Cupcakes and Cashmere

Classic Birthday Cake

January 22nd, 2013

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Over the holidays when I was staying at my parents’ house, my friend and I had plans to spend a day at the spa for her birthday. Unfortunately we had to cancel our appointments since there was such a bad storm that we were terrified to get on the road. We ended up having a long, leisurely day of doing nothing – lounging by the fire, playing board games, and hanging out. And to our delight, my mom surprised her by baking the most epic birthday cake either of us had ever tasted. It’s a classic white cake with buttercream frosting, but with a layer of toasted almonds and raspberry jam that gives it amazing depth. I made one last week – there were no birthdays or anything in particular to celebrate, but it turned out to be just what we needed to make an average day feel special.

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  • http://herestohappinesses.blogspot.com/ Amie

    I love the toasted almonds idea! Fabulous, it looks soo yummy!

  • http://baublestobubbles.com Olivia

    This looks incredible. I love a good birthday cake!

  • http://kovacconnection.blogspot.com Tanya

    I am so happy to see this classic cake! My 40th birthday was just a few days ago, I will be making this to celebrate with loved ones THIS weekend!

  • http://champagnelifestyles.blogspot.com Hannah

    Yummm. I’m not a big cake person but that’s mostly because it’s too sweet. I think the raspberry would be that perfect kick!

    Champagne Lifestyle on a Beer Budget

  • http://moicontrelavie.com/ Caity @ Moi Contre La Vie

    Can’t wait to give this a try – Totally classic!

  • http://www.shopgirlmaria.blogspot.com Maria

    This cake sounds DELICIOUS! And looks so beautiful with all the raspberries!

  • http://www.unacolombianaencalifornia.com/ Cristina-Una colombiana en California

    Good job! This cake looks sooooo yummy!

    http://www.unacolombianaencalifornia.com/

  • http://www.theurbanpromeneur.blogspot.com THE URBAN PROMENEUR

    Looking insanely delicious.

    http://THEURBANPROMENEUR.blogspot.com

  • http://www.foodiesandbooties.com Liz @ Foodies And Booties

    YUM!! Can never go wrong with a classic :)

  • http://fashionedible.blogspot.com FashionEdible

    Beautiful cake and photographs. Looks delicious!

    -FashionEdible

  • http://razzdazzle.blogspot.mx/ Mia@Razzle Dazzle Rose

    Such a classic, love this!

    http://razzdazzle.blogspot.mx/

  • http://www.makeupartistas.com Kassiani

    You make everything look so beautiful and so easy! I tried making my first cake a few days ago and it turned to a disaster!!!! :-)

  • http://www.rachelslookbook.com Rachel

    Cute! I would love to have this birthday cake for my birthday this weekend!

  • http://siniislandblog.blogspot.de SiNi

    Wow! This looks so tasty!! Want a slice of

  • http://mailestudio.com Mai

    beautiful! i love the simplicity.

  • http://love-and-whimsy.blogspot.com Milynn

    Yum! Looks delicious and beautifully decorated!

  • http://www.anightinnyc.blogspot.com olga
  • http://www.vintagedanielle.blogspot.com Vintage Danielle

    Yummy! I love the touch of fresh raspberries.

  • http://mochaandmoccasins.blogspot.ca Monica

    I love simple cakes like this one. Red and white look so pretty for any occasions – perfect for Valentine’s Day actually! I think the toasted almonds are a great touch! I wish you had a picture of what the cake looked like on the inside!

    M.

  • http://5daystolive.com Lianne

    Love simple cakes with that unexpected touch of special! I’m not even a sweets fan but this looks wonderful.

  • http://www.carascliche.com Cara

    I am now sending this to my husband as a “hint” for my birthday on Friday :) .

    http://www.carascliche.com

  • http://www.thepantrydrawer.com Christine @ The Pantry Drawer

    love the idea of almonds and raspberry jam – definitely going to have to try this out

    http://www.ThePantryDrawer.com

  • Kristen

    The cake looks really good, but you should probably cite your source for the recipe. It is found on food.com
    http://www.food.com/recipe/best-classic-white-layer-cake-with-raspberry-almond-filling-434903

    • Stephanie Brunnemann

      I agree. It’s amazing how little credit goes back to the creator of every recipe on this site (99% of the time, not Emily). Even if she does credit with a link without stating the creator in text, all the readers get the false idea that these are her recipes.

  • http://ladyindo.blogspot.com LadyIndo

    Such a lovely cake. Simple and elegant!

    ladyindo.blogspot.com

  • http://warmvanillasugar.com/ Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar

    Love this cake! So pretty :)

  • http://mahoganybacon.wordpress.com Ada

    That looks and sounds absolutely delicious – raspberry jam is a great idea for filling!

  • http://seaandswank.com/ Susie

    Sometimes the best celebrations are those spent at home lazing around. What a nice surprise from your mom – that cake is gorgeous!

    Sea and Swank

  • http://www.nursefrugal.com Nurse Frugal

    Wow, that looks beautiful!!! That Almond and raspberry combination sounds delicious!!!! Love the pictures ;) I need to try that!
    http://www.nursefrugal.com

  • http://www.loulou.to Loulou

    Oh, what a delightful treat that appears to be!

  • http://chefjamielevine.com jamie @ green beans & grapefruit

    Cooks Illustrated always has great recipes! This looks so yummy- what a sweet mom!

  • http://lalalovelearnandlaugh.blogspot.com Bev

    Holy cow that looks stunning!!!! Such simplicity in a cake is where it’s at!

    Bad news is your cancelled plans but great news is this goodness!

  • http://www.withmybitchguns.blogspot.com wmbg

    beautiful. wish i could see what a full slice looks like! yum.

  • http://www.prettylittlefawn.blogspot.com courtney

    I cannot even begin to tell you how perfect this cake looks. And probably tastes. I love almonds, I love raspberries, and I have a very similar cake stand. Must get baking!!

    xoxo
    http://www.prettylittlefawn.blogspot.com

    PS: Head over to my blog if you like floral crowns, vintage dresses, cats, thrifting, and adventures. Giveaway happening now!

  • http://www.champagnestar.com Josephine

    That