WHITE ALMOND CAKE W/ RASPBERRY FILLING

White Almond Cake w/ Raspberry Filling image

Provided by Whitney Froehlich

Time 1h5m

Number Of Ingredients 16

WHITE ALMOND CAKE
1 box white or vanilla cake mix (i used a white mix)
1 c sugar
1 c plus 2 tbsp. cake flour (do not use all-purpose)
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/3 c water
3 eggs
1/2 c melted butter
1 c sour cream
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract (this is opt. i used a tsp. of each.)
RASPBERRY FILLING
12 oz frozen unsweetened rasperries, thawed
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp (heaping tbsp.) cornstarch
2 Tbsp raspberry liqueur (this is opt. but packs huge flavor to the filling. i used razzmatazz)

Steps:

1. For the cake: In a large bowl, using a hand held mixer or a kitchen aide, combine the water, eggs, melted butter, sour cream and the extract(s)(if you're using). Mix well.
2. Add the salt, sugar, cake flour and cake mix. Mix well on medium speed working out most of the lumps for about 2 mins. (It's not necessary to work out all the lumps)
3. Pour into prepared pans and bake at 325 degrees for approximately 35mins.
4. For the Raspberry filling: Thaw raspberries and strain the juice from the berries. Add enough water to the juice to get 3/4 cup of juice.
5. In a small saucepan, combine raspberry juice/water, sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture bubbles and thickens. Remove from heat, set aside and allow to cool.
6. Using a fine wire strainer, use a spoon to press the raspberries so that the seedless pulp falls into a bowl below. Strain enough pulp to get between 1/3-1/2 cup of pulp. ***You can skip this step and use the whole berries. But some people may not enjoy picking seeds out of their teeth.
7. After the mixture in the saucepan has cooled to about room temp., add the raspberry pulp and the 2 tbsp. of raspberry liqueur (if you're using). Mix well and refrigerate 2-3 hours. *Keeps in the fridge for at least a week.