This high altitude strawberry almond cake has three layers of soft almond cake, frosted with fluffy strawberry buttercream, and topped with French macarons.
Looking for more almond recipes? You’ll love this flourless almond cake, almond pound cake, almond cream cheese coffee cake, and almond scones.
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Why You’ll Love This Cake
Easy to Make. The almond cake is quick and simple to make, and you don’t even need a mixer for the cake batter. Just whisk everything together in a bowl and bake!
A Perfect Flavor Pairing. The soft almond cake with sweet strawberry buttercream is just delicious together. And if you want to try a different combination, you could pair this strawberry cake with almond buttercream for an equally wonderful cake.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
Almond Cake
- Cake Flour. You could use all-purpose flour, too, but cake flour has a lower percentage of protein, making a more tender cake with a lighter texture.
- Granulated Sugar. Adds sweetness and moisture.
- Baking Powder. Leavens the cake batter.
- Salt. A little salt balance the sweetness and makes baked goods even better.
- Buttermilk. The acidity in buttermilk makes very moist, tender cakes.
- Oil + Butter. Gives the cake moisture and flavor.
- Eggs + Egg Whites. Adds structure to the cake batter.
- Vanilla + Almond Extracts. Flavor.
Buttercream
- Butter. Use unsalted butter, or omit the extra salt if you use salted butter.
- Strawberry Jam + Freeze-Dried Strawberry Powder. A combination of jam and freeze-dried strawberry powder adds load of strawberry flavor and a natural pink color.
- Vanilla + Almond Extracts. Flavor.
- Powdered Sugar. Sweetens and thickens the buttercream.
- Meringue Powder. Adds stability.
- Salt. A little salt balance the sweetness and makes baked goods even better.
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F, and grease the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Separately, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, oil, eggs, egg whites, almond extract and vanilla extract.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and whisk until combined and smooth, about 10-15 seconds. Divide the batter evenly between the greased pans.
- Bake the cakes on the center oven rack until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, and the tops spring back when lightly touched, about 25-30 minutes.
- Set the pans on a cooling rack, cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter and jam for 1 minute until smooth. Add the extracts.
- Separately, whisk together the powdered sugar, meringue powder, strawberry powder and salt. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients by spoonfuls.
- Turn the speed up to medium (#6 on a Kitchen Aid), and whip for 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl several times, until light and fluffy. If needed for desired consistency, beat in 2-4 tablespoons of milk, but this usually isn’t needed in warm weather. Turn the speed down to low and mix for 1 minute to pop any large air bubbles.
Assembly
- Remove the cooled cakes from the pans. Place one cake layer on a cake board or cake pedestal. Frost with a layer of the buttercream. Continue stacking and filling the cake layers, then frost all over with a thin “crumb coat” of buttercream. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Frost the cake with a final pretty coat of buttercream. If you like, top the cake with macarons and pipe swirls of buttercream between each.
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
Can I add chopped almonds or poppy seeds to the cake batter?
Poppy seeds are wonderful in this recipe, as you can see in my almond poppy seed cake.
Chopped almonds in the cake batter might make it dense, so if you want to add some texture, I’d sprinkle them between the cake layers on top of the buttercream as you stack the cake.
What are some good cake fillings for this cake?
Almond pastry filling (not almond paste) or strawberry jam would be be delicious.
Where can I buy French macarons?
Check the frozen desserts aisle at major grocery stores. Don’t buy macarons that aren’t kept frozen, or at least refrigerated, as they go stale quickly at room temperature.
Where can I find freeze-dried strawberry powder?
You can find freeze dried strawberries at Target and major grocery stores, and it can be easily crushed into powder. You can also find the powder on Amazon.
What piping tip did you use for piping the buttercream swirls?
Tip 2D.
Will this recipe work as a sheet cake?
Yes, you can bake this cake in a 9×13 pan.
Can this recipe be cut in half?
For a smaller cake, cut the cake recipe in half and bake it in three 6-inch cake pans. Smaller cake layers bake very quickly, so be careful not to over bake them, or your cake will be dry. If you want enough frosting for piping the buttercream swirls, make 3/4 of the buttercream recipe for a 6-inch cake. The photographed cake in today’s post is a 6-inch cake.
Do you have an almond wedding cake recipe?
Yes! If you’re looking for a recipe for a very tender, fine-crumbed white almond cake, you’ll love my almond wedding cake.
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High Altitude Strawberry Almond Layer Cake
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Whisk Attachment
- 8-inch cake pans (x3)
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 ¼ cups cake flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 ½ cups whole buttermilk, lukewarm
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg whites
- 2-3 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Buttercream
- 2 cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 tbsp strawberry jam
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp meringue powder
- 1 tbsp freeze-dried strawberry powder
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F, and grease the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Separately, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, oil, eggs, egg whites, almond extract and vanilla extract.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and whisk until combined and smooth, about 10-15 seconds. Divide the batter evenly between the greased pans.
- Bake the cakes on the center oven rack until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, and the tops spring back when lightly touched, about 25-30 minutes.
- Set the pans on a cooling rack, cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter and jam for 1 minute until smooth. Add the extracts.
- Separately, whisk together the powdered sugar, meringue powder, strawberry powder and salt. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients by spoonfuls.
- Turn the speed up to medium (#6 on a Kitchen Aid), and whip for 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl several times, until light and fluffy. If needed for desired consistency, beat in 2-4 tablespoons of milk, but this usually isn't needed in warm weather. Turn the speed down to low and mix for 1 minute to pop any large air bubbles.
Assembly
- Remove the cooled cakes from the pans. Place one cake layer on a cake board or cake pedestal. Frost with a layer of the buttercream. Continue stacking and filling the cake layers, then frost all over with a thin "crumb coat" of buttercream. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Frost the cake with a final pretty coat of buttercream. If you like, top the cake with macarons and pipe swirls of buttercream between each.
Hello! I I was wondering why you melt the butter instead of room temp
You would use softened (room temperature) butter if you’re creaming together the butter and sugar first. This recipe doesn’t use the creaming method, so you simply whisk in melted butter with the rest of the liquid ingredients.
Pretty! How did you make the “rustic” look of the cake? With a spatula?
Yes, it’s so easy! With the cake on a turntable, spin the turntable while you drag an icing spatula around the cake, starting at the bottom, and ending at the top. The design is basically just one big spiral around the cake.
Hello!!!
This cake is AMAZING!
I made it this week for our daughter’s bday and it came out perfectly. Just wanted to give an altitude comment: we are in Florida at sea level so I was nervous. I looked at the adjustments but decided to just follow your recipe and it came out fabulous!!! Just a heads up for others not at high altitude. Thank you for such a yummy cake!
I’m so glad to hear that! I hope she had a wonderful birthday.
Rating just the cake layers, but I love the frostings from this site so I’m sure this strawberry one is great also.
I combined these almond cake layers with the chocolate buttercream from the yellow birthday cake post. Totally delicious. This almond cake was moist, tender, soft. Great flavor, and I found 3 tsp of Penzeys Almond Extract to be the perfect amount. Curly Girl Kitchen is my go-to for layer cake recipes, and every one I’ve tried has come out perfect.
Hi!
I want to make this for my daughters birthday but am unable to find freeze dried strawberry powder. Is there anything I can substitute it with?
Thanks!
Target carries freeze dried strawberries – they’re on the dried fruit and nuts aisle – and it can easily be crushed into powder. If you’re not able to get any, you can add a few tablespoons of strawberry jam to the buttercream, or see my tips in this post for making fruit flavored buttercream: https://curlygirlkitchen.com/perfect-american-buttercream-frosting/