Raspberry Almond Cake

Preheat oven to 350° F (177℃). Prepare three 7-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and parchment circles.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream the granulated sugar, unsalted butter, and vegetable oil for a few minutes until pale and creamy.
While mixing on low speed, add in the egg whites, one at a time, mixing in between each addition. Add in the sour cream, vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix on medium speed until well combined.
Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed in between each addition (⅓ dry ingredients, ½ milk, ⅓ dry ingredients, ½ milk, ⅓ dry ingredients). Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Mix until the batter is combined and smooth but do not over mix the batter.
Divide the cake batter between the three prepared cake pans. Bake the cake layers for about 26 to 30 minutes until the cake layers bounce back when gently touched or an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove the pans from the oven and cool the cake in the pans for 15 minutes. Remove the cake layers from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the pasteurized liquid egg whites, powdered sugar, and salt for about 5 minutes until opaque and thick.
Turn the mixer to low speed. Add in the cubed, room temperature unsalted butter one piece at a time, mixing in between each addition,
Once the butter is added, add in the vanilla and almond extract. Turn the mixer to high speed and whip the buttercream for 10-20 minutes. The buttercream may appear to curdle or separate - this is normal - just continue to whip the frosting until it is smooth and creamy. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl occasionally while whipping.
Once the buttercream is smooth and silky, switch to a paddle attachment and mix the buttercream on low speed for several minutes to remove air bubbles and make the buttercream smooth.

In a medium saucepan, combine the frozen raspberries, granulated sugar, and lemon juice over medium-low heat. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the raspberries are broken down and bubbling.
In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and water. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the cornstarch slurry to the raspberry mixture and stir well to combine.
Run the raspberry filling through a fine mesh strainer, pushing the filling through with the back of the spoon, to remove the seeds. Cool the raspberry filling to room temperature and then chill for at least 1 hour before using.

Level the cooled white almond cake layers with a serrated knife.
Place one cake layer on a round cake board. Add a thin layer of the shortcut Swiss meringue buttercream to the top of the layer and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Fill a piping bag with some of the buttercream and pipe a border of frosting around the edge of the cake. Fill the center of the buttercream border with half of the raspberry filling and spread evenly.
Add the second cake layer, and repeat the process, adding a thin layer of frosting, a buttercream border, and the remaining raspberry filling. Then, add the final cake layer to the top of the cake. Be sure the bottom of the cake layer is facing up.
With an offset spatula, add a crumb coat, a thin layer of buttercream frosting, to the top and sides of the cake. Use a cake scraper to remove excess frosting to smooth the sides. Chill the cake for 20 minutes to firm the buttercream.
Add a generous layer of the buttercream to the chilled cake with an offset spatula. Use a cake scraper to remove the excess buttercream and smooth the sides of the cake. For the cake pictured, I left a raw edge on the top of the cake.
Decorate the cake with fresh raspberries and slivered almonds, if desired.

Store the raspberry almond cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day or in the refrigerator for 3 days. Cover any exposed cake with plastic wrap to prevent the cake from drying out.
Serve the cake at room temperature for the best taste and texture.
Make the raspberry filling and buttercream up to one week ahead of time (See: Recipe tips)

Metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

Raspberry almond cake recipe modified and updated in April 2024.