Cooking: Orange-Almond Buttermilk Cake with Almond Buttercream (Recipe)

Doesn't the title say it all? If you like almond, along with moist, dense cake and creamy frosting, this is your cake! I made this for my sister-in-law to celebrate her birthday but it would have fit in nicely with our Frozen Princess Tea Party, if I'd had the time. There is something so delightful about 7" cakes stacked on this small milk glass pedestal. It just looks precious.

It's hard for me to choose between a chocolate buttermilk cake and one like this with a hint of citrus, so I recommend adding both kinds to your rotation!  This buttermilk cake has my tried-and-true buttercream frosting, which can be spread smoothly, swirled or piped (or piped like this), so it's perfect for birthdays and other celebrations.

The recipe is after the jump.

ORANGE-ALMOND BUTTERMILK CAKE

You'll need:
3-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ground blanched almonds (grind in a blender until fine, flour-like texture)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter
1 2/3 cup sugar
6 eggs
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. almond extract
zest of one navel orange
juice of 1/2 navel orange

Preheat the oven to 350˚. Butter three 7" round cake pans (or two 8" cake pans), line them with parchment paper, and then butter and flour on top of the parchment. Sift flour, almond flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in a medium-sized bowl and set aside. Measure out the buttermilk and add the vanilla, almond extract, orange zest and orange juice to it, then set that mixture aside.

Beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each. Add one-fourth of the flour mixture and combine well, then add one-third of the almond-orange-buttermilk. Keep alternating, blending well each time, and ending with the flour mixture. Pour the finished batter into the cake pans (fill no higher than ½ full) and bake for about 24 minutes. (The cakes should be lightly browned, spring back to the touch, and should be starting to pull away from the sides of the pans.)


Cool for 15 minutes before removing the cake from the pans, and let cool completely before frosting. I find it much easier to frost by first freezing the cakes--wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and put i the freezer overnight. You can frost them frozen and they will thaw and be ready to eat about an hour later.

ALMOND BUTTERCREAM FROSTING RECIPE

·        1 cup unsalted butter, softened

·        3 cups powdered (confectioners') sugar

·        1 tsp almond extract

·        ⅛ tsp salt

·        2 - 3 tablespoons heavy cream or evaporated milk

 

Cream the butter. Add the powdered sugar and mix well. Add the almond extract and blend until it is incorporated. Slowly add the cream until the frosting is the right consistency for spreading.