Best Classic White Layer Cake With Raspberry Almond Filling Recipes

WHITE ALMOND CAKE WITH RASPBERRY FILLING AND BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Line three, 8″ round pans with parchment paper. Grease and flour the sides.
• In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix together water, sour cream, oil, extracts and egg whites.
• In a separate bowl, stir together cake mix, flour, sugar, and salt.
• Turn mixer on low. Gradually pour in cake mix/flour mixture.
• Mix on low for 4 minutes. Some lumps should remain.
• Pour batter into prepared cake pans. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.
• Cool cakes in pans for 4 minutes then remove to racks to finish cooling. Let cool completely before frosting.
• Thaw raspberries and strain juice from berries. For this step I put a large strainer over a bowl and let the berries thaw in the strainer.
• Add enough water to the juice in the bowl so that you have 3/4 cup of liquid.
• Combine juice mixture with sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens. Once mixture thickens, remove from heat and set aside.
• Place the raspberries in a mesh strainer. Place strainer over bowl and press berries with spoon so that pulp falls into a bowl. Strain until you have 1/2 cup of pulp.
• Once the mixture in the saucepan has cooled, add the raspberry pulp and raspberry liqueur. Stir well. Transfer to airtight contained and place in refrigerate for at least 3 hours before using.
• Place butter and shortening in bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat on medium high speed until mixture is smooth and has lightened in color.
• Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time. Start on low to mix sugar in, then beat on high speed until well incorporated. I find it best to place a shield over the mixer when working with powdered sugar.
• Add vanilla and sea salt. Mix until well combined.
• Add milk or heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.
• Thaw raspberries and strain juice from berries. For this step I put a large strainer over a bowl and let the berries thaw in the strainer. Use a spoon to press berries into strainer so that pulp falls into bowl.
• Place butter and shortening in bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat on medium high speed until mixture is smooth and has lightened in color.
• Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, followed by 1 tbsp of raspberry pulp. Mix well after each addition.
• Mix in pinch of sea salt.
• Level cakes.
• Pipe a border of vanilla vanilla buttercream over the leveled top of two of the layers. Divide the raspberry filling between the two layers and spread to piped border.
• Frost over raspberry filling with vanilla buttercream (I find it easiest to pipe a thin circular layer and spread with an offset spatula).
• Stack two layers with filling. For top layer, place top down.
• Frost outside of cake with vanilla buttercream. I like to first do a light, crumb layer, let the cake sit in the fridge for about 20 minutes, and then finish.
• Decorate with raspberry buttercream.

BEST CLASSIC WHITE LAYER CAKE WITH RASPBERRY-ALMOND FILLING

Steps:

• For the Cake: Set oven rack in middle position. (If oven is too small to cook both layers on a single rack, set racks in upper-middle and lower-middle positions.) Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray; line the bottoms with parchment or waxed paper rounds. Spray the paper rounds, dust the pans with flour, and invert pans and rap sharply to remove excess flour.
• Pour milk, egg whites, and extracts into 2-cup glass measure, and mix with fork until blended.
• Mix cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of electric mixer at slow speed. Add butter; continue beating at slow speed until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no powdery streaks remaining.
• Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed (or high speed if using handheld mixer) for 1 1/2 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup of milk mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium (or high) speed and beat 20 seconds longer.
• Divide batter evenly between two prepared cake pans; using rubber spatula, spread batter to pan walls and smooth tops. Arrange pans at least 3 inches from the oven walls and 3 inches apart. (If oven is small, place pans on separate racks in staggered fashion to allow for air circulation.) Bake until thin skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes.
• Let cakes rest in pans for 3 minutes. Loosen from sides of pans with a knife, if necessary, and invert onto wire racks. Reinvert onto additional wire racks. Let cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.
• For the Frosting: Beat butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, milk, and salt in bowl of electric mixer at slow speed until sugar is moistened. Increase speed to medium-high (high if using handheld mixer); beat, stopping twice to scrape down bowl, until creamy and fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes. Avoid overbeating, or frosting will be too soft to pipe.
• For the Filling: Before assembling cake, set aside 3/4 cup of the frosting for decoration. Spread small dab of frosting in center of cake plate to anchor cake, and set down one cake layer. Combine 1/2 cup of remaining frosting with almonds in small bowl and spread over first layer. Carefully spread jam on top, then cover with second cake layer. Spread frosting over top and sides of assembled cake. Pipe reserved frosting around perimeter of cake at the base and the top. Cut the cake into slices and serve.