Raspberry Almond Cake with Buttercream Frosting (Vegan/GF)

A little over two decades ago today, my first baby was born. Since then, she has grown, and so have I.

A new mother with zero experience obsessing over baby’s first smile, first hurt, first tooth, first step, first book, first fall, I cried when she cried, laughed when she laughed. 

If anyone were to tell me then that two decades were all I get in that new life which I had waited for my whole childhood, to love and cuddle, joke and snuggle, I would say no way, this is forever. 

But it all goes by in a blink of an eye.

And now, her home is thousands of miles away and my role in her life takes a back seat. As true as the saying goes, “once a mother, always a mother,” I find myself (more than ever) in a state of talking less, listening more, nodding along, and biting my tongue. 

Because now I must sit back and simply observe, for her road is hers to travel, to experiment and learn along the way. 

So...I just shut up and eat cake.

Happy Birthday, Beautiful Baby Girl!

Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups GF flour

• 3/4 cup almond flour

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature

• 1/2 cup coconut sugar

• 1/2 cup date sugar

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1 cup applesauce

• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla

• 3/4 cup almond or oat milk room temperature

Buttercream:

• 12 oz vegan butter, I prefer Miyokos

• 2 cup powdered sugar, sifted

• 1/2 tsp vanilla

• 4 Tbsp freeze-dried raspberry, processed into powder. I get mine from Trader Joe’s

• For garnish: toasted slivered almonds, white nonpareils, more raspberry powder

Cake:

• Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour three 6" cake rounds and line with parchment

• In a bowl, whisk flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside

• With a mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add applesauce and vanilla

• Alternate adding flour and milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk). Fully incorporating after each addition

• Bake for about. 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean

Buttercream:

• Cream butter for 3 minutes. Add sifted powdered sugar, 1/4 cup at a time. Then add vanilla.

• Separate frosting into to bowls. In one, add crushed raspberry powder and mix well.

Assemble:

• Place one layer on a stand. Add a layer of white frosting. Repeat with remaining layers.

• Frost the entire cake with pink frosting. Garnish with toasted almond slivers. Pipe remaining frosting as desired.

Inspired by Liv For Cakes