Moist white cake, zingy raspberry filling and decadent snowy icing make this festive treat the year’s must-have dessert.
- Prep time 1 hour & 15 minutes
- Total time 3 hours
- Portion size 20 servings
- Credits : Canadian Living Magazine
Ingredients
Almond Cakes:
Raspberry Filling:
Coconut Buttercream:
Method
Almond Cakes
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper; set aside. In bowl, combine flour, ground almonds, baking powder and salt; set aside. In large bowl, using electric mixer on medium speed, beat eggs with sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in oil and almond extract. On low speed, beat in reserved dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with milk and yogurt, just until batter is smooth. Scrape into prepared pans; smooth tops.
Bake until cake tester inserted in centres of cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Unmold cakes directly onto wire racks; let cool completely. (Make-ahead: Can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for up to 24 hours or frozen for up to 1 month.)
Raspberry Filling
Meanwhile, in saucepan, stir together raspberries, sugar and lemon juice. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. In small bowl, stir cornstarch with 1 tbsp water. Add to saucepan; return mixture to boil and cook, stirring often, until filling has thickened, about 3 minutes. Transfer mixture to bowl; let cool. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Coconut Buttercream
In metal bowl, whisk sugar with egg whites. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering (not boiling) water; whisk until sugar has dissolved and mixture is smooth, or candy thermometer reads 140°F, about 5 minutes. Pour mixture into bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment (or use large bowl and handheld electric mixer). Whip on medium-high speed until mixture has completely cooled and stiff peaks form, about 10 minutes (if mixture only forms soft peaks after 12 minutes, stop beating; you’ll just get a little less frosting).
Fit stand mixer with flat beater. Beat butter into mixture, 1 cube at a time, until creamy and smooth (it will start out crumbly). Beat in coconut cream and coconut extract, if using. (Make-ahead: Can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Remove from fridge at least 30 minutes before using; beat lightly and continue with recipe.)
Assembly
Using serrated knife, trim tops of cakes to level, if necessary. Spread 1 tsp of the icing in centre of cake plate; top with one cake layer, cut side up. Spread half of the Raspberry Filling over cut side, leaving 3/4-inch border around edge. Using metal spatula, evenly cover second cake’s cut side with 1 cup of the Coconut Buttercream; invert onto first cake, so buttercream and Raspberry Filling are touching. Spread remaining Raspberry Filling over second cake’s exposed top, leaving 3/4-inch border around edge. Using metal spatula, evenly cover third cake’s cut side with another 1 cup of the Coconut Buttercream; invert onto second cake layer, so buttercream and Raspberry Filling are touching.
Spread remaining Coconut Buttercream over top, smoothing side and top. Gently press coconut flakes all over icing. Garnish with Coconut Snowballs, if using. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. (Make-ahead: Can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
Did you know?
Coconut cream is prepared the same way as coconut milk but with less water, so it has a thicker texture.
Test kitchen tip
To save time, you can replace the Raspberry Filling with 2/3 cup raspberry jam.
Nutritional facts PER EACH OF 20 SERVINGS
- Calories 685
- Total fat 45 g
- Saturated fat 23 g
- Cholesterol 110 mg
- Sodium 195 mg
- Total carbohydrate 63 g
- Fibre 3 g
- Sugars 45 g
- Protein 7 g
- Iron 1.6 mg
