I love a good layer cake
to me nothing is better than a piece of cake with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream (more on that on a future post!) or a good glass of Japanese whisky. Making this Almond Layer Cake with Chocolate Bourbon Buttercream is a very satisfying cake. I admit I like a cake to have some substance to it and not overly sweet. By adding ground almonds and some bourbon to the frosting there’s great dimension and bite to this recipe.
This recipe takes no time to put together. It can easily be made in an afternoon. Or I have baked and cooled the almond cake layers the night before, wrapped each layer in plastic wrap and frosted it the next day. The frosting is best to be made right before you want to use it. The finished cake’s leftovers last several days in the refrigerator. The frosting has just a hint of bourbon it’s not over powering. To get the subtle flavor, this cake is definetly great at room temperature.
Some helpful tips I’ve learned
Getting everything up to room temperature before mixing will give you a higher lighter cake. If you don’t have much time before you start, try briefly softening the butter in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds. And you can warm the eggs by placing them in a bowl or measuring cup and filling the bowl up with warm water. Let the eggs sit in the water for a minute or two. To prevent the cake from sticking to the bottom of the cake pan I always line my cake pans with a cut out circle of parchment paper that I’ve traced from the outside bottom of the pan. I try and cut it out a tad smaller than the traced circle to fit into the interior of pan better. The cake will not stick to the bottom and you can peel the paper off if it sticks to the baked cake.
A moist layer cake with ground almonds
- 3 cups sifted cake flour
- 1 cup fine ground almond flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 eggs large at room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract optional
- 1 cup whole milk at room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream at room temperature
- 3 circles 9" parchment paper circles optional
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Preheat the oven to 350°F
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Spray or butter three 9-inch cake pans, line each with the cut out circles of parchment if desired, spray or butter the circles. Lightly flour each pan.
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With a whisk stir the cake flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl, set aside.
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Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy - about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 3 to 4 minutes until creamed together and light in color. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula as necessary.
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One at a time add the eggs, beating for 1 minute and scraping down the bowl after each addition.
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Beat in the sour cream, vanilla and optional almond extract. Scraping down the sides as necessary
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With the mixer on low speed, add ½ the reserved dry ingredients until just incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, slowly pour in the milk until combined. Do not over mix.
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Add the remaining flour mixture and mix just until combined. You may need to stir it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be thick.
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Spread batter evenly into the cake pans. You can use a kitchen scale to get the same weight into each pan.
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Bake for 30 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean and the top is a light golden brown
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Allow cakes to cool for 15 minutes in the pans set on a wire rack. Then invert and cool completely.
The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling. Or you can eat it plain!
A quick and easy chocolate buttercream with a hint of bourbon
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 tablespoons good flavored bourbon a 4th Tablespoon can be added
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 tablespoons cream or whole milk
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In the bowl of a mixer beat the butter until very pale in color and light. It should take about 6 – 8 minutes. Occasionally scrape down the sides of the bowl.
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Stir in the cocoa powder and then add the powdered sugar, salt, bourbon and the vanilla and 2 tablespoons of the cream.
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Beat for 4 – 5 minutes more at high speed.
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You may need to add the final tablespoon of cream if it seems too thick. Conversely you can add in a small amount of extra powdered sugar if it seems too thin. Depending on air humidity or other factors.
Makes enough to fill and frost a 3 layer 9" cake.
