Raspberry Almond Layer Cake

This layer cake skips refined sugar entirely. The sweetness comes from apple juice concentrate beaten into the batter, which also keeps the crumb tender and moist longer than a standard butter cake. Folded egg whites give the layers their lift, and chopped almonds scattered through the batter add quiet texture under the frosting.

The showstopper is the raspberry whipped cream. Heavy cream gets whipped to soft peaks, then fruit spread goes in a spoonful at a time so the cream stays stable and streaked with berry color instead of collapsing into a puddle. A quick brush of amaretto over each layer before stacking doubles down on the almond notes.

Chef Tips

• Whip the cream cold, in a chilled bowl. Warm cream will not hold peaks once the fruit spread goes in.
• Fold egg whites in two additions. Sacrifice the first third to loosen the batter, then fold the rest gently to keep the air.
• Assemble close to serving. Whipped cream frosting softens after a few hours, even refrigerated.
• Toast the slivered almonds in a dry skillet for 3 to 4 minutes before pressing them onto the sides for deeper flavor.

Variations

• Swap raspberry for strawberry or blackberry fruit spread.
• Use hazelnuts and Frangelico in place of almonds and amaretto.