Skip to main content
Dessert

Almond Cream Cake

A layered cake with almond-flavored cream filling.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 11 ingredients
Jump to recipe ↓

Why it works: Vanilla and almond match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,961 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓

Almond Cream Cake

Ingredients

Directions

The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.

Make the cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

  2. In a large bowl, mix powdered sugar, sweet milk, flour, butter, beaten egg whites, baking powder, and vanilla extract until smooth.

  3. Divide the batter evenly into four greased cake tins.

  4. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Make the almond cream

  1. While the cake cools, whip the sweet cream until frothy.

  2. Gradually stir in ½ cup powdered sugar, a few drops of vanilla extract, and chopped almonds.

Assemble and frost

  1. Spread the almond cream thickly between the layers of cake.

  2. Frost the top and sides of the cake with any remaining almond cream.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Vanilla + almondtop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,961 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  2. Flour + almondtop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together8,673 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  3. Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together19,187 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

  4. Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  5. Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together41,516 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Eggs
Beaten whites trap air, giving the cake lift and a light, airy crumb.
All-purpose flour
Provides the starch and structure that hold the cake together once baked.
Butter
Adds fat for tenderness and a richer flavor in the crumb.
Baking powder
Releases gas during baking, helping the cake rise.
Sweet cream
Whipped, it forms a light, moist cream that adds richness between the layers.
Almonds
Add nutty flavor and a pleasant texture to the almond cream.

The step that matters

Whip the sweet cream until frothy. Cream that is under-whipped stays thin and runny, so it will not hold between the layers. Stop at frothy and stir in the sugar gradually so the cream keeps its body.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

You might also like

Vanilla Ice CreamVanilla Ice Cream108 recipesAlmond Sponge CakeAlmond Sponge Cake26 recipesAlmond CustardAlmond Custard22 recipesAlmond WafersAlmond Wafers22 recipes