ALMOND LAYER CAKE WITH BLACKBERRY BUTTERCREAM

FOR THE CAKE

• • Preheat oven to 350F. Butter three 8-inch cake pans, and line the bottoms with a circle of parchment paper. Note: if you don’t have three pans, bake two layers first, and the third later.
  • Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt, and set aside.
  • In an electric stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar until very pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Don’t skip this step, it’s important for the cake’s texture. (You can also use a hand held mixer.)

• Add the eggs, one a time, letting each one get fully incorporated before adding the next. Blend in the extract.
• Turn the speed to low and blend in the flour mixture. While the mixer is running, slowly add the half-and-half, or milk, and stop when everything is fully incorporated. I like to mix my batter a little bit by hand at the end, to make sure everything from the sides and the bottom of the bowl is fully incorporated.
• Divide the batter between the three cake pans, and bake for 20-25 minutes until puffed, golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out without wet batter on it.
• Allow the cakes to cool for a few minutes in the pan, then remove and cool fully on a baking rack.

FOR THE FROSTING

• In an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until very smooth. Add the powdered sugar, a couple of cups at a time, and mix until smooth.
• Add the blackberry puree, vanilla extract, and milk, and blend until smooth.
• You can adjust the amounts of these liquid ingredients to get the color, flavor, and texture you want in your frosting. More blackberry puree will produce a darker color and a more tart frosting. If your blackberries are very sweet, you can also add a little lemon juice in place of some of the milk to make the frosting a bit more tart.

FOR THE GARNISH

• To make the candied almonds, add the sliced almonds and sugar to a saucepan, and heat until the sugar melts and starts to caramelize. Stir a few times to coat the almonds in the sugar. Be careful, as the almonds can burn quickly!
• Transfer the candied almonds onto a sheet of parchment paper, and allow to cool.
• Coarsely chop or break up the candied almonds into smaller pieces, and arrange them around the top of the cake along with the fresh blackberries.