Cherry Almond Cake

 

 
Cherry Almond Cake

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups cake flour

1 1/2 cups white sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup maraschino cherry juice

16 maraschino cherries, finely chopped

4 large egg whites, beaten

Buttercream:

4 sticks butter, softened

8 cups powdered sugar

4 Tablespoons maraschino cherry juice

4 Tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon almond extract

few drops of red food coloring, optional

For decorating:

Maraschino cherries, drained and dried

Sliced almonds

Cake Instructions:

1.  Sift together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer.  Add the softened butter, milk and cherry juice.  Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Fold in the chopped cherries.

2.  Whip egg whites until stiff, and fold into above and beat for an additional 2 minutes.

3.  Spray three 7" baking pans with baking spray.  Divide the batter between the cake pans.

4.  Bake at 350' for 20-30 minutes, or until the cake springs back when you touch the center of it.  

5.  Allow the cakes to sit for 5 minutes, the remove them from the pans to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting Instructions:

6.  In a stand mixer bowl, with the mixer on medium speed, whip the butter for 2-3 minutes until it is almost white in color.  Add in the powdered sugar, cherry juice, heavy cream and almond extract.  Add a drop or two of red food coloring if you'd like the cake to be a little pinker.  Beat on low speed again for 2-3 minutes.

7.  Once the cakes are cool, place one cake on a cake plate.  Put a layer of frosting, then add next layer, then another layer of frosting.  Lastly add third layer.  Using a knife, spread frosting on the top and sides of the cake, covering it completely and getting the frosting as smooth as possible.

Decorating:

8.  Using the Wilton tip #21 decorate with buttercream and pipe simple stars around the bottom and top edges of the cake.

9.  Place the drained and paper towel dried maraschino cherries on the top of the cake in a placement that you would like.  Place almond slices around the cherry, sticking them into the buttercream so they look like flower petals around the cherry.  Adapted from: http://www.tastesoflizzyt.com/2015/01/30/cherry-almond-cake/

10.  Refrigerate the cake until serving.