Almond Berry Layer Cake
- Total Time
- 1 hour 10 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- Unsalted butter, for greasing pans
- 1tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
- 1¾cups whole blanched almonds
- 1½teaspoons baking powder
- ½teaspoon salt
- 3large eggs
- 2large egg whites
- 1cup sugar
- ½teaspoon pure vanilla or almond extract
- 1pound mascarpone cheese
- 8ounces crème fraîche
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- ¾cup confectioners' sugar, plus more to taste
- 1tablespoon kirsch or amaretto, optional
- 2pounds (about 6 cups) mixed berries
- Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
For the Cake
For the Filling
For Assembly
Nutritional analysis per serving (14 servings)
420 calories; 27 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 32 grams sugars; 9 grams protein; 257 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
For the Cake
- Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush 3 (8-inch) round baking pans with butter and line the bottoms with parchment paper cut to fit. Brush with butter again and dust with flour, tapping out excess.
- Step 2
Place 1 tablespoon flour, the almonds, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely ground.
- Step 3
Fill a pot (large enough to set the bowl of an electric mixer in it without the bowl touching the bottom) with 1 inch water and bring to a simmer over low heat.
- Step 4
Place the eggs, egg whites and sugar in the bowl and gently whisk to incorporate. Place the bowl over the pot of steaming water and whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved, about 3 minutes.
- Step 5
Return bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until pale yellow, thick and fluffy, about 7 minutes. Add vanilla and gently stir to combine.
- Step 6
Using a rubber spatula, gently fold almond mixture into batter. Divide batter evenly among pans and bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. The centers will rise and fall during baking. Transfer pans to a wire rack and let cool 5 minutes. Run a butter knife around the edges of the cakes and turn them out onto a flat plate or cardboard round. Peel off parchment and invert onto another plate or round. Cakes should be right-side up. Cool completely and wrap in plastic wrap if not using immediately.
For the Filling
- Step 7
In a chilled metal bowl, whip the mascarpone and creme fraiche, either by hand or with an electric mixer, until it holds its shape and is not at all runny. Add the lemon zest, confectioners' sugar and liqueur, if using, and beat to combine well. Add up to 2 tablespoons more sugar, to taste, if you choose.
To Assemble
- Step 8
Place one of the cakes on a serving plate. Top with ⅓ of the mascarpone filling and ⅓ of the berries. Repeat with the remaining 2 layers, leaving the prettiest berries for the top. If not serving right away, chill until ready to serve. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve.
Private Notes
Comments
This is a delicious and unique summer cake. It tastes like a macaroon with sweet and ever so slightly savory frosting with fresh summer berries. I was unable to find blanched almonds at my local grocery store so I used almond flour instead. 1 3/4 c of blanched whole almonds is equal to 9 oz of almond flour. Enjoy!
So easy and fun to blanch almonds. Put the amount of almonds you need in a heatproof dish, pour boiling water over them to cover and let sit for 2 minutes. Then drain and quickly rinse with cool water. Squeeze the almonds between thumb and forefinger and the skin slips right off. Put them on a kitchen towel to dry completely before running through the food processor.
Made 1.5x batch for three 9" pans. Substituted almond flour using the suggested ratio below, and omitted a.p. flour; even for dusting pans...used plenty of melted butter. Increased the almond extract to 2 tsp per batch. Went rogue for the filling and used whipped cream instead. Spread a generous amount of raspberry jam on the bottom and middle layer, before dolloping on the whipped cream. Blueberries and macerated strawberries on top.
This recipe completely failed. The cake was dense and flat. The filling curdled.
I wouldn't make this again. I have never baked a more "temperamental" dish. The layers are flat. Reading the comments I switched to two pans and bought fresh baking powder. 2nd batch serviceable and slightly thicker. But yes, the cakes are going to be much thinner than you think they should be. The frosting curdled so I did the double boiler suggestion and that melted the milk fats where it all could be combined again. I haven't tasted it, but I don't believe is it worth the effort to do this again.
Made this cake in 2 9" pans. The filling was good but heavy in texture; next time, I might lighten it up with some whipped cream. Perhaps I did not beat it long enough. The taste was very good. Use Chambord as a liqueur and put a layer of raspberry jam on the 1st layer.