Triple Berry Cake
Updated: Oct 30, 2020
This fluffy and moist cake is the ideal dessert for a summer birthday or just because you are craving something sweet!
When Taylor and I were talking about creating this Triple Berry Cake we were both apprehensive about the notion of using almond extract in our baking. I personally hate almond extract because its smell is so aggressive, and I find in baking it can overpower any other ingredients added. So, when Taylor first gave me a piece of this cake, I didn’t know exactly how I was going to word my criticism after trying a bite; I was already assuming all I would taste was the almond extract!
Of course, when you have a blog together, we both need to be honest with the other one when it comes to recipe ideas or taste testing. So, before even tasting the cake, I told Taylor I was nervous and that I was completely ready to tell her it was not to my taste! However, when I took my teeny, tiny bite I was shocked! The amount of almond extract in it was perfect! Immediately, I found myself reaching for a large forkful to get a huge bite with the creamy almond icing, the juicy berries, and fluffy sponge.
The almond extract gives the cake such a slight almond flavor with a bit of a nutty taste without it being overpowering or tasting “fake”. The sliced almonds on top accent the nutty flavor while also creating a wonderful slight crunch to each bite.
One of my favorite aspects of summer is buying fresh berries, so this Triple Berry Cake is the perfect excuse for me to run to my local market and pick up my favorite berries. I recommend a heaping two cups of berries because if you are like me you will have to sample the berries that are drying while you are mixing the rest of the ingredients! Yum!
The Triple Berry Cake is sweet while also being light and airy. The cake is a perfect sponge that has an incredible bouncy and fluffy texture that we are both obsessed with. I also love how versatile it can be depending on the berries that are in season to where you live and how quick and easy it is to make!
~ Tessa
Process:
I start by preheating my oven to 350°F and prepare my pan. If I am using a bundt cake pan, I simply spray it with cooking spray, but if I use a loaf pan, I line the pan with parchment paper before spraying this pan with cooking spray.
I created this recipe so that it will produce a small bundt cake and a full-size loaf cake, knowing that many people don’t own bundt pans. I line the loaf pan with parchment paper as it will be a taller cake and the parchment paper makes it easier to remove the cake from the pan. Also, as the loaf pan version has a long bake time, the parchment paper prevents over-baking on the edges of the cake.
I then measure my berries, rinse them, being sure to remove any stems that remain, and lay them to dry on a towel.
If you use frozen berries, still try to dry them before baking. If you do not have time to thaw the berries, they may affect the bake time of the cake. Frozen berries also tend to bleed more into the cake and may tint your white cake to a blueish hue.
I then measure my vegan milk into a medium measuring cup. I add the vinegar to the milk and stir to create a sour milk. I set this aside for now.
In a medium bowl, I combine all my dry ingredients and stir them together. Then, in a large bowl, I combine all my wet ingredients. I whisk these together.
At this point, I prepare my berries by drying any of them that still appear damp and transferring them to a medium bowl. There, I can add the flour to the berries and either gently stir or toss the berries in the flour.
Coating the berries in flour prevents them from sinking to the bottom of your cake!
I add the dry ingredients mixture to the wet ingredients and whisk together to combine. Don’t worry if your batter has lumps! Once the batter in combined, I remove my whisk and, with a spatula, gently fold the berries into the cake batter.
I pour it into my cake pan and place the cake in the oven.
If you use a bundt pan, the cake will bake for only 35 minutes (or until a tester toothpick can be removed cleanly)! If you use a loaf pan, the cake bakes for 65-75 minutes.
Once baked, I remove the cake from the oven and, while still in its pan, place the cake on a cooking rack. I allow the cake to cool until it has firmed slightly and is only a little warm and then I remove the cake from its pan. If using a loaf pan, I simply take the corners of the parchment paper and lift the cake out and onto the wire rack to cool further. If using a bundt pan, I place the wire rack on top of my cake and, while holding both together, I turn the cake over onto the wire rack.
I allow the cake to then cool completely. Once cooled, I prepare the icing by mixing all the ingredients together in a small bowl. I prefer to using a small whisk for this, but a fork also works. I whisk my icing together until every icing sugar clump is dissolved. Then, with a spoon, I pour the glaze over the cake and immediately top it with sliced almonds.
If you have a nut allergy or do not like the taste of almond, simply remove the almond extract and sliced almonds from this recipe for a nut-free version!
The glaze will take 5-10 minutes to set and then your cake is ready to be served. Yum!
~ Taylor
Triple Berry Cake
Vegan
Yield: 1 cake
Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 35 minutes if using bundt pan (65-75 minutes if using loaf pan)
Author: Kitchen Potatoes
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
· 2 cups all-purpose flour
· 2 tsp baking powder
· ½ tsp baking soda
· ¼ tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
· 1 cup vegan milk (I use unsweetened soy milk) + 1 tbsp vinegar
· 1 cup granulated sugar
· 1 tsp vanilla
· ¾ cup vegetable oil (or any other neutral tasting oil)
· 3 dashes of almond extract
Berries
· 1 tbsp flour
· 2 cups of berries (equal amounts of raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries)
Icing
· ½ tsp vanilla
· 3 dashes almond extract
· 2 tbsp milk
· 1 ½ cups powered sugar
· 2 tbsp sliced almonds for topping
Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray a bundt pan with cooking spray (if you are using a loaf pan, line the loaf pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray).
Rinse the berries and place them to dry between two towels.
Measure the vegan milk, add the vinegar, and stir to make sour milk.
In a medium bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and stir these ingredients together.
In a large bowl, combine all the wet ingredients and whisk together.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined. Batter will be lumpy.
If the berries are still damp, gently pat them down to dry. Place your berries in a new medium bowl and add the tablespoon of flour. Gently stir so that each berry is coated in flour, while avoiding crushing the berries.
Add the berries to the cake batter and gently fold them in.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake the cake for approximately 35 minutes or until a tester pick is removed clean from the center (if using a loaf pan, the loaf will bake for approximately 65-75 minutes or until a pick is removed clean from the center).
Once baked, remove cake from oven and set on a cooling rack. After cooling for approximately 1 hour (or until cake is only slightly warm and firm to the touch) remove cake from pan by placing the cooling rack on top of the pan and carefully flipping the cake over directly onto the rack. Allow cake to cool further.
Once the cake is no longer warm, prepare the glaze by placing all the glaze ingredients except for the sliced almonds into a small bowl and whisking these ingredients together thoroughly. Pour glaze over cake with a spoon to control the look of your glaze. Sprinkle sliced almonds on top of the glaze immediately as they may not stick if the glaze has started to dry.
Allow the glaze to set, then cut, serve, and enjoy!
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