Almond Raspberry Swirl Cake

Almond and Raspberry are the perfect combination in this moist Almond Raspberry Swirl Cake!

This almond raspberry cake, which is based in part on our Vanilla Velvet Cake is SO delicious. Since posting this recipe, it has become one of our most popular layer cakes!

You will love the fine crumb and soft texture of this cake. It has a flavorful balance of raspberry and almond, whipped cream filling, and cream cheese frosting.

Why we Love It

We love this Almond Raspberry Cake for so many reasons! Here are just a few:

• Moist and tender with an ultra fine crumb (thanks to the cream cheese in the cake batter!)
• Almond Cake Recipes are always popular, from almond cupcakes to our almond cake from scratch, Maple Almond Cake and more. This combination of Almond and Raspberry is perfect!
• The marbling gives the best of both worlds, and is so pretty when sliced! (See our other marble cakes including our Marble Cake from scratch, Marble Cake mix recipe, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Marble Cake!)
• Makes a great birthday cake recipe, baby shower cake recipe, wedding cake, and more!

How to Make Almond Raspberry Swirl Cake

This cake is based in part on our Vanilla Velvet Cake. We love the soft, creamy texture that comes from the buttermilk and cream cheese in the cake batter!

You can find the full, printable cake recipe further down in this post, but here is a quick rundown of our steps!

5. Adding the Sugar: Gradually add the sugar and mix at medium speed for 2-3 minutes.
6. Eggs: Add the room temperature eggs one at a time, mixing until the yellow of the yolk disappears.

7. Adding Dry and Wet Ingredients Alternately: With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture (We did 3 additions of the dry mixture, 2 additions of wet)
8. Mix just until the batter is well incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Be careful not to over-mix.

Preparing the Raspberry Swirl

In order to create the raspberry batter for our swirl, we combined one cup of our plain almond cake batter with seedless Raspberry Jam.

(You can make your own raspberry reduction/jam if you'd like- but we were really happy with the outcome of using the store bought raspberry jam, and it is so much easier!)

*We did add a bit of raspberry extract to bump up the raspberry flavor even more, and a touch or coloring gel.

1. Remove one cup of cake batter and put into a separate small bowl.
2. Add the raspberry jam to the cup of cake batter and stir until well blended. Add additional raspberry flavor with either ½ teaspoon of Raspberry extract or 1 teaspoon of Raspberry Jell-O powder.
3. You can also add a bit of coloring gel if you'd like- I used a touch of red and pink.

Swirling the Batter

You'll have about 6 cups of plain batter and a little over one cup of raspberry batter for swirling.

This is a very forgiving process- just keep in mind that you want to try to keep the batter amounts about the same for all of the cake pans.

1. I spread about one cup of plain cake batter into each of the three prepared cake pans.

2. I then divided most of the raspberry batter between the three pans, adding by the spoonful on top of the plain batter. (You've seen us do this in our Marble Cake Recipe as well!)

3. Add the remaining plain batter to each of the pans, and then any remaining raspberry batter.

4. Tap each of the pans on the counter to level out the batter.

5. Time to Swirl! Run a knife through the batter a few times to create a swirled effect.

6. Bake at 325 degrees F for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.
7. Let the cake layers cool for 5-10 minutes in the pans on a wire rack before turning out.

Whipped Cream Filling

We decided to go with a light Homemade Whipped Cream filling for our almond raspberry cake, which can be whipped up in a matter of minutes!

Cream cheese frosting, whipped cream cheese frosting, or classic vanilla buttercream frosting would all be delicious options for this recipe. You could even add a bit of almond extract or raspberry extract if you'd like.

For the whipped cream cake filling, we used a chilled bowl and beaters (or whisk attachment if using a stand mixer) to whip up a combination of one cup of heavy cream (or whipping cream) and confectioners sugar and a bit of vanilla.

Whip until stiff peaks form. This light and delicious whipped cream filling is so easy and delicious with our cake layers!

4. Then, spread a layer of the sweetened whipped cream filling within the dam.

5. Place the second cake layer on top and repeat the steps. Place the third cake layer on top and pipe frosting into any gaps between the cake layers. Frost the cake with a thin layer of frosting (crumb coat)
6. At this point, I like to chill the cake for 10-15 minutes in the freezer (or longer in the refrigerator) to firm things up. I find that this makes things easier as the layers are less likely to shift around as you decorate.
7. Next, add the final layer of cream frosting. I applied the frosting with a small offset spatula and created a textured look.

8. I piped a large shell border around the top of the cake using a large 1M piping tip, and topped with fresh raspberries.

