Table of Contents
- Anniversary Treat: Almond Cake With Buttercream Frosting, Just Like Our Wedding Day
- The Almond Cake With Buttercream Frosting: Perfect for Weddings and Celebrations
- Elegant Almond Cake With Buttercream Frosting and Fun Dino Toppers
Anniversary Treat: Almond Cake With Buttercream Frosting, Just Like Our Wedding Day
One year ago today, I got married. It was an incredible day, and we are spending our anniversary watching our wedding video, filling in our new wedding anniversary journal, and eating the mini replica wedding cake I have been making this week. And that’s where today’s recipe for my Almond Cake With Buttercream Frosting comes in. It is the very same recipe that made the 12-inch bottom tier of our beautiful wedding cake (which I made myself), but today I’m going to share with you the recipe for the 8-inch version. Because, 12 inches (ca. 30 cm) is too much cake for anything but a wedding, let’s face it.
Celebrating Our First Wedding Anniversary
The first wedding anniversary is paper, so as well as the wedding anniversary journal, I am also gifting her this Harry Potter quote print (in white and gold, not blue), this gorgeous Gin cocktail book (cocktails were a big part of our wedding day, and Kate absolutely loves gin), and some homemade crepe paper flowers. If I ever get round to finishing them.
I’m definitely keen on keeping up the traditional wedding anniversary gifts, and am already thinking of cotton-based gifts that I can get for her next year. But I’m obviously keeping my cards close to my chest on that front.
But, back to the almond layer cake. That’s what you’re all here for, after all.
The Almond Cake With Buttercream Frosting: Perfect for Weddings and Celebrations
This cake is bloody incredible. I had been trying out a few different potential wedding cake flavours before I stumbled upon this recipe, and as soon as I’d baked it, I knew it was the one. I’ve adapted it into a three layered cake, because I always think that taller cakes are so much cuter – and much more suitable for a wedding or celebration cake. Likewise, I also subbed out the cake flour (because that’s not even a thing in the UK) and smothered it in my very own light and fluffy almond buttercream.
The Secret Ingredient for Perfectly Moist and Sturdy Cakes
There are a few things that make this recipe a little special. Firstly, there’s the sour cream. If you’ve been around here before, you might know that I absolutely love to put yogurt in my cupcakes. It adds moisture and flavour, and turns a normal cupcake into something a little special. I swear by it. But when it comes to a layer cake, I find that sour cream makes things a little more sturdy, whilst also keeping the cake moist and light. It’s pretty much magic.
The Reverse Creaming Method for Perfect Layer Cakes
The method might look a little weird too. It’s called the ‘reverse creaming’ method, and is pretty much a gift to layer cakes, especially when stacking one on top of the other. I’m no scientist, so I can’t tell you why, but it just seems to make the cake have a denser texture – but not in a bad way. If you are after a cake that is super light and fluffy, and falls apart on your fork, then this 100% isn’t the guy for you. But, if you want something that holds up well to stacking, and is super great to frost, then keep reading.
Almond-Flavoured Cake Without Actual Almonds
The almond flavour comes from some almond extract – I used this Nielsen Massey one – and that’s it. There are no actual almonds in this cake, it just doesn’t need the extra moisture. It’s perfect just the way it is. You could definitely add some toasted almonds to the outside of the cake if you wanted, but I’ve kept mine true to my original wedding cake.
Stacking 4-Inch and 6-Inch Layers
The pictures today show my mini wedding cake, which was a 4-inch cake stacked on top of a 6-inch cake. If you want to do this, then use the same quantities for the recipe below, which will make three 4 inch (ca. 10 cm) layers, and three 6 inch (ca. 15 cm) layers. You might need a little more buttercream than for an 8-inch cake, though.
Elegant Almond Cake With Buttercream Frosting and Fun Dino Toppers
If you’re wondering about the dinosaur cake toppers, these were the favours that were on the tables at the wedding. Each person had their own little gold dino, which I sprayed gold in my parents’ garage last year. The actual wedding cake also had some bigger dinosaurs on top too – but they would have dwarfed my cute little anniversary cake. So I stuck some little ones on here instead.
The almond buttercream here is based on my usual vanilla buttercream recipe, but with some almond extract. Of course. You could definitely use some vanilla buttercream here, or even the raspberry buttercream from my raspberry champagne cake. We’re going to stick with the almond today, though. Keeping things classic.
I made the pattern around the edge of this cake with an icing scraper, but you can keep things plain, or just use a palette knife, or maybe a fork, to try to achieve a similar look. However, you normally like to decorate your layer cakes is good with me.
Here’s to another happy year of marriage !
UPDATE: You can now find the recipe for the 12-inch version of this cake right here.
Almond Layer Cake with Almond Buttercream
Ingredients
For the almond cake
- 5 units Large eggs
- 3 tbsp Vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp Almond extract
- 100 ml (2/5 cup) milk
- 360 ml (1½ cups) sour cream
- 425 g (3½ cups) plain or all-purpose flour
- 25 g (2½ tablespoons) cornflour or cornstarch
- 3½ Teaspoon Baking powder
- 450 g (2¼ cups) caster sugar (US granulated sugar)
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- 250 g (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
For the almond buttercream
- 225 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, very soft
- 500 g (4 cups) icing sugar (powdered sugar)
- 2-4 tbsp Milk or cream
- 2 Teaspoons Almond extract
- ½ Teaspoons Vanilla extract
Instructions
For the almond cake
- Heat the oven to 180°C (355°F) or 160°C if using a fan setting. Prepare three 8-inch round cake pans by greasing them and lining the bottoms with parchment paper. Set the pans aside.
- In a small bowl or a jug, mix together the eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, milk, and sour cream. Whisk the ingredients together using a fork until they are well blended. It may appear uneven or a bit lumpy, but don’t worry—that’s normal. Put the mixture aside to use later.
- In your stand mixer bowl, sift in the flour, cornflour, and baking powder. Pour in the sugar and salt, and whisk all the ingredients together. Set the mixer to a low-medium speed, gradually adding the butter cubes, one at a time. Continue mixing until the butter fully combines with the flour, resulting in a breadcrumb-like texture. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Set your stand mixer to a low speed and gradually pour in half of the sour cream mixture. Increase the speed to medium and mix for about a minute, or until the mixture becomes smooth. Take a moment to scrape the sides of the bowl. Return the mixer to low speed and add the rest of the sour cream mixture, beating for around 30 seconds or until fully combined.
- Divide the batter evenly among the three prepared cake tins, filling each with one-third of the mixture. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in their tins placed on a wire rack. Once they are cool enough to handle, take them out of the tins and let them cool completely on the wire rack.
For the almond buttercream
- Put the butter in a large mixing bowl and use an electric whisk to beat it until it becomes light and fluffy, which should take at least three minutes. Gradually add the icing sugar in three separate portions, mixing well after each addition. If the buttercream feels too thick, add milk one tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Finally, mix in the almond and vanilla extracts and beat again until everything is well incorporated.
- Level the tops of the three cakes to ensure they are flat and even. Stack the cakes on an 8-inch cake board, using the buttercream to sandwich them together. Apply a thin layer of buttercream over the entire cake as a crumb coat, then place it in the fridge to chill for about an hour.
- Once the crumb coat has firmed up, evenly spread the rest of the buttercream over the cake. Use a textured icing scraper or a spatula to create a ridged design on the sides. Using a turntable will make this step much simpler, so take advantage of one if it's available. Finish by decorating the cake however you like.
