Almond Cream Cake

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Light, moist and velvety, this Almond Cream Cake has a homemade cooked, whipped frosting that pairs perfectly with the almond cake. Decorate the cake simply with sliced almonds.

If you’re looking at this cake and happen to remember the pinkalicious cake we shared, you’ll think that we’re in an almond kind of mood. It’s true. We do love our almonds.

We posted this cake recipe back in 2015, but I wanted to give this cake the credit that it was due and give it a little update for you.

overhead view of a white almond cake on a plate

Almond Cream Cake Recipe

  • Flavor: This is a white cake with a simple, sweet flavor. It has a slight taste of almond, but you could easily switch that out for vanilla if you’d like. The frosting and the cake are not overly sweet…which makes it dangerous to have around.
  • Texture: Box mix cakes tend to be light and airy, but this homemade cake has more of a dense, velvety texture. It’s sturdy, but that doesn’t mean it is dry. It’s moist. And the smooth frosting will melt in your mouth.

Homemade White Cake

First of all, this almond cream cake is a completely homemade white cake. That means from scratch. No boxed mix. I love boxed cake mixes because they turn out perfectly nearly every time.  But making a cake from scratch has always been this challenge that I’ve wanted to tackle.

In finding a delicious recipe for white cake (which happens to be my favorite flavor), we had several failures. I wanted a moist cake, but I wanted it to have a light crumb and be thick, but not heavy. We tossed aside several different attempts, but when I saw how this cake baked up? I knew this was it. For a homemade cake, this one beat the rest. Its velvety and moist. Can you see the texture in this photo?

a slice of almond cream cake on a plate with a bite out

Cake Flour or All-Purpose Flour

The recipe uses cake flour instead of all-purpose flour. All purpose flour has more protein in it (10-12 grams in all-purpose as opposed to 8 grams in cake flour), which forms gluten when you mix it. The less gluten there is, the more tender the cake is.

The starch in the cake flour helps to stabilize the cake. There’s more science behind the reasons you should use cake flour when baking a cake. Although I like learning the science behind baking and sharing it with you, sometimes it is just easier to let the experts explain it.

a slice of white cake with almonds on a spatula

Whipped Frosting

The second special part of this cake is the frosting. Although we love our buttercream recipe, I was wanting to try something a little different for this cake. I’ve always loved whipped frosting because it is less sweet than many store-bought buttercreams.

I searched for a delicious whipped frosting and came across this recipe that got rave reviews. It’s a cooked flour frosting…something I had never tried before. This frosting takes a bit of time to make, but one spoonful and you may just be hooked.

How to Make Cooked Flour Frosting

When you make the frosting, it is important to follow the directions carefully. You’ll want to cook the milk and flour together over medium heat until the mixture is very thick and resembles mashed potatoes. Don’t undercook this! It took about 10 minutes for me to get my mixture to this texture. Stir constantly while it is cooking so it doesn’t burn on the saucepan.

almond-cream-cake-recipe

At this point you’ll probably be questioning how in the world this is going to taste good on your precious cake. Trust me. It will. Here are the steps after the flour & milk mixture is cooked.

  • Let the flour and milk mixture cool to room temperature and add the almond extract. You can speed up the process by placing the pan on ice if you’d like. It cools within minutes if you use this trick. Also, stir the frosting a few times while it is cooling. This will prevent a film from developing over your frosting. Stirring it and even placing plastic wrap right on top of the frosting will help to keep your frosting smooth.
  • While this is cooling, take the granulated sugar and put it through your food processor to make the grains of sugar finer. Why do this? In the next step, you’ll cream the butter and sugar together until there is no graininess left. It will take less time if you process the sugar first. Or you can use a superfine sugar such as this one.
  • Once the butter and sugar are completely creamed together (beating about 5 minutes), add the cooled flour mixture and beat the mixture with the wire whisk attachment for a good 5 minutes. The mixture will go from having a separated look to coming together into a beautiful whipped cream. Just when you think it isn’t going to work it will start getting fluffy and look like a delicious whipped frosting. Go ahead. Sneak a little taste. Just be warned that you may not be able to stop eating it.

We wanted a nice, thick layer of frosting on our almond cream cake. If you’d just like a thin layer of frosting you can halve the frosting recipe.

two layers of cake with frosting in the middle

Decorate a Cake with Almonds

You can leave the almond cream cake a pure, snowy white if you’d like, or press some sliced almonds onto the sides. Arrange a few whole almonds on the top . Make it your own and be proud of it!

