There are pros and cons to having a blog.
One of cons is not having as much time to try out new recipes from friends, family and other bloggers. Of course, after researching and testing recipes for years, I absolutely share favorites with you, but I’ve had to ramp up my own personal development of recipes as well for this blog.
That takes a lot of time; time that cuts into making the thousands of recipes I have saved in binders and folders and book shelves, recipes that I’m just dying to try. This Raspberry Almond Cake was no different.
It was sent to me by Cyndi, one of my readers, back in September of last year. She’s the kind of reader any blogger would love to have. She makes my recipes.
She comments on them. She gives great feedback that is both appreciated and valuable to other readers. I mentioned in my anniversary post what it’s like to find a trusted source of recipes, recipes that could be from a cookbook or a friend or a blogger. Whatever the source, you begin to trust that you’ll likely get a good outcome.
Based on Cyndi’s comments and feedback on my recipes, I started to get the sense that we had similar tastes. When I posted my Raspberry White Chocolate Almond Blondies, she mentioned that they reminded her of a cake that she makes and she sent me the recipe.
I couldn’t wait to try it! Yet, there it sat, staring at me from a pile of must try recipes, while LIFE continued to happen and blogging continued to happen.
It only took me, what? Six months? But here it is! I finally made it! It’s really an easy cake to make and with such a wonderful result. This recipe uses almond paste, I used Odense.
You can find it in the baking aisle. It comes in the exact amount that you need for the recipe. (I’m dying to try Love ‘n Bake’s paste. It has such rave reviews, I really want to experiment with some recipes to compare with Odense. Yep. I’ll just add that to the ever growing list :)
I love the smell of almonds. To this day, I love the cherry almond smell of Jergens lotion. At least I think I do. I haven’t used it since I was a kid. I generally only use soaps and lotions that have all natural ingredients, but even in those, if there’s an almond choice? That’s the one I pick.
I adore almond paste in my Shortcut Stollen, so I figured I was just bound to love a cake that was made with almond paste.
The batter mixes up quite easily; it is quite thick as you see in the photos. Then it’s just a matter of layering the batter and berries in your pan. For the top layer of batter, I just dropped spoonfuls all over the top of the berries and didn’t worry about spreading it around.
No issues. Into the oven it went and it baked up beautifully. And it smelled so good while it was baking! (I did end up with some darker edges than I would have liked. My pan has a black coating that causes the cakes I bake in it to bake up darker. I’ve got a lighter pan on my list of things to buy asap!)
The cake isn’t a super fluffy, light and airy cake. It’s lighter than a blondie, denser than a typical cake, but I think definitely more a cake than anything else.
It’s a sturdy cake. It’s moist and you could pick up and eat with your hands without it falling apart. The almond flavor is wonderful and the fresh berries delicious. I can’t wait to try it with other fruits!
My whole family really enjoyed this treat. I think it works well as a dessert cake, a breakfast cake or it could be a lovely choice for a tea. I served it for dessert, without telling anyone what it was, and my son asked me if it was a raspberry almond Christmas cake.
Yep, he recognized all the flavors from the Raspberry White Chocolate Almond Blondies that we make at Christmas each year, which, was basically the reverse experience that my reader Cyndi had when she tried the blondies. If you love those, you’ll love this cake, and vice versa.
So, yeah, there are many pros and cons to having a blog. One of the cons is having so many recipes, so many ideas, yet so little time. But this Raspberry Almond Cake?
Pro. Definitely a pro :)

Raspberry Almond Cake
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 7 ounces almond paste make sure it's almond paste not marzipan
- 1 cup sugar
- 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups fresh raspberries washed and thoroughly dried
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- Confectioner's sugar for topping
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9" springform pan with cooking spray or lightly grease.
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Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
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Crumble or grate almond paste into mixing bowl. I just used a small spoon to pull off small pieces. Add sugar and beat on medium speed until combined and you no longer have any lumps of almond paste left. Add in melted butter and beat until well combined.
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Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add vanilla and mix until combined.
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Gradually add dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
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Pour 2/3 of batter into a prepared pan spreading evenly to the edges. Top with raspberries, distributing evenly across the top of the batter.
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Spoon remaining batter in small dollops evenly spaced on top of the berries. There's no need to spread it. Sprinkle with almonds.
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Bake for 50-55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes then remove sides.
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When completely cool, dust with confectioner's sugar and serve.
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Store covered at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
*The sugar helped to break up the almond paste pieces down completely in my mixer. If you're worried about it breaking completely down, you can grate it into your mixing bowl instead of just breaking it up into small clumps.
*You can substitute blackberries, blueberries or any fresh berries. The author of the recipe also mentions that you could use frozen berries, but she reduces the amount to 1 1/2 cups. I haven't tried it yet, but whenever I used frozen fruit in baked goods, I usually add it when it is still frozen.
*When a recipe calls for adding eggs and vanilla, I always crack the eggs into a liquid measuring cup and measure the vanilla right into that same cup. The vanilla gets added along with the eggs, even when you have to pour them in, one at a time.
