Easy Retro Cherry Almond Layer Cake

This Cherry Almond Layer Cake is super easy to make and decorated with simple piping. It is a fluffy and light cake, with small pieces of maraschino cherries, running throughout the sponge. The gorgeous pink colour inside and out, makes it a fun, playful and retro style cake, with a delightful classic flavour combo of cherries and almond. It is the perfect cake to have for any celebration!

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This Cherry Almond Layer Cake Is Special

This cake is full of the joys of Spring! Even though the season of Spring doesn’t really exist in Thailand!

It is 4 layers of cake, with superb stablished almond flavoured whipped cream nestled between each layer, making it light and fresh. I love using stablised whipped cream, since it stands up to the heat so well, and my stablished whipped cream makes no compromise on the delicious whipped cream flavour. My Strawberry Layer Cake can attest to this.

With every bite of this cake you will think of Spring!

The brilliant pink colour inside and out, also makes this cake fun and the simple piping with whipped cream, giving it a retro finish. Making it look special, but really easy to create!

How to Make This Retro Cherry Almond Layer Cake

1. To get this cake going, you need to start with the cake layers. The cake is made with the cherry syrup from the Maraschino cherries and plain yogurt. Adding plain yogurt to cakes brings in so much moisture and gives it an amazing flavour! Mix these two ingredients together first and set to one side.

2. You may have noticed that we are using cake flour in this cake. This also adds to the super fluffy and light texture. We adding even more air, by sieving it. Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into a clean bowl and set this to one side.

3. We are using the creaming method for this cake. Creaming the butter and sugar adds air into the mixture and makes for a pillowy, fluffy cake, so make sure you don’t miss this step. Whisk the butter until soft, using either with a hand or stand mixer. Then add the sugar and mix until lighter in colour, light and fluffy. Don’t forget to scrape the sides of the bowl!

4. The eggs are an interesting ratio in this recipe, however it definitely works, so don’t change it. Again, it’s all about making this cake light and airy. It is 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites. Add the whole egg first and mix in thoroughly, then add the egg whites in two parts. Mix in the egg whites well, after each addition. Add the almond extract at this stage as well.

5. Alternate the addition of the flour and cherry syrup mixture in three parts. Use a spatula to gently fold in the ingredients after each addition. The cherry syrup mixture will begin to give your cake mixture a really lovely pink hue. Make sure the cake mixture is smooth, if it is still a bit lumpy, briefly whisk, but be careful not to over mix.

6. You can opt to give your cake a boost of extra pink colour at this stage, by adding a few drops of pink food gel colour. I used Deep Pink by Americolor. For all those that remember it, this pink colour, really reminds me of Strawberry Angel Delight (happy childhood memory!).

7. Finally, the Maraschino Cherries, make their debut at this stage! Fold in the chopped cherries.

I used a two 6 inch cake tins and divide the cake mixture equally between each tin. Remove any air bubbles by swirling a skewer through the mixture, before baking. I then baked them at 175C (350F) for 30 - 35 mins

Almond Stablised Whipped Cream

The stablised whipped cream is easy to make. Here it is in 5 simple steps:

1. Chilled whipped cream into a bowl, whisked to soft peaks

2. Add 1 ½ tbsp + 1/8 tsp cold water to the gelatin and allow to bloom for 2-3 mins

3. Warm the gelatin in the microwave, then add 2 tbsp of whipped cream to the gelatin and stir through.

4. Sieve in the icing sugar, and whisk through, mix in the almond extract.

5. Gently pour in gelatin, while still whisking. Whisk until you reach stiff peaks.

Voila, exquisite stablised whipped cream in minutes!

Decorate And Have Fun!

Once your cake is cool. Let the fun decorating this cake commence!

When I make cakes that are coloured, I always like to cut off the caramelisation, so the colour of the cake can shine through. This is optional, you can choose to leave it on if you wish.