Recipe FAQs

Does this Almond Raspberry Cake need Refrigeration?

Yes, because of the whipped cream filling and cream cheese frosting, this cake should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

However, for best taste and texture, the cake should be removed a couple of hours before serving. This will allow the cake and frosting to warm and soften.

How does Cream Cheese in the Cake Batter effect the Cake?

Using cream cheese in cake batter adds moisture, richness, and a soft, creamy texture to cakes.

Cream cheese has been a popular ingredient in pound cakes like our cream cheese pound cake, lemon cream cheese pound cake, and chocolate cream cheese pound cake for years. However, we’ve only recently started experimenting with using cream cheese in layer cake recipes.

Over the past few months, we’ve made several “cream cheese” cakes or velvet cakes (Lemon Velvet Cake , Almond Cream Cake, Homemade Strawberry Cake, and Chocolate Velvet Cake), and have fallen in love with the results! One of our most popular velvet cakes at the moment is our white velvet cake.

Not only does this Almond Raspberry Swirl Cake have cream cheese in the batter, but buttermilk as well! (We love buttermilk cakes like our Vanilla Buttermilk Cake recipe!)

This added boost of acidity in the cake batter softens the strands of gluten, giving the baked cake an even softer, more tender texture.

Can the Almond Raspberry Cake Layers be Frozen?

Yes! Just as with most of our cakes, from vanilla buttermilk cake to orange cake, strawberry cake, and more- this cake freezes beautifully!

If you need to bake in advance, the freezer is your friend. These cake layers can be wrapped and frozen for up to three months and will still taste as fresh as the day they were baked.

Wrap each cooled (or slightly warm) cake layer individually in plastic wrap followed by foil. You can add extra support by placing the layers on wrapped cake cardboards before wrapping them.

Pop in the freezer! (If you are only freezing the layers for a few days, double wrapping in plastic wrap is protection enough for the freezer.)

To thaw, remove the wrapped layers from the freezer and place on the kitchen counter. We leave the wrapping on for about 30-45 minutes. Condensation will likely form on the wrapping.

Then, unwrap and continue to thaw to desired amount for assembling the cake. (Some bakers prefer to assemble the cakes while the layers are still partially frozen.)

More Raspberry Cakes to Try!

If you love Raspberry Cakes, we have a few other recipes for you to try! You can find them linked below. These would make great desserts for gatherings with friends and family as well as birthday cake recipes!

If you are a fan of almond, don't miss our light and fluffy Almond Cake Recipe - it is divine and a consistent favorite among our readers.

Also, if this Almond Raspberry Swirl cake doesn't have quite enough raspberry for you, make sure to put our Raspberry Cake recipe on your must-bake list!

• 
  Raspberry Cake (Box Mix)
• 
  White Chocolate Raspberry Cake from Scratch
• 
  Raspberry Layer Cake
• 
  Champagne and Raspberries Cake

Thanks so much for stopping by! Make sure to check out our full collection of hundreds of Cake Recipes! You'll find more cake recipes from scratch and fruity cakes as well as cake mix recipes. There is something for everyone.

We also have a huge collection of free cake decorating tutorials! You'll find basics like how to make a cake and how to frost a cake, as well as themed birthday cake ideas, elegant cakes, and more.

Almond Raspberry Swirl Cake

BY Melissa and Bebe

This light and moist Almond Raspberry Swirl Cake has amazing flavor and a wonderfully soft texture.

Course: Dessert

Servings: 15

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Ingredients

• ▢ 8 oz cream cheese, softened (226g)
• ▢ 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened (168g)
• ▢ 2 cups sugar (400g)
• ▢ 4 large eggs, room temperature (If in a hurry, place eggs in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.)
• ▢ 3 cups cake flour (342g)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder (8g)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda (3g)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt (3g)
• ▢ 1 cup buttermilk - See Notes for substitution (242g)
• ▢ ¼ cup vegetable oil (we used canola oil) (54g)
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon almond extract (12g)

For the Raspberry Swirl

• ▢ ⅓ cup Seedless Raspberry Jam, plus additional to spread between the cake layers (90g)
• ▢ Raspberry Flavoring optional Either ½ teaspoon (2g) Raspberry Extract or 1 teaspoon Raspberry Jell-o powder.
• ▢ 1 cup of reserved cake batter

Sweetened Whipped Cream Filling

• ▢ 1 cup heavy cream (240g)
• ▢ ¼ cup confectioners sugar (29g)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (4g)