I’d say our first try at making cooked frosting was a success. What about you? Have you ever tried homemade whipped frosting or from-scratch cakes? I’d love it if you shared any other hints for homemade cakes or whipped frosting with us!

overhead view of almond cream cake with almonds on top
closeup of a slice of cake on a spatula
closeup of a slice of cake on a spatula

Almond Cream Cake

4.65 from 1271 votes
Light, moist and velvety, this Almond Cream Cake has a homemade cooked, whipped frosting that pairs perfectly with the almond cake. Top with sliced almonds.
Servings 15 servings
Prep Time 50 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

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Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup salted butter room temperature, 8 ounces
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 300 grams
  • 3 cups cake flour* (345 grams) spooned & measured carefully
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 grams
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder 6 grams
  • 1 cup milk 2% milkfat, 8 ounces
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract 4 grams
  • 3/4 cup egg whites plus 3 tablespoons*

Frosting:

  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 83 grams
  • 2 cups 2% milk 16 ounces
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract 6 grams
  • 2 cups salted butter softened, 1 pound
  • 2 cups granulated sugar 400 grams
  • Sliced almonds and whole almonds for decorating

Instructions
 

  • Using a stand mixer, beat the egg whites with the whisk attachment until they are stiff and form peaks. This may take a minute or two. Pour the egg whites into another bowl and place them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to add them to the batter.
  • Using the same bowl that you used to beat the egg whites, place the softened butter in and cream the butter for about 2 minutes (using the beater blade attachmenuntil it is white in appearance.
  • Add the sugar to the butter and beat until fluffy (about another 1-2 minutes).
  • In a small bowl, combine the flour (measured carefully*), salt and baking powder. Set aside.
  • In another bowl, combine the milk and almond extract.
  • Add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture alternately with the milk.
  • Add the stiffly beaten eggs to the cake batter. Fold the egg whites in gently. Do not overmix at this point. If you do, your cake will become more dense.
  • Grease and flour 2 9″ round cake pans. Pour the cake batter equally into the prepared cake pans.
  • Bake the cakes at 350 degrees for 25-27 minutes or until the top bounces back when you touch it.
  • Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes, then loosen the edges and remove them from the pans to a wire rack, allowing them to cool completely.
  • While the cakes are cooling, prepare the frosting. In a saucepan, whisk the flour into the milk over medium-low heat until it thickens. Stir it constantly, lowering the heat to low if needed. The consistency should be very thick, like mashed potatoes. This step took about 12-15 minutes.
  • Remove the pan from the heat and set the pan in a bowl of ice for 5-10 minutes to quicken the cooling process. The temperature of the mixture should be at room temperature.
  • Stir in the almond extract.
  • If you have a food processor, process the white sugar for a minute or so so that the granules become finer.
  • While the mixture is cooling, cream together the butter and processed sugar using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment until light and fluffy. Do this for 5 minutes until the sugar is completely creamed and there is no graininess left.
  • Add the cooled flour mixture and beat it until it all combines and looks like whipped cream. This will take about another 3-5 minutes of beating. Keep scraping the sides of the bowl while the mixture is beating together so that everything gets well incorporated. Once the mixture has the texture of fluffy whipped cream, you are ready to ice the cake.
  • Once the cakes are cool, place one cake on a cake plate. Spread frosting on top of that layer, then place the other cake on top of the frosted cake. Use the remainder of the frosting to frost the top and sides of the cake.
  • Decorate the sides and top with sliced and whole almonds, as the picture shows, if desired.

Video

Notes

*This is about 6-7 large egg whites. *Some are having problems with the cake being too dense. This can happen when you mistakenly add too much flour. When you measure the flour, spoon it from the flour container gently into the measuring cup. Do NOT pack it down at all. This technique will help you not put too much flour into the cake.
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 15 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**

Nutrition

Calories: 650kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 444mg | Potassium: 178mg | Sugar: 49g | Vitamin A: 1215IU | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 0.5mg
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Calories 650
Keyword cake dessert, cake recipes, cream cake, dessert recipe

Tools for Making This Cake

almond-cream-cake-recipe
almond-cream-cake-recipe
almond cream cake
About JulieJulie Clark

About Julie Clark

I'm Julie Clark, CEO and recipe developer of Tastes of Lizzy T. With my B.A. in Education and over 30 years of cooking and baking, I want to teach YOU the best of our family recipes.

