Raspberry and Almond Cake
If you love desserts that feel like they came straight from a beautiful bakery case—this Raspberry and Almond Cake is it. It’s buttery, soft, and impossibly satisfying, with a tender crumb that stays moist for days. Each bite has a rich almond flavor, a thin layer of raspberry jam, and pockets of fresh raspberries baked into the top.
This is the kind of easy cake that looks fancy enough for a celebration but still feels totally doable on a regular weekend. No complicated decorating, just a gorgeous golden brown cake with almonds and berries on top, finished with a dusting of powdered sugar.
What Makes This Cake So Good:
This isn’t your average layer cake, but it does have the magic of cake layers baked right into it. Instead of baking separate cake pans, we build the layers inside one prepared pan so the final cake slices like a dream.
Here’s what’s happening in the whole cake:
- A soft, buttery almond cake batter
- A sweet-tart raspberry layer using raspberry jam
- 2 almond layers made from a sweet almond paste frangapine
- A topping of sliced almonds and berries that bakes into the prettiest, bakery-style finish
Ingredients needed for Raspberry Almond Cake:
- Butter
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- White Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Fresh Raspberries
- Almond paste
- Vanilla extract
- Almond extract
- Raspberry jam or preserves
- Buttermilk
- Sliced almonds
- Powdered sugar
Supplies needed:
- 9 inch Springform pan (This cake is tall, layered, and loaded—so the springform pan makes serving much easier.)
- Mixing bowls
- Electric mixer or stand mixer
- A rubber spatula
- Optional: plastic wrap for storing leftovers
Ingredient Notes:
Use room temperature ingredients. Bring your eggs, butter, and buttermilk to room temperature before starting. It helps the batter blend more easily and gives you a smoother texture of the cake.
Almond paste = the best! Instead of using almond flour or almond meal for the frangipane, we’re using sweetened almond paste. It creates that soft, bakery-style almond layer with minimal effort.
Flour: This recipe uses all-purpose flour and it’s important not to add too much flour which can lead to a dry or dense cake. Use a measuring cup correctly (spoon and level), or even better—weigh your ingredients with a kitchen scale.
A little almond extract goes a long way I use pure almond extract in the cake batter for that classic bakery almond flavor, but only a little almond extract- I have gone too heavy handed in the past and it’s not needed. 1/2 teaspoon in the cake is more than enough.
How to Make Raspberry and Almond Cake
This cake comes together in three parts: batter, filling, topping.
1) Make the Cake Batter: In a stand mixer (or using an electric mixer) cream the unsalted butter and sugars until light and fluffy. This recipe uses a blend of white sugar and brown sugar. Add the eggs, then mix in vanilla extract and almond extract. In a separate bowl, whisk the dry ingredients to make your flour mixture. Add the wet ingredients and dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, mixing on low speed and scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
You’re looking for a mostly smooth, thick batter—not over-mixed.
2) Make the Almond Paste Frangipane: This version of frangipane is intentionally simple: softened butter + almond paste + egg + vanilla. It’s quick, spreadable, and tastes incredible. It doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth. A few small lumps are fine and bake right in.
3) Make the Crumble + Almond Topping: Mix melted butter, flour, and sugar with a fork. Then gently fold in the almonds. This creates a beautiful crumbly texture without being heavy.
4) Layering the Cake: Spread half the cake batter into the pan. Then add half the frangipane and spoon the raspberry jam over it, spreading it into a thin layer. Add the remaining cake batter, then spread the rest of the frangipane over the top.
Finish with berries and the almond topping.
Bake Time (And how to know the cake is done.)
Bake the cake until it’s golden brown and set. Because of the jam and almond layer, the toothpick test can be tricky—sometimes you’ll hit a jam pocket and think it’s underbaked.
Instead, look for these signs:
- The top is golden and feels set
- The center doesn’t jiggle like liquid batter
- A toothpick comes out without wet cake batter (jam is okay)
Your total bake time will vary slightly by oven, but it’s typically in the 45–50 minutes range at 350°F
Serving: Once the cake cools, dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar. Slice into individual slices and serve warm as-is—or with coffee, tea, or even a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
How to store the cake: This cake keeps beautifully! Store leftover slices in an airtight container at room temperature for a day, or refrigerate for longer storage. If refrigerating, let slices sit out for a bit before serving so the crumb softens again. You can also freeze slices, but wrap well to avoid freezer burn.
Raspberry and Almond Cake
Ingredients
Cake Batter:
- 2½ cups (315g) all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (75g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1⅓ cups (315g) buttermilk, room temperature
Filling:
- ¼ cup (80g) raspberry jam
- 7 oz (200g) sweetened almond paste
- 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, very soft
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping:
- ¼ cup (31g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (50g) brown sugar- packed
- 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup (170g) raspberries (can be frozen- see note)
- ¾ cup (65g) slivered almonds
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Cake Batter:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl (or stand mixer), cream the softened butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Mix in the vanilla extract and almond extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the batter in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk in two additions, mixing just until combined each time and ending with the dry ingredients. Set batter aside.
Frangipane Filling:
- Soften the butter, then mix in the almond paste by hand or with an electric mixer until mostly combined.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until mostly smooth (a few small lumps are totally fine). Set aside.
Jam:
- Warm the raspberry jam slightly if desired so it spreads more easily.
Almond Crumble Topping:
- In a small bowl, mix the melted butter with the flour and brown sugar using a fork until crumbly.
- Gently fold in the sliced almonds.
Assemble:
- Grease a 9-inch springform pan very well and dust with flour.
- Spoon in half of the cake batter and spread into an even layer.
- Add half of the frangipane and then the jam and gently spread over the batter into as even of a layer as possible.
- Spoon the remaining batter over the top and gently spread to cover.
- Add the remaining frangipane on top.
- Sprinkle the raspberries evenly over the top, then finish with the crumble topping.
Bake:
- Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 55–70 minutes, or until the cake is deeply golden and just set in the center. A toothpick may come out with a little jam/frangipane on it, but it shouldn’t have wet batter. If the top is browning too quickly, tent loosely with foil during the last 15–25 minutes of baking.
Notes
* You can use fresh or frozen raspberries in this recipe. If you use frozen do NOT thaw them.