Raspberry Almond Cake

Lately we have been loving simple one-pan fruity cakes since they are great for any time of day. We've especially been enjoying almond-flavored cakes that pair so well with coffee or tea, and this Raspberry Almond Cake is such a treat! It is a tender, lightly buttery vanilla and almond cake made with a bit of almond flour to give it a remarkably soft and delicate crumb. It's something you'd find at a fancy tea house, except you can make it at home with a few simple ingredients! It is substantial yet delicate which is why I love it, and studded with bright raspberries then topped with toasted almonds and crunchy golden sugar! The combination of raspberry with almond is so delicious and this light cake that is not too sweet and needs no frosting is perfect for breakfast, snack or even dessert. If you love this idea, check out my Strawberry Almond Cake too!

WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE

• Simple and easy recipe - this cake is super simple to make with minimal steps and basic ingredients.
• Vanilla almond flavor - the wonderful aroma of vanilla and almond with raspberries makes this cake so special.
• Soft texture - this cake has such a soft texture and fine even crumb. In the food industry, the technical term for such a soft texture is "short" because it breaks apart easily. It's the opposite of tough.
• Tart raspberry cake - raspberries add welcome tartness to the sweet cake and crunchy sugar topping. You can make this recipe with fresh or frozen blueberries, but check the tips below to make sure your frozen berries don't bleed into the batter.
• Crunchy almond sugar topping - this is such a nice contrast to the soft cake and the almond get so nice and toasty on top!

INGREDIENTS FOR RASPBERRY ALMOND CAKE

Here are some notes about the ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

• Unsalted butter - butter adds incredible flavor and helps build some structure during the creaming step for a fine crumb texture. It is important that it is soft for this recipe so pull it out at least 2 hours before baking.
• Oil - this recipe has butter AND oil. Oil makes this cake texture soft since it is liquid at room temperature.
• Pure vanilla extract - vanilla will elevate the flavor. I like this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.
• Almond extract - this adds such a nostalgic flavor to this cake and almost gives it a holiday feeling. I really love the taste of almond extract with berries! If I could describe almond extract, I would say that it tastes like black cherries.
• Eggs - two large eggs will add nice structure and help with the soft crumb in this raspberry almond cake recipe.

• All purpose flour - regular unbleached all-purpose flour works great in this recipe, but if you have cake flour on hand, you can replace half all-purpose flour with cake flour and it will make an even more tender loaf. Adding too much flour is the most common mistake and leads to dry cake, so be sure to measure accurately using a scale or the spoon and sweep method.
• Almond flour - I use fine blanched almond flour for this recipe which has a finer texture than almond meal. You can also use almond meal and it will still turn out great.
• Yogurt - yogurt adds tanginess to this lovely cake which complements the tart raspberries. You can use plain full fat or low fat yogurt and I do not recommend using fat free yogurt.
• Raspberries - you can use fresh or frozen raspberries in this recipe, but beware that frozen berries tend to bleed too much into the batter. However, you can use them with a simple trick. Read below in the FAQ section to learn more.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

This recipe is simple to prepare and you can make it with an electric hand mixer, although using a whisk with some vigorous beating will work too!

• STEP 1). Combine dry ingredients. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl and whisk to blend evenly.
• STEP 2). Beat butter and sugar. Place the soft butter, oil, sugar and extracts in a large bowl and beat for 2-3 minutes using an electric hand mixer until pale and creamy.
• STEP 3). Beat in eggs. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• STEP 4). Mix in yogurt. Add the yogurt and mix it in.

• STEP 5). Add dry ingredients. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the wet mixture, then add the almond flour and fold it in gently with a spatula just until the batter is smooth. The batter will be thick. Do not over-mix at this point or the texture of the cake will be a bit firmer. We want it to be soft and tender to mix gently.
• STEP 6). Add raspberries. Very gently fold in the raspberries with just 3 or 4 folds. Do not over-mix or the whole batter will turn blue if you are using frozen berries.
• STEP 7). Add toppings. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out gently. Dot a few extra raspberries over top. Sprinkle flaked almonds and coarse sugar evenly on top.
• STEP 8). BAKE. Bake for 35-45 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Transfer pan to a rack to cool 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and cool completely on the rack. This cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

BAKING TIPS FOR MAKING RASPBERRY ALMOND CAKE

• Do not reduce the sugar. The right amount of sugar will keep this cake tender so do not try to reduce it.
• Sift the dry ingredients. In order to get a smooth batter and soft, light texture, it is important to break up any lumps in the flour. This will also help it hydrate more quickly into the wet ingredients and minimize the amount of mixing required to create a smooth batter.
• Do not over-mix. Just fold in the flour gently until well combined, but no need to mix vigorously. Just mix until no streaks of dry flour remain. Also, be gentle folding in the raspberries so that they don't bleed into the batter and turn it blue.
• Do not over-bake. This cake is ready when a skewer comes out clean and the sides are nicely golden.
• Choose fresh raspberries when you can. Fresh raspberries will hold up better in the batter and won't leach juices which can discolor the batter and also increase the baking time as it adds moisture to the batter.

FAQ

If you love fruity cakes, check out these other recipes:

Creamy Raspberry Cheesecake (no Water Bath!) Light & Luscious Lemon Cake Sticky Toffee Date Cake Blueberry Peach Upside Down Cake Moist Lemon Blueberry Bread Maple Blueberry Coffee Cake