Almond Cake with Raspberry and Red Currant Filling

Prepare white layer cakes:

Grease and line with parchment paper two 8-inches cake pan.

In a bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt.

In a separate bowl, cream butter with 3/4 cup sugar until smooth. Add almond extract and mix to combine. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture and milk - alternately and making sure that its well combined before adding the next batch. Mix until all is well incorporated.

In another bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar while continuously mixing until stiff peaks form.

Fold whipped whites into the batter mixture. Make sure not to over mix.

Divide batter unto prepared pans and bake at a pre-heated oven of 180C for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick come out clean. Set aside to cool completely.

Prepare almond biscuit:

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, ground almonds and salt. Cut the cutter unto the dry ingredients until crumbs are formed. Add the water and still until incorporated. Wrap in a plastic wrap and shape into a disc. Refrigerate fo a least 30 minutes.

Roll the dough between two pieces of plastic wrap until a 8-inches cake pan can be traced over it. Cut and remove excess dough. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before baking.

Prick the circle dough with a fork and bake in a pre-heated oven of 180C for 15-20 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

Prepare the filling:

In a sauce pan, combine all ingredients over a medium heat. Simmer for 15 minutes or until thickens. Turn off heat and pass through a strainer to remove seeds. If the sauce is too runny, return to the sauce pan on low heat and consider adding cornstarch slurry 1 tbsp at a time until you achieve the desired jammy consistency.

Set aside to cool.

Prepare the sweetened condensed buttercream:

To start, ensure that both butter and sweetened condensed milk are at room temperature.

Using a mixer cream butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract. Gradually add the condensed milk in thirds, mixing throughly after each addition. Mix until well combined.

To assemble:

Place the almost biscuit at the base, top it with buttercream then carefully lay over it the one of the white layer cake (top side down). Pipe a border of buttercream around the top of the layer cake then pour into this enclosed area the raspberry and red currant filling.

Carefully place on top the second cake layer (top side down). Spread a thin layer of buttercream on top and sides. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set.

After 30 minutes, cover with buttercream frosting to smoothen and even out the sides and edges. Refrigerate for 1 hour to finally set.

To decorate, make short upward brush strokes of the red gel food color at the bottom of the cake. Then pipe small tips of the remaining buttercream frosting at the bottom side of the cake.

Decorate the top with the fresh raspberries, red currents, cinnamon sticks and sprigs of rosemary. Dust with powdered sugar.