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Sandy
5 years ago

I made it, but it didn’t come out white as the picture. Why?

Kay
5 years ago

5 stars
I made this cake as directed and I must admit, it has to be the best cake I have ever eaten in my 58 years of life!!!
It’s like I have died and gone to cake heaven.
I normally am drawn to all things chocolate and/or lemon, but after having this cake, I can no long say that.
However, it did take me a full 2 hours and 50 minutes from start to finish, but am I complaining?? Absolutely not. Worth every minute, plus it was fun!

Pam k
5 years ago

5 stars
Made it, but used a 9×13 pan for a single layer cake, took about 8-10 minutes longer to bake and then made only 1/2 frosting recipe for frosting top only. Turned out very well, cake came to top of pan when it baked, but didn’t overflow. Loved the frosting, my husband even commented that the frosting was one of the better ones he’s ever had. This was my 1st made from scratch cake and frosting and I was impressed. Thank you

Rachael
5 years ago

I have been using this creamed frosting since my children were babies. They are all grown now and this is still by far the favorite topping. The only thing I may now use in place of it is a whipped cream cheese frosting made from fresh whipped cream and cream cheese.

Christina Anaya
5 years ago

Can I use whole milk instead of 2% if that’s all I have?

Lisa M
5 years ago

5 stars
Making the cake today for Thanksgiving and will put in the freezer until ready to decorate. Is this frosting ok to be left at room temperature? I need room in my fridge for other things so was debating on making a buttercream frosting.

Kim
5 years ago

5 stars
I used powdered sugar for the frosting instead of granulated and it worked great!
Delicious!

Salome
5 years ago

Followed recipe. My cake layers came out waaaaay thinner than what is shown. Any idea why this would happen?

Arnae
5 years ago

5 stars
Can this recipe be cut in half?

Zenab
5 years ago

I baked this cake for my daughter’s Christening this past weekend. I followed the recipe exactly, even weighing my cake flour. I baked the cake the night before and when I sampled it, thought it tasted perfect. It was soft, creamy and very sweet. I placed it in the fridge overnight and let it come to room temp before serving. The next day I thought it tasted a bit dry and almost angel food cake like. Not sure what I did wrong. The cake was a huge hit but I thought it tasted much better when I made it the… Read more »

Lizzy
5 years ago

Can you pipe this type of frosting? Will it hold its shape?

Thanks!

Martha
5 years ago

Been trying all versions of white cake this month, reverse creaming, sour cream, cream cheese. Yours is the best. I’m soon to be 70yo with 55 yrs of baking for family. Now retired from teaching nurses bake almost daily. It’s 98 degrees here so I did a ‘summer’ version of your cake. Baked it in 9X13 pan, reduced blueberries to a thickened sauce for top then beat 2 cups whipping cream for very top. I’ll try your frosting this winter. I have used fresh raspberries as sauce on tops of white and chocolate cakes. You have the absolute best pure… Read more »

Sherrailynn
5 years ago

If I were to substitute maybe…40% of AP flour for Gluten free flour, do you suppose it would have the same texture as cake flour?

Debby
5 years ago

Hi,
I just made this cake and it is soooo yummy!!! I made it in a 13×9 pan and it turned out perfectly. I just have a question … is this a cake that needs to be refrigerated? That may be a silly question since the frosting has all that butter, but I know that you can leave butter out and it is just fine.
Thank you!

Bunny
5 years ago

You mention in your notes that you love a buttercream. This frosting is, in fact, one of the six kinds of buttercream, an Ermine Buttercream . It is very famous as it was the original frosting used for a Red Velvet Cake. I’ve used it often for other cakes and cupcakes. And I’ve seen the Pioneer Woman make it for some of her cakes. Your directions are for the old way to make an Ermine Buttercream. Now, the sugar is added to the flour and salt, and then the milk is whisked into that, before cooking. This makes the second… Read more »

Nichelle
5 years ago

5 stars
This cake was amazing! And the frosting was divine! The cake came out very dense, something I’m not used to in a cake but I think I folded the egg whites in too much. The family was very impressed and everyone had to take leftover cake home! Altogether, I can’t wait to make this cake again.

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