High Altitude Chocolate Almond Drip Cake

Three layers of moist chocolate sour cream cake, with almond pastry filling, almond buttercream and rich dark chocolate ganache drip. The rich flavor of this high altitude chocolate cake comes from dark, Dutch-processed cocoa powder, which is complemented beautifully by the sweet almond pastry filling. Nutty flecks of chopped almonds add texture and flavor to the fluffy buttercream. Topped off with a gorgeous chocolate drip, this cake is just so tempting!

Looking for more recipes like this one? You’ll love this chocolate almond tart, almond roca, chocolate hazelnut cake, and flourless almond cake.

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Why You’ll Love This Cake

Uses Simple Pantry Ingredients. While there are a few different elements to this chocolate almond layer cake, the ingredients are simple. Most cooks and bakers will have everything on hand that you need for this cake.

Delicious Textures and Flavors. The soft and moist chocolate cake with the sweet, nutty almond pastry filling is just fantastic. Add some fluffy buttercream and creamy ganache, and there’s just so much to love.

High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

Cake

• Chocolate Cake. Since I have a whole post already written about my favorite high altitude chocolate cake, I don’t need to repeat everything in today’s post. But if you’d like to read about how to choose the best cocoa powder for your chocolate almond cake, as well as other chocolate cake FAQs, please give it a read!

Filling

• Almond Filling. The filling is a prepared ingredient, called Almond Cake and Pastry Filling. If you can’t find it, you can leave it out, but it adds a nice nutty almond flavor. It’s very sweet, so a thin layer is all you need, and you’ll have leftovers to use for another recipe.

Buttercream

• Butter. I make my buttercream with unsalted butter, so if your butter is salted, you should omit the extra salt.
• Powdered Sugar. Sweetens and thickens the buttercream.
• Meringue Powder. Adds stability and improves the texture.
• Salt. Balances the sweetness and enhances the flavor of the almonds.
• Vanilla + Almond Extracts. Flavor.
• Almonds. Crunch, texture and almond flavor.

Ganache

• Chocolate. When making ganache, you need to use a good-quality dark chocolate. Chocolate chips may be easy, but they don’t melt very smoothly for ganache.
• Heavy Whipping Cream. You need the high fat content of heavy whipping cream to make a rich, creamy ganache.

Instructions

Cake

• Prepare and bake 1 recipe Chocolate Cake in three 8-inch cake pans.
• Cool the cakes completely before assembling and frosting.

Buttercream

• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute until smooth.
• Separately, combine the powdered sugar, meringue powder and salt. With the mixer on low, add the sugar mixture by spoonfuls, mixing until combined but clumpy.
• Add the extracts, and increase the speed to medium (#4-6 on a Kitchen Aid). Whip for about 5 minutes, scraping the bowl several times, until very light and fluffy. If the buttercream seems too thick for spreading, beat in a little milk, 1 tablespoon at a time. Turn the speed down to “stir” and mix for 1 minute to get rid of air bubbles.
• Fold in the chopped almonds

Assembly

• Remove the cooled cakes from the pans, and place one cake on a cake board or cake pedestal.
• Spread the cake with a thin layer of the almond pastry filling.Spread a layer of buttercream on top of the almond pastry filling.
• Add the next layer of cake, and spread with almond pastry filling, followed by buttercream.
• Add the third layer of cake. Frost all over with a thin crumb coat of buttercream, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. See this post for a tutorial on crumb coating a cake.
• Frost the cake all over with a final coat of buttercream, smooth it out as much as you like, and chill the cake for 30 minutes.

Ganache

• Chop the chocolate and scrape it into a bowl.
• Warm the cream just until hot and beginning to simmer, then pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Stir until it comes together into a smooth, creamy ganache.
• Pour the ganache on top of the cake, and use a small offset spatula to spread the ganache out, pushing it over the edges of the cake so it drips down the sides.
• Let the cake sit at room temperature for about an hour for the ganache to set.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.

Frequently Asked Questions

What cocoa powder should I use for my cake?

Use a good-quality Dutch-processed cocoa powder for the best flavor.

Is this cake fluffy or fudgy?

This is a light and fluffy, not fudgy, chocolate cake with an incredibly moist, tender crumb.

Should I adjust this recipe if I don’t live at high altitude?

If you’re at sea level or low altitude, you may be able to make this recipe exactly as written, but then again, you might need to make a few minor adjustments, such as decreasing the flour by a couple of tablespoons, and increasing the leavening a little. If you’re at a higher altitude than Denver (by more than 1,000 feet), I’d advise increasing the flour by a couple of tablespoons, and slightly decreasing the leavening. This article has great guidelines on how to make specific adjustments for various altitudes.

What if I can’t find almond pastry filling?

If you’re not able to find it at your grocery store, you can buy it on Amazon. You can also try making it yourself, or just leaving it out of the cake.

Where did you find that cake stand?

Right here!

What’s the best chocolate to use for the ganache drip?

I like to use a good-quality bar of chocolate with around 55% cacao for a smooth, creamy texture and bittersweet flavor. Equal parts chocolate and cream makes a thicker ganache, but if you want your drips “drippier”, you should increase the cream just a little for a thinner ganache.

Other Resources

How to Make Perfect American Buttercream

How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost a Layer Cake

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