A decadent cherry almond cake inspired by Alice’s adventures down the rabbit hole.
A Culinary Adventure in Wonderland
Alice’s adventures in Wonderland begin in pursuit of the White Rabbit and down the rabbit hole. From there, she savours and samples various foods in Wonderland, while simultaneously growing and shrinking with each new treat.
In honour of Lewis Carroll’s whimsical and non-sensical story, let us journey to Wonderland for a culinary adventure and a delightful feast. Together, we will explore the cakes Alice tasted, both sweet and savoury, the intriguing mushroom of the Caterpillar’s forest home, the mysterious stolen tarts of the King and Queen of Hearts, and more! So let’s begin.
"BEGIN AT THE BEGINNING," THE KING SAID GRAVELY, "AND GO ON TILL YOU COME TO THE END: THEN STOP."
- ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND (CHAPTER 12: ALICE'S EVIDENCE)
Eat Me
After shrinking down in size, Alice is dismayed to discover she has left the key to the doorway to the mysterious garden on the table. Just as it looks like Alice won’t be able to reach the key she discovers a box containing a little cake encouraging her to “Eat Me”. It only takes a few bites before Alice begins feel herself grow in size, finally able to reach the sought after key.
"... she opened it, and found in it a very small cake, on which the words 'eat me' were beautifully marked in currants.
'Well, I'll eat it,' said Alice, 'and if it makes me grow larger, i can reach the key; and if it makes me grow smaller, i can creep under the door; so either way I'll get into the garden, and I don't care which happens!'"
-Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by lewis carroll
This sweet almond scented cake is filled with a fresh cherry filling and topped with swirls of pink frosting. Inspired by the Clarified Cherry Custard Cocktail we created which caused Alice to shrink in size, cherries and almonds are a classic pairing that blend together beautifully.
Layers of tender almond cake, made with both ground almonds and almond extract, are topped with a cooked dark cherry filling. Finished with a flourish of almond-scented pink buttercream, this cake is delicious enough to temp anyone!
Ingredients
Cherries: The filling is made with dark sweet cherries. You can use either fresh or frozen cherries. Maraschino cherries make the perfect garnish for this sweet, pink cake.
Almonds: A small amount of the flour is swapped out for almond flour which gives the cake a slightly toothsome texture. For even more almond flavour, the cake, filling, and buttercream all have splash of almond extract.
Buttermilk: Using buttermilk in the cake batter imparts a slight tangy flavour, helps with leavening, and keeps the texture of the cake soft and moist. It is the acid in buttermilk that does all these things so, if you don’t have buttermilk, you can use a substitute. Add 1 tsp lemon juice to an equal amount of milk and let sit for a couple of minutes. Then proceed with the recipe.
Cake pans: I used three 7″ cake pans here. This recipe will make a tall, three-layer cake with either 6″ or 7″ cake pans. Alternatively, you can make a two-layer cake with either 8″ or 9″ pans.
How to make Cherry Almond Cake
Make the cherry filling
In a saucepan, combine the cherries, sugar, lemon juice, and brandy. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Cook the cherries for about 5 minutes, or until they begin to breakdown. You can lightly mash the cherries with a potato masher if desired. Add the almond extract.
In a small cup, stir together the cornstarch and water until dissolved. Add to the cherries, stirring together quickly to prevent clumping. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Cover with a piece of cling film directly onto the filling. Chill until cold.
Make the cake batter
Preheat the oven to 350° F. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the softened butter and sugar. Beat on low for a minute just to combine the butter and sugar. Scrape down the sides and turn the speed up to medium high. Beat for 2 to 3 minutes or until the butter is lightened in colour and fluffy.
Turn the mixer down to low and add the almond extract along with one egg. Mix until the egg is fully incorporated, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the remaining eggs, one at a time, beating until fully combined. Once all the eggs have been added, turn up the speed to medium and beat for another minute until the mixture is thick, fluffy, and fully emulsified. Turn off the mixer.
Meanwhile, in a separate bowl combine the flour, almond flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk together until there are no lumps, then set aside. Add the vegetable oil to the buttermilk and whisk to combine.
Turn the mixer back on low. Add one third of the flour mixture and mix just until the flour is mostly incorporated. Pour in half the buttermilk mixture and continue beating until it is mostly incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides. Repeat by adding another third of the flour followed by the remainder of the buttermilk. Add the last of the flour and mix on low just until the batter is fully combined.
Bake the cakes
Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and make sure there are no streaks of unmixed butter in the batter. Line three 6″ or 7″ cake pans with parchment paper. Spray with non-stick spray and lightly flour the pans.
Divide the cake batter between the pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean and the top springs back when touched. Let the cakes cool for 5 minutes then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
Make the buttercream icing
In a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, whip the softened butter. Beat the butter for about 10 minutes until it’s lightened in colour and fluffy. Add the icing sugar and mix just until combined. Add the almond extract, food colouring, and heavy cream. Beat until the buttercream is smooth. Check the consistency, adding a bit more heavy cream if needed.
Assemble the Cherry Almond Cake
If the cake layers have domed tops, use a serrated knife to level them off. Place one layer on a serving platter or cake board. Top with a thin layer of buttercream. Fill a piping bag fitted with a star tip with some of the buttercream. Pipe a ring of buttercream around the edge of the cake layer to create a well. Fill the well with some of the cherry filling, smoothing the top. Cover with a second cake layer. Repeat the filling. If the cake feels unsteady, refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes to set the buttercream.
Frost the outside of the cake and pipe decorative borders around the top and bottom. Pipe a ring of rosettes around the top of the cake. Top each rosette with a maraschino cherry. Store the cake in the fridge. Be sure to remove it from the fridge a couple of hours before serving to soften the buttercream. Enjoy!
