Almond Pound Cake with Raspberry Swirl

A perfectly tender and buttery almond pound cake with a double raspberry swirl – always a winner for breakfast, brunch, or dessert!

Give me a dessert with almond paste or almond flour or even just almond extract and I am running to eat it.

(Much more like slow waddling in my current 8.5 month beached whale state, but you know what I mean.)

There is just something about almond in baked goods that I can’t get enough of. That sweet nuttiness is EVERYTHING.

If you know, you know.

Other things I can’t resist include: pound cake, breakfast cake, bundt cake, pretty-much-any-kind-of-cake cake…

…if you’re now realizing that this almond bundt cake with raspberry swirl was basically meant for me, then you are correct. 

I AM SO IN LOVE WITH THIS CAKE.

And you will be too when you make it this weekend. (See what I did there?)

The recipe for this beauty comes from Erin Jeanne McDowell’s first cookbook, The Fearless Baker. Seeing as how it was published in 2017 and she has since released The Book on Pie (another HIGHLY recommended favorite of mine), and has a new book on savory bakes in the works, I’m a little late to the party. However, I’m pretty sure the phrase “better late than never” was made for this exact circumstance because the truth is there is no wrong time to make this almond pound cake. 

With a fluffy, soft interior and a gorgeous crust, it truly achieves bundt cake nirvana. This textural perfection is achieved by using a mix of almond and all purpose flour in the batter. The almond flour has a very fine texture that produces a tight crumb while the gluten in the all purpose flour gives the cake enough structure to keep it together.

To really bring out the almond flavor that much more, Erin has you toast the almond flour on the stovetop before incorporating it with the rest of the batter. Similar to toasting whole nuts on the stovetop before using them in a savory recipe, this brings out the natural oils in the nuts, intensifying their rich nutty flavor. Be warned, though, that the flour will go from golden to burnt within a second if you’re not careful so keep a close eye on it as it’s toasting. Once it reaches the desired color, then pour it immediately out of the pan and into a bowl to cool so it doesn’t keep cooking.

Other than this special step, this batter comes together as a pretty typical pound cake. Butter and sugar are creamed together in a stand mixer, eggs are added one at a time, and then flavored with both vanilla and almond extracts. The dry ingredients are added, alternating with milk, and the whole thing is mixed until just combined.

To add the raspberry swirl (optional, but highly recommended) half of the batter is added to a well greased Bundt pan and then topped with a drizzle of raspberry jam. This can be done with a spoon or a piping bag, though I recommend the latter for more even, refined results. The rest of the batter is added on top, followed by a second raspberry swirl layer.

Finally, the cake is popped into the oven and baked until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I actually made it the night before we intended on eating it and it was still perfectly fresh and lovely the next morning (and also for the ensuing 3-4 days!), so feel free to make it ahead of time if that better suits your schedule.

Almond Pound Cake with Raspberry Swirl

 

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A perfectly tender and buttery almond pound cake with a double raspberry swirl - always a winner for breakfast, brunch, or dessert!

Yield: 10-12 servings

Ingredients

• 1½ cups (142 g) almond flour
• 1½ cups (181 g) all purpose flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 8 oz (227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1½ cups (300 g) sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp almond extract
• ¾ cup whole milk, room temperature
• ½ cup raspberry jam

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350F. Grease a 10-cup bundt pan with baking spray. Set aside.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Once hot, add the almond flour to the pan in an even layer and toast until lightly golden and fragrant, stirring frequently, about 3-4 minutes. Pour immediately into a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature. (Watch carefully to be sure it doesn't burn!)
3. Once the almond flour is cool, add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.
4. Place the butter and the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream together until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes on medium speed.
5. Add the eggs to the mixer one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix until combined.
6. Add a third of the flour mixture to the batter and mix on low speed until just combined. Add half the milk and mix until combined. Add another third of the flour mixture, again mixing until just combined, followed by the remaining milk and flour mixture.
7. Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan. Tap on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Spoon or pipe about half of the jam over the batter. Top with the remaining cake batter and drizzle on the remaining jam.
8. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the cake pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool.

Notes

Recipe from The Fearless Baker

3.5.3208