Deb – Thanks for the great recipe, i’ve been searching forever for a cake like this for my brother in laws b’day. He loved it so much, he asked if i could make it every year. lol
Maybe you can tell me what I did wrong though, the cake came out a little dry (i used 8 in square pans), even though i brushed the simple syrup on it. Also, it has the same sheen as my 7 layer cookies usually do, but your cake seems to look more like a cake cake, not so glossy.
Thanks so much for you input!!
Deb- not sure if you’re still answering questions on this – but plan to make this for the bf’s birthday. I know you’ve gone over this approx. 40 thousand times but just one more please because I’m a spaz in the kitchen?… Am I correct in understanding I can halve this recipe, and make it in 3 6″ pans? Or use 2 pans and then bake the other layer? And if I use 3 pans and bake them all at the same time, how do I arrange them in the oven? Thank you SO much!!
I made this cake for my daughters 21st birthday and colored each layer to resemble a rainbow cookie. I could not find almond paste, so used almond filling (Solo). I used the simple syrup and baked the cakes in 8 inch pans. The cake looked and tasted fantastic. If I were to do this cake again, I would use 2 8 inch pans, and make a total of fourthinner layers. Using the recipe “as is” yielded too much cake for the filling, but YUMMY!!!
Okay…I tried it again. This time I found the almond paste, but used half paste, and half Solo Almond filling. I baked it in the three 9 inch pans (I found they had to bake a bit longer). When cooled, I cut each into 2 layers. I made the cake with 5 layers, and saved the 6th the munch on. It was the perfect height and the perfect cake to jam ratio with the thinner layers. This one’s a keeper.
I found this through the chewy Ameretti Cookie recipe (which I adore). I am wheat-free but have just decided I *must* adapt this cake. I must, must, must!
I have to say, I made this cake and it was delicious! Just absolutely delicious. I had problems getting the almond paste to get to a fine consistency and found that it worked best when I crumbled it up with my hands, then used the mixer. 10 egg whites is a lot but the cake was so fragrant and the simple syrup made it so moist. I can’t say enough about this cake. I had some leftover frosting, for which my roommate is very grateful :) and I have been getting RAVE reviews. Thanks so much for this delicious recipe! It smells and reminds me of the rainbow cookies (7-layer) that they sell in the italian pastry shops in my neighborhood.
Made this today (was planned, the brownies were unplanned) for my Dad’s 50th birthday. He does NOT want a party, so it was just dessert, not an “official” birthday cake. Everyone loved it.
I found it quite hard to work with the almond paste and my hand mixer. I did crumble it up with my hands first, and it was still hard to get smooth, and contain all the bits in my bowl. I ended up dumping it into the food processor, which worked well. Next time, I’ll start that way and use the mixer after…unless I finally buy a stand mixer.
I did two 10 inch square pans (took 45min to bake), with homemade raspberry jam and a buttercream frosting (similar to swiss meringue but using whole eggs).