These photos are not my best. They might actually be some of my worst in a long time.
But I wanted to share them because, one, I love this cake, but more on that in a few, and two, these photos are part of me and my story.
This was the birthday cake I made for myself back in January. It was while I was living in the rather imperfect rental, throwing myself off the cliff of my comfort zone. It was made in the middle of the disaster that is our world right now. Made without all the tools and pans I normally have in an oven that maybe hundreds of people have used before me.
I don’t know how I made it through so much over the past year. I guess I kept the hope that good things and a brighter future were always on the horizon, even when that hope was on the cusp of being totally pushed out of the way by fear, anger, and sadness.
I still have fear, anger, and sadness, some more days than others, but often the hope is showing them who is boss.
Making this cake got me through the home stretch in the rental and the pressure of moving into my new house. The pressure of, with so much help from my parents, tirelessly cleaning a house from top to bottom and unpacking the vast majority of it in less than a week.
This is the cake that helped me literally move from one place to another. Metaphorically I think it did a lot more.
So while the photos aren’t my best effort, this cake means a lot to me. And it is hands down freaking delicious. It has layers of texture and flavor that make this a whole lot more than just a layer cake. There’s incredibly moist bourbon vanilla cake. In between the layers, caramel and crunchy salted caramelized almonds take over. Caramel and almond butter frosting finishes it off.
I feel like by that description alone you know this is a bonkers tasty cake. So go make it and maybe it will help you through whatever is going on in your world too.
Caramel Almond Bourbon Cake
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 slices 1x
Ingredients
Almonds
2 cups raw almonds
1 teaspoon vanilla bean powder
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon espresso powder
Caramel
1 cup coconut sugar
½ cup maple sugar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 vanilla bean
2 teaspoons espresso powder
2 tablespoons water
¾ cup heavy cream
¾ teaspoon flaky sea salt
Cake
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup coconut sugar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla bean powder
3 large eggs
1 ½ cups paleo flour blend (2 cups almond flour, 1 ¼ cups tapioca starch, ¾ cup coconut flour)
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
¼ cup bourbon (I actually used Redbreast Irish Whiskey)
Frosting
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup creamy almond butter
¼ cup caramel sauce
2–4 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
Make the nuts. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Right on the pan, stir together almonds, vanilla, salt, oil, syrup, and espresso until well combined. Bake, stirring every 5-10 minutes, for about 40 minutes, until the nuts are caramelized and the surrounding syrup is very thick. Cool completely on the pan. Nuts may be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Make the caramel. In a medium saucepan, stir together the sugars, syrup, espresso, and water. Cut the vanilla bean in half, scrape the seeds out, and stir those in along with the pod. Turn the heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, 5-10 minutes, until the mixture comes to a boil and cooks until thickened and darkened in color. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream. Place back over the heat and cook about 5 minutes more until once again thickened and a deep amber color. Pour into a bowl and stir in the salt. Cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate. Caramel may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Make the cake. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 inch square pan and line the bottom with parchment.
In a large bowl, use a hand or stand mixer to beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the syrup, vanilla, and eggs, one at a time. Stir in half the flour, followed by the bourbon. Then add the other half of the flour and the baking soda. Finish the batter by stirring in the milk. Pour into the prepared pan and bake 25-30 minutes until risen, golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs. Cool completely in the pan.
When ready to assemble the cake, make the frosting. In a large bowl, use a hand or stand mixer to beat the butter, almond butter, and caramel until well combined. Slowly beat in cream until the mixture is fluffy and spreadable.
Remove the cake from the pan and carefully use a serrated knife to slice it in half horizontally. Place the bottom half on the serving plate or cake stand of your choice. Top with about 1 cup caramel, spreading into an even layer. Sprinkle with ¾ cup chopped candied almonds and a drizzle of caramel on top.
Place the top half of the cake over the caramel and nuts. Dollop frosting on the top and smooth on the top and over the sides. Finish by garnishing with more of the almonds. Cake may be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Serve with an additional drizzle of caramel and sprinkle of nuts if desired.
Notes
Cake recipe adapted from Sprinkle Bakes
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Cake always makes things better! And this is a tasty looking recipe — sounds delish. Thanks!
It does, doesn’t it? I think it’s Ina Garten who said you can be sad before or after eating a cookie but not during. I think she’s right 🙂