Cream Cheese Frosting

• ▢ 2 sticks (226g) unsalted butter, slightly softened
• ▢ 16 oz cream cheese, softened (452g)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (8g)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt (2g)
• ▢ 6 to 6 ½ cups confectioners sugar (690g to 747g)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour three 8 inch pans, adding a circle of parchment or wax paper to the bottom of each pan.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt for 30 seconds and set aside.
• In another bowl, add the buttermilk, oil, and almond extract. Set aside.
• In the bowl of your mixer, add the butter and cream cheese and mix at medium speed until smooth.
• Gradually add the sugar and mix at medium speed for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the room temperature eggs one at a time, mixing until the yellow of the yolk disappears.
• With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture (We did 3 additions of the dry mixture, 2 additions of wet). Mix just until well incorporated, scraping bowl as needed.

Prepare the Raspberry Swirl

• Remove 1 cup of cake batter and put into a separate small bowl.
• Add the raspberry jam, raspberry extract and a bit of red or pink coloring gel (optional), stir until well blended.

Filling the Pans

• You'll have about 6 cups of plain batter and a little over 1 cup of raspberry batter.
• I spread about one cup of plain cake batter into each of the three prepared cake pans. I then divided most of the raspberry batter between the three pans, adding by the spoonful on top of the plain batter.
• Add the remaining plain batter to each of the pans, and then any remaining raspberry batter. Try to keep the batter amounts the same in each pan. Tap each of the pans on the counter to level out the batter, then run a knife through the batter a few times to create a swirled effect.
• Bake at 325 degrees F for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Let cool for 5-10 minutes in the pans on a wire rack before turning out.
• This recipe makes 7 ½ cups of batter. Works for cupcakes also (although there will be little to no dome).

For the Sweetened Whipped Cream Filling

• Chill the mixing bowl and beaters/ whisk attachment in the freezer for 10 minutes.
• Pour the whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla into the chilled mixing bowl, begin beating on low speed gradually increasing to medium high speed.  
• The cream begins to thicken (approx. 1 ½ minutes) and soft peaks form....peaks that slightly bend over.  Watch closely as this happens quickly.  Do not over beat.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

• Cut the butter into slices and add to the bowl of your mixer. Beat on low to medium speed until the butter is softened and smooth.
• Cut the cold cream cheese into pieces and add to the butter, beating at low to medium speed until incorporated. If you are using a hand mixer you may need to soften the cream cheese a bit more.
• Add the vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar beating on low speed until blended. Cover the bowl with a towel to keep down the cloud of powdered sugar.
• Increase mixing speed and beat until fluffy. Don't over beat or it will become too soft. If it becomes too soft, just refrigerate a short while to firm it up a bit.
• This frosting will pipe best if used while still chilled. You can make it in advance, refrigerate and when ready to use let it soften slightly (do not microwave) and remix.
• Will frost a 3 layer 8 or 9 inch cake.

Assembling the Cake

• Place the first cake layer on the cake plate or pedestal.
• Pipe a dam of cream cheese frosting around the edge of the layer (about ¼-1/2 inch from the edge).
• Spread a thin layer of jam on the cake layer, then top with a layer of whipped cream filling.
• Place the second cake layer on top and repeat the steps. Place the third cake layer on top and pipe frosting into any gaps between the cake layers. Frost the cake with a thin layer of frosting (crumb coat)
• At this point, I like to chill the cake for 10-15 minutes in the freezer (or longer in the refrigerator) to firm things up. Then, add the final coat of frosting- I applied the frosting with a small offset spatula and created a textured look.
• I piped a large shell border around the top of the cake using a large 1M piping tip, and topped with fresh raspberries.

Notes

Substitution for Cake Flour: Using all purpose flour (plain in UK) to make Cake Flour: For each cup of flour in a recipe, remove 2 Tablespoons of flour and replace with 2 Tablespoons cornstarch (cornflour in the UK). This recipe has 3 cups of flour so you will measure out 3 cups of all purpose flour, remove 6 Tablespoons and replace with 6 Tablespoons cornstarch, whisk to blend

Substitution for Buttermilk: Add 1 Tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup. Add milk to the 1 cup mark, stir. Wait 5 minutes and it is ready to use.Raspberry Swirl: After combining the jam with cake batter, it had a light raspberry flavor but we wanted to add a bit more raspberry. We added ½ teaspoon raspberry extract (Watkins brand), but if you do not have raspberry extract, you can also use a teaspoon of Raspberry Jell-O powder. You can add a little pink or red coloring gel as well- we added red with a touch of pink.

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