Brush on some of the cherry syrup that the maraschino cherries came in, again this is optional, but it adds to deliciousness and moistness of this cake, so I recommend you do this step. Make sure not to over soak the cake.

I decorated my cake with white stablised whipped cream in between each of the 4 layers and also used the white whipped cream to crumb my cake to trap in all those pink cake crumbs. After you add your crumb coat, allow it to firm in the fridge for 20 - 30 mins before adding the final coat.

While your cake is in the fridge, it gives you enough time to work on colouring up the final layer of whipped cream (see tip below). Use a palette knife to add the final layer on the top and sides of the cake. Use a cake smoother/scraper, to help you get those side lovely, smooth and even. Set it in the fridge to firm up for 30 minutes - 1 hour.

Fold a 6 inch diameter greaseproof paper circle in half three times, this will leave you with eight sections. Carefully, place this on top of the cake. Using a toothpick, lightly mark each section at the top of the cake.

Use a cookie cutter, that fits in between each marked section to mark the drape lines.

Add white whipping cream to a piping bag, fitted with a coupler (this make it easier to change piping tips, when using the same colour) Wilton leaf tip #67. Pipe following the marked draped lines made with the cookie cutter, gently moving the piping tip back and forth as you pipe to get a ruffled/frilled effect.

Switch to a Wilton Open Star tip #32 or tip #199. Pipe a simple shell boarder around the base of the cake.

Finally pipe large rosettes on the top of the cake using either a Wilton tip #6B or #8B

Top each rosette off with a cherry, remember to leave the stalks on, I think it gives the overall finish a fun and playful appearance. It looks like it belongs in an old-fashioned sweet shop/ice cream shop. I love it! Cute, fun, adorable and soo delicious!

Tip: I will admit that once the pink marinated in the whipping cream for a bit, the colour came out deeper in shade than I was expecting it. But after I add it to the cake and piped over it I absolutely loved it! So make sure that you take into consideration, how much colour you use, it will deepen in shade after about 1 hour.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. If you make it, please remember to tag me - #arisecakecreations - @arisecakecreations on Instagram or Facebook, so I can see your fun and yummy creation.

Yield: 8

Author: Sarah G. Brown

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Easy Retro Cherry Almond Layer Cake

This Cherry Almond Layer Cake is super easy to make and decorated with simple piping. It is a fluffy and light cake, with small pieces of maraschino cherries, running throughout the sponge

Prep time: 40 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 1 H & 15 M

Ingredients

Cherry Almond Cake

• 100g (1 cup) Maraschino Cherries (finely chopped)
• 140g (1/2 cup) Plain yogurt (OR buttermilk, OR sour cream)
• 90ml Maraschino cherry syrup (from the bottle)
• 130g (1/2 cup butter + 1 tbsp) Soft unsalted butter
• 190g (1 cup) sugar
• 1 Egg
• 2 whites
• ½ Almond extract (optional)
• 225g (1 ¾ cups + 1 tbsp) Cake flour
• 2 ¼ tsp Baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• A few drops of pink food colouring (optional)
• Maraschino cherry syrup to lightly soak sponge layers

Stablised Whipped Cream

• 425ml (1 ¼ cup) Whipping Cream 
• 72g (1/2 cup + 2 tsp + ½ tsp) Icing sugar (powdered sugar) 
• 1 ¼ tsp gelatin 
• 1 ½ tbsp + 1/8 tsp cold water 
• 1/2 tsp Almond extract 
• 2 tbsp whipping cream (to add to the melted gelatin) 
• A few drops of pink food colour (optional)

