Easy Vanilla Almond Cake -delicious home made moist vanilla almond cake recipe that's quick and easy to make.
This easy vanilla almond cake makes a wonderful layer cake. It's perfect for birthdays or any celebration or special occasions, or just when you're after a delicious moist white cake with the flavors of almond and vanilla. I like to add raspberry jam between the layers and top it with a simple icing. It's on of my favorite cake recipes and quite easy to make. If you love almond flavor you will love this delicious recipe.
I have eaten this cake far more times than I have baked it.
It is a family recipe, on my husband’s side. You don’t think much about the food you’re marrying into when you choose a spouse. Inevitably there will be some things around your husband’s family favorites that you love and others maybe not so much. This cake was like a marrying bonus, and everyone in my husband's family loves it too.
It’s made by my sister-in-law Keers, and it doesn’t always appear at family functions. If it’s going to show up, it’s probably someone's birthday, but even then you can’t be sure of it. When we see the almond cake my other sister-in-law and I get excited. It's always a huge hit. This cake and a cup of tea or coffee is pretty much all you need for at least a moment of happiness in your day. It's just such a yummy moist almond cake, that always turns out great.
I’ve added my own little twist to the cake recipe over the years. I make it a triple layer cake and I like to add raspberry jam. I feel like the fruit really lifts it. It would also be really great with fresh berries and icing or whipped cream too. It would be perfect for afternoon tea. This simple vanilla almond cake is a winner. Although, it’s great with just icing too.
It's quite moist cake and a bit dense -in all the best ways. It has a tender crumb. It's very different from the light fluffy texture of cake mixes. And it's so much more flavorful. As cakes go, it’s pretty simple to make from scratch. If you've never made a cake from scratch and usually use a cake mix, it's so worth the tiny bit more effect to make it from scratch.
This recipe is made with simple ingredients. I usually keep some almond extract on hand for making it. And if you don't use ground almonds very often, you can store them in the freezer to keep them fresh. The sour cream helps make this cake moist as well.
Almond
This delicious cake gets its almond flavor from the key ingredients of almond extract and ground almonds. Look for pure almond extract rather than almond essence. Almond extract is made from real whole almonds which are cold pressed to extract the flavor, where as almond essence is made from synthetic materials to mimic the taste. Starting with excellent ingredients always gives the best results in baking.
This cake also contains ground almonds, sometimes called almond flour or almond meal. The ground almonds in the cake help to keep the cake moist, and also give the cake a denser more crumbly texture which is so delicious.
Almonds and vanilla pair very well, enhancing each other. We've used vanilla extract in this recipe to compliment the almond flavor, and it's such a match made in heaven..
Ombre Frosting
I used my favourite buttercream frosting recipe, but added a little almond extract to it. To create the ombre effect I divided the icing into three bowls and added red food colouring to create three shades of pink icing. I spread each of the cake layers with a thin layer of raspberry jam, and then the icing using an offset spatula. I iced the cake from the darkest color to lightest color. It turned out so pretty, and simple. For the simple ribbon flags to decorate the cake I use used 5 small pieces of different pink ribbons and looped them onto wooden skewers, then positioned them at different heights in the cake for a festive touch. Remember this idea next time you're celebrating a birthday. It's easy to do and looks so great.
More Decorating Options
You could also layer this cake with just icing, and frost the sides as well for a more traditional layered cake. Another option is to add fresh fruit or sliced almonds to the top of the cake. It would also be delicious served with whipped cream and fruit as another option.
Storing Leftovers
Store any leftovers at room temperature in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap to keep it nice and moist.
We enjoyed the cake for a joint celebration of Mother’s Day and my little sister's birthday over the weekend. See I'm stealing this perfect recipe for my side of the family now too. And now, writing this post and seeing all the pictures, I want to eat all the leftovers. A second slice of this cake and cup of tea are in order.
Julia Child said “a party without cake is just a meeting”. This cake ensures it’s no meeting!
Recipe
Vanilla Almond Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoon softened butter
- 1 ½ cups white sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3 eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup ground almonds
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Begin by creaming together the butter and sugar in the large mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Next, add in the wet ingredients. Add the sour cream, eggs, almond and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Mix together the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, and stir at low speed until just combined, taking care not to over mix.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Divide the cake batter between three 8-inch cake pans that have been buttered or sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
- Bake for about 30 min, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack before icing.
Nutrition
With a vanilla almond cake life this, life really is a party!
More Recipe Inspiration
You might also like our Homemade Funnel Cake recipe here.
Also check out our Cupcakes in a Mason Jar here.
You might also enjoy our Strawberry Cupcakes recipe here.
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