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A gorgeous and flavorful layered cake featuring a vanilla almond-flavored cake with a raspberry swirl, whipped cream filling, and cream cheese frosting, perfect for celebrations.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 8 oz (226g) cream cheese, softened (for cake)
  • 1 ½ sticks (168g) unsalted butter, softened (for cake)
  • 2 cups (400g) sugar
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 3 cups (342g) cake flour
  • 2 teaspoons (8g) baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon (3g) baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon (3g) salt
  • 1 cup (242g) buttermilk
  • ¼ cup (54g) vegetable oil (canola oil recommended)
  • 1 tablespoon (12g) almond extract
  • ⅓ cup (90g) seedless raspberry jam
  • ½ teaspoon raspberry extract or 1 teaspoon raspberry Jell-O powder (optional)
  • 1 cup reserved plain cake batter (for raspberry swirl)
  • Red or pink food coloring gel (optional)
  • 1 cup (240g) heavy cream
  • ¼ cup (29g) confectioners sugar (for whipped cream filling)
  • 1 teaspoon (4g) vanilla extract (for whipped cream filling)
  • 2 sticks (226g) unsalted butter, slightly softened (for frosting)
  • 16 oz (452g) cream cheese, softened (for frosting)
  • 2 teaspoons (8g) vanilla extract (for frosting)
  • ½ teaspoon (2g) salt (for frosting)
  • 6 to 6 ½ cups (690g to 747g) confectioners sugar (for frosting)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease, flour, and line bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans with parchment rounds.
  2. Whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl, stir together buttermilk, vegetable oil, and almond extract. Set aside.
  4. Beat softened butter and 8 oz cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
  5. Gradually add sugar while beating, then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until light and fluffy.
  6. Reduce mixer speed. Add dry ingredients and wet mixture alternately to the creamed mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Scrape bowl as needed.
  7. Scoop out 1 cup of plain batter into a small bowl. Stir in seedless raspberry jam, and optional raspberry extract or Jell-O powder and food coloring, to make raspberry swirl batter.
  8. Divide approx. 1 cup of plain batter into each pan. Spoon raspberry batter on top, then cover with remaining plain batter and any leftover raspberry batter.
  9. Tap pans to release air bubbles. Drag a knife through batter a few times to create swirls.
  10. Bake for 28–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
  11. Cool cakes in pans on wire rack for 5–10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and cool completely before filling and frosting.
  12. Chill mixing bowl and beaters for 10 minutes. Whip heavy cream with ¼ cup confectioners sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla on increasing speed until soft peaks form for the whipped cream filling.
  13. To make cream cheese frosting, beat 2 sticks butter until smooth. Add 16 oz cream cheese in batches. Mix in 2 teaspoons vanilla and ½ teaspoon salt.
  14. Slowly add 6 to 6 ½ cups confectioners sugar on low speed, beat until fluffy. Chill briefly if too soft to spread.
  15. Place one cake layer on serving plate. Pipe a ¼ to ½ inch dam of frosting around edge, spread raspberry jam inside the dam, then pile on whipped cream filling.
  16. Repeat for second layer and top with final cake layer.
  17. Apply a thin crumb coat of cream cheese frosting over entire cake.
  18. Chill cake in freezer 10–15 minutes to firm crumb coat.
  19. Spread a final thick layer of frosting with offset spatula.
  20. Pipe shell border with large 1M tip.
  21. Garnish as desired with fresh raspberries, toasted almonds, or powdered sugar.

Notes

Use room temperature ingredients for a smoother batter and better rise., Mix batter just until ingredients come together to keep cake soft and fluffy., Swirl batter gently with a knife to create marbled look without over-mixing colors., Chill crumb-coated cake before final frosting to spread frosting smoothly without mess., Cake freezes well when layers are wrapped tightly. Thaw overnight in fridge before frosting., Cake batter works for cupcakes, producing a nice flat top for decorating., If frosting becomes too soft or runny, chill briefly and remix gently before using., Cake can be baked up to two days ahead and stored wrapped at room temperature., Assembled cake can be refrigerated overnight; bring to room temperature before serving to soften frosting.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://cozyovenkitchen.com/almond-raspberry-swirl-layer-cake-delicious-elegant/