Description
A tender, pale almond-flavored cake layered with an airy, flour-stabilized buttercream. It stays moist, slices cleanly, and the frosting whips up super light — perfect for celebrations.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 (15.25 oz) package white cake mix
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 ⅓ cups water, room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or refined coconut oil)
- 1½ teaspoons pure almond extract
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 egg whites, at room temperature
For the whipped buttercream
- 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
1. Prep the pans and oven
Heat your oven to 325°F (163°C). Grease and lightly flour three 8- or 9-inch round cake pans (or use two pans for thicker layers). Line with parchment if you prefer.
2. Mix the dry base
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl if using a hand mixer), combine the white cake mix, the extra cup of flour, the sugar, and the salt. Stir briefly to blend.
3. Add the wet ingredients
Pour in the water, sour cream, oil, almond and vanilla extracts, then add the egg whites. Beat on low until the ingredients come together; a few small lumps are fine. Scrape the bowl as needed to ensure everything is incorporated.
4. Bake
Distribute the batter evenly among the prepared pans. Bake 25–30 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove pans to a rack and let them cool 10 minutes in the pans, then turn cakes out to cool completely.
5. Make the flour-cooked milk (base for frosting)
Whisk the milk and flour in a small saucepan until smooth. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens to the consistency of heavy batter. This usually only takes a couple of minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla, almond extract, and a pinch of salt, then chill this paste thoroughly (refrigerate to speed cooling).
6. Whip the butter and sugar
In a clean mixer bowl fitted with the whisk or paddle, beat the softened butter with the 1¼ cups sugar and ¼ tsp salt on medium-high until pale, very light, and fluffy (about 3 minutes). The sugar should mostly be dissolved into the butter.
7. Finish the frosting
Add the chilled milk-flour paste to the whipped butter and sugar. Beat on high for about 1 minute, scraping down the bowl midway. The final frosting should feel cloud-light and spreadable.
8. Assemble and frost
Level the cooled cake layers if needed. Place one layer on a serving plate, spread a generous portion of frosting, stack the next layer, and repeat. Smooth the sides and top with the remaining buttercream.
Notes
- Quick tips & notes
- Room-temperature ingredients produce the smoothest batter and creamiest frosting.
- Don’t frost warm cake — let layers cool completely or chill briefly before assembling.
- If the sugar in the buttercream feels slightly gritty at first, it will smooth out as you continue whipping.
- This cake stores up to 3 days at room temperature in an airtight container, or up to 5 days refrigerated. Bring to room temp before serving for best texture.
- Unfrosted layers freeze well for up to 3 months; wrap tightly.
- Cupcake adaptation
- Spoon batter into lined muffin tins and bake about 15 minutes; test with a toothpick. Cool, then pipe the buttercream on top. This recipe yields roughly 24 standard cupcakes. If you want extra frosting, double the buttercream ingredients.