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A delightfully light almond cake full of buttery rich flavor, topped with a creamy whipped mascarpone frosting. This almond cake recipe is sure to please! One bowl, no stand mixer required, the perfect anytime dessert!
If you love this recipe, try my pistachio ricotta cake and mascarpone cheesecake next!
If you love the sweet and fragrant almond flavored cake, this is the recipe for you. The texture of the cake is soft and moist and rich while the mascarpone frosting is sweet and light and airy. Whipped to perfection if you will.
Combine the two and you’ve got a beautiful dessert that’s easy to make and truly delicious.
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients
- All-purpose flour – provides structure to the cake
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda – the leaveners
- Brown Sugar and Sugar – for sweetness and moisture
- Eggs – the binding agent, eggs also add air and fat to the batter
- Almond Extract, Vanilla Extract, and Almonds – it wouldn’t be an almond cake without almond extract and almonds!
- Unsalted Butter and Sour Cream – too add moisture and flavor to the cake
Recipes Substitutions
- To make this almond cake gluten free, swap out flour for 1 to 1 baking flour, I recommend Bob’s Red Mill.
- For a dairy free cake, use vegan sour cream in place of sour cream and use vegan butter in place of the unsalted butter. For a dairy free icing, use vegan cream cheese in place of the mascarpone and coconut cream in place of heavy cream.
- To make this recipe vegan, follow the instructions for making this recipe dairy free (above), however, replace eggs with 2 flax eggs.
How to Make Almond Cake
- We start by using the creaming method – so beating together room temperature butter and sugar until the butter becomes pale and fluffy. Add sour cream and continue to mix until fully incorporated, about 15-30 seconds.
2. Then add the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract and continue to mix until batter is smooth and all ingredients are incorporated. (If needed, scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to mix to ensure that all ingredients are fully mixed together.
3. Whisk together dry ingredients.
4. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Fold the batter together with a flat spatula or spoon. Then add almonds and continue to mix until there are no patches of flour, about 15 seconds. (Be sure not to overmix)
5. Pour almond cake batter into a 9 inch springform pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean (or just a few crumbs).
Make the whipped mascarpone frosting
Simply add mascarpone (room temperature) to a large mixing bowl and add powdered sugar, heavy cream, and the seeds from one vanilla bean (if you do not have vanilla beans, you can use 2 tsps vanilla extract). Use a hand mixer to mix everything together until a thick frosting forms. (if using a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment)
Wait for the cake to cool completely and add the whipped mascarpone frosting and sliced almonds on top.
TIPS for making the best almond cake
- Wait until the almond cake is completely cool before adding the mascarpone layer. If the cake is still hot, the frosting will melt.
- Do not overmix your batter – you don’t want a tough and chewy cake! Mix the batter until all of the ingredients are just combined.
- Measure your flour properly to ensure that the cake is nice and fluffy!
- Test the doneness of the cake by poking the cake with a toothpick fresh out of the oven. If there’s still batter on the toothpick, place the cake back in the oven to bake for another 5 minutes.
- Once finished making the whipped mascarpone frosting, Place in the refrigerator so that it will stabilize and cool.
More Cake Recipes!
- Spiced Pear and Almond Cake
- Brown Butter Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
- Strawberries and Cream Chocolate Cake
- Yellow Cake with Chocolate Buttercream
- Lemon Almond Pudding Cake
- Strawberry and Almond Buttermilk Cake
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If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating on the recipe card and comment below! You can also tag @BritneyBreaksBread on Instagram and hashtag #britneybreaksbread so I can celebrate your beautiful creations!
Almond Cake with Whipped Mascarpone Frosting
Equipment
- Stand Mixer optional
- hand mixer if not using a stand mixer
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsps almond extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
Whipped Mascarpone Frosting
- 8 oz mascarpone, room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsps heavy cream
- 1 vanilla bean, or 2 tsps vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer OR in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add room temperature butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Beat together until sugar is dissolved and butter is fluffy and pale yellow. About 3-5 minutes.
- Add sour cream and continue to mix together. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to beat together. Then add eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, and mix together for another minutes. Batter should be smooth.
- In a separate bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Whisk together and add to the dry ingredients. Fold together until just combined, then add 1/4 cup almonds and continue to fold together.
- Spray a springform pan with nonstick baking spray and add batter. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- While the cake is baking, make the whipped mascarpone frosting. In a large mixing bowl using a stand mixer OR a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add room temperature mascarpone, powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla beans OR vanilla extract. Mix on low and gradually increase speed to high and frosting begins to come together. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Once cake has cooled completely, add frosting to the top of the cake and top with remaining 1/4 cup of almonds. Slice and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I use Almond flour instead of all purpose ?
And if so, are there any adjustments to make ?
I haven’t tried this recipe with almond flour, but if you’d like to make it gluten free, I’d use 1 to 1 gluten free flour and let the batter sit for 20 mins prior to baking. I hope that this helps!
This looks delicious! Do I need to use a springform pan, or could I use a regular 9” cake pan? Thank you!
Thank you! You can also use a 9 inch cake pan, just ensure it’s at least 3 inches tall so that the batter doesn’t overflow while baking.
This recipe looks great! I’m going to make it for my grandson’s 10th birthday dinner, he LOVES almonds! I have a question. If I make the cake in the morning, can it be left out until dinner time? I assume, from the ingredients leftovers, if any, should be refrigerated. But I rather not serve it cold initially. Thank you.
You can absolutely make this recipe in advance, just be sure to cover it in plastic wrap or inside a cake dome to prevent it from drying out. Enjoy and happy birthday to your grandson!
AWESOME
Thank you so much!
Hands down the best cake I’ve ever made. Shockingly easy too. Thanks for this recipe!!
Wow, I’m so flattered, thank you!
Best cake I’ve ever made! I used cream cheese instead of mascarpone and it was still delicious!! I’m gonna make it again for Mother’s Day!
Thank you so much, I’m so glad that you enjoyed it!