*My spring form pan is dark coated metal which makes whatever I bake it in browner. I had to cover my pan loosely with foil the last 15 minutes to prevent over browning.
*We ate this at room temperature, warmed up slightly in the microwave and refrigerated. We enjoyed it at all temperatures.
Recipe from Cyndi, one of my readers.
Imade this cake a few weeks ago and it came out absolutely perfect! I did stress out that the almond paste wasn’t breaking down properly, but it ended up making no difference. Next time, I will grate it though, just to save time. I added a tsp of almond extract, not sure why, just thought I should. Also, next time I will add more berries. he cake was a huge hit and so beautiful as well. Definitely will make it again.
Hey Susanne, I’m happy to hear that it turned out so well and that you enjoyed it. I’m sure the almond extract gave it an extra boost of yummy almond flavor :)
Is there a way to alter this recipe if you have to use marzipan instead if almond paste? I can’t find almond paste where I live!
Hi Tina, marzipan is different than almond paste and I really don’t know what adjustments could be made to use it with success in this recipe. However, you could try making your own almond paste. While I haven’t tried it myself, it looks like some people have had great success with this recipe https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/homemade-almond-paste/. If it works out well, you’ll be able to make it whenever you need it!
Thanks for this recipe, it was a big hit last night in my women’s group. I was having trouble breaking up the paste too, so I pulsed it with the sugar in my food processor until it was blended. That worked beautifully. I had to wrestle the last piece from the ladies to bring it home to my husband.
Your welcome,Tina! I’m happy it was such a big hit!
I made this last night, it’s wonderful! I freaked out a bit trying to break down the paste, but it worked out fine. I used almond extract instead of vanilla. I will definitely bake this again. And it’s gorgeous too.
Susanne, I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed the cake! And, I’m glad you pushed through breaking down the paste. I was a little iffy myself the first time I worked with almond paste, but I used it in this Shortcut Stollen and loved it! And it adds so much to this recipe too. I love the addition of almond extract. I’m gonna make a mental note to add some next time :)
Can i Use fresh raspberries that i frozen
Hi Laura, if you read the recipe notes, it does state that you can use frozen berries. I’ve never tried it, but the original author states that she has done so successfully. She simply reduced the amount to 1 1/2 cups.
I made this last night for New Year’s Eve but with blackberries instead of raspberries and it was a total hit! Thank you!!
You’re so welcome, Anne! I LOVE blackberries! I bet it was amazing!
Can this be frozen?
Cat, I have not frozen this particular cake, but I believe it should freeze well. Make sure you wrap it well. I like to completely wrap in plastic wrap and then wrap in one or two additional layers of foil. If I’m freezing individual slices, I wrap each slice tightly in plastic wrap or waxed paper and then put the wrapped slices into a zip top freezer bag.
Hi Ramona, just stopped by to let you know I made this delicious cake and I can’t thank you enough for posting it. It was the best dessert I have ever made. You can see it on my blog here:
http://anenglishgirlrambles2016.blogspot.com/2016/08/monday-recipe-raspberry-almond-cake.html
Glad you loved it as much as we do! We can thank my loyal reader, Cyndi for it!
I made this yesterday for my mom for Mother’s Day, substituting blackberries for the raspberries. It was delicious and it’s even better today!
I’m definitely trying this with blackberries next time. What a great choice for Mother’s Day and I really love it when cakes just seem to get better the next day! So glad you and your mom enjoyed it :)
Loving this cake! You know what my con is about having a food blog? Gaining a bunch of weight. lol! I had to join a local gym because it was getting so bad. The good news is now that I’m exercising, I can make whatever I want ;) Pinning your cake and definitely making it soon:)
I hear ya, Karrie! I try to give as much of the “treat” stuff away as I can, or if it can be frozen, freeze it for later. Way to go with keeping up with exercising! That’s a “pro” with or without a food blog!
This cake looks incredible! And so moist!
Thanks, Thalia! It is definitely a deliciously moist cake!
Can you use almond extract if you don’t have almond paste?
Sorry Abigail, you can’t substitute almond extract for the almond paste. Almond extract simply flavors a recipe. Almond paste does more than just flavor the cake, it contributes to it’s all over structure, texture and moisture. It’s an ingredient most of us don’t keep in our pantry, so you’ll have to make a special trip to the grocery store to pick it up for this cake. But, it will be worth it!
The recipe calls for butter but it is not mentioned in the directions.
Thank you.
Jennifer
Jennifer, thanks for catching that! The recipe has been corrected to show when the butter should be added.
Ramona, Thank you for trying this recipe. Your kind words brought a tear to my eye. I am just so happy you liked my recipe because I have made and enjoyed so many of yours! I love your blog and we do have very similar tastes. I was so excited when I saw your picture, it looks exactly like when I make it. Also, this cake is really great with mixed berries and last year I made it with Italian plums. A very versatile cake!
Phew! I’m glad it looks like it’s supposed to! We really did enjoy it and it is definitely going into my make again pile. I really can’t wait to try it with other fruits. I love the idea of plums…and I really want to see how peaches work. Versatile cakes are the best because you can change the fruits with the seasons. Thank you again for such a lovely recipe :)