Shelly's Recipe

Almond Buttercream Cake with Amaretto Filling

Category: Cakes

Yield: 1 (9-inch) cake

2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups sliced almonds, toasted
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cups sugar
6 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 recipe Amaretto Filling
1 recipe Almond Buttercream Icing
Garnish: sugared orange slices, strawberry halves, and raspberries

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with nonstick baking spray with flour.

2. In a large saucepan, bring cream to a simmer over medium heat. Add almonds to hot cream. Remove from heat, and let stand for 30 minutes. Strain almond mixture, reserving cream. (Set aside ¼ cup almond cream for making icing.)

3. In a large bowl, beat butter at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add sugar to butter, and beat well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add extracts, beating well.

4. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternately with remaining almond cream, beginning and ending with fl our mixture. Beat until combined. Divide batter among prepared pans.

5. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 23 to 26 minutes. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks.

6. Spread Amaretto Filling between layers. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

7. Spread Almond Buttercream Icing on top and sides of cake. Garnish with sugared orange slices (see note), strawberry halves, and raspberries, if desired. Store cake in refrigerator.

Note: To make sugared orange slices, paint the rind with beaten egg white, and roll in sugar.

Amaretto Filling
Yield: approximately 3 cups

2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
1/2 cup amaretto liqueur
1 (.25-ounce) package unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup sugar

1. In a small saucepan, combine ½ cup cream and amaretto liqueur. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add gelatin to cream mixture, stirring until dissolved. Refrigerate until firm, but not set, approximately 30 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, beat remaining 1½ cups cream at high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Add sugar and chilled gelatin mixture, beating well. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Beat for 2 minutes at medium-high speed with an electric mixer before spreading between cake layers.

Almond Buttercream Icing
Yield: approximately 5 cups

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
4 cups confectioners sugar
1/4 cup reserved almond cream (from Almond Cake with Amaretto Filling Recipe recipe)
1 tablespoon amaretto liqueur
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1. In a large bowl, beat butter at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar, beating well after each addition. Add almond cream to butter mixture, beating until smooth. Add amaretto and almond extract, beating well.