Instructions

Cherry Almond Cake

1. Mix the plain yogurt and cherry syrup together and set to one side.
2. Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into a clean bowl and set this to one side.
3. Whisk the butter until soft, using either with a hand or stand mixer. Then add the sugar and mix until lighter in colour, light and fluffy. Don’t forget to scrape the sides of the bowl!
4. Add the whole egg first and mix in thoroughly, then add the egg whites in two parts. Mix in the egg whites well, after each addition. Add the almond extract at this stage as well.
5. Alternate the addition of the flour and cherry syrup mixture in three parts. Use a spatula to gently fold in the ingredients after each addition. The cherry syrup mixture will begin to give your cake mixture a really lovely pink hue. Make sure the cake mixture is smooth, if it is still a bit lumpy, briefly whisk, but be careful not to over mix.
6. You can opt to give your cake a boost of extra pink colour at this stage, by adding a few drops of pink food gel colour. I used Deep Pink by Americolor.
7. Fold in the chopped Maraschino cherries.
8. Split the mixture between two 6 inch cake tins.  Divide the cake mixture equally between each tin. Remove any air bubbles by swirling a skewer through the mixture, before baking. I then baked them at 175C (350F) for 30 - 35 mins
9. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.

Stablised Whipped Cream

1. Chilled whipped cream into a bowl, whisked to soft peaks
2. Add 1 ½ tbsp + 1/8 tsp cold water to the gelatin and allow to bloom for 2-3 mins
3. Warm the gelatin in the microwave, then add 2 tbsp of whipped cream to the gelatin and stir through.
4. Sieve in the icing sugar, and whisk through, mix in the almond extract.
5. Gently pour in gelatin, while still whisking. Whisk until you reach stiff peaks.
6. You can opt to give your cake a boost of extra pink colour at this stage, by adding a few drops of pink food gel colour. I used Deep Pink by Americolor.

Assemble/Decorate Cherry Almond Layer Cake

1. Once the cake is cool, you can begin assembling and decorating your cake.
2. Cut off the caramelisation, so the colour of the cake can shine through. This is optional, you can choose to leave it on if you wish.
3. Brush on some of the cherry syrup that the maraschino cherries came in, again this is optional, but it adds to deliciousness and moistness of this cake, so I recommend you do this step. Make sure not to over soak the cake.
4. I decorated my cake with white stablised whipped cream in between each of the 4 layers and also used the white whipped cream to crumb my cake to trap in all those pink cake crumbs. After you add your crumb coat, allow it to firm in the fridge for 20 - 30 mins before adding the final coat.
5. While your cake is in the fridge, it gives you enough time to work on colouring up the final layer of whipped cream (see tip below). Use a palette knife to add the final layer on the top and sides of the cake. Use a cake smoother/scraper, to help you get those side lovely, smooth and even. Set it in the fridge to firm up for 30 minutes - 1 hour.
6. Fold a 6 inch diameter greaseproof paper circle in half three times, this will leave you with eight sections. Carefully, place this on top of the cake. Using a toothpick, lightly mark each section at the top of the cake.
7. Use a cookie cutter, that fits in between each marked section to mark the drape lines.
8. Add white whipping cream to a piping bag, fitted with a coupler (this make it easier to change piping tips, when using the same colour) Wilton leaf tip #67. Pipe following the marked draped lines made with the cookie cutter, gently moving the piping tip back and forth as you pipe to get a ruffled/frilled effect.
9. Switch to a Wilton Open Star tip #32 or tip #199. Pipe a simple shell boarder around the base of the cake.
10. Finally pipe large rosettes on the top of the cake using either a Wilton tip #6B or #8B
11. Top each rosette off with a cherry, remember to leave the stalks on, it gives the overall finish a fun and playful appearance.  

Notes:

Tip: Make sure that you take into consideration, how much colour you use in your cake and whipped cream, the colour will deepen in shade. The colour in the cream will deepen in shade after about 1 hour.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

483.32

Fat (grams)

17.05

Sat. Fat (grams)

10.34

Carbs (grams)

79.75

Fiber (grams)

1.15

Net carbs

78.61

Sugar (grams)

50.92

Protein (grams)

4.72

Sodium (milligrams)

249.97

Cholesterol (grams)

67.68

Nutritional Info: Per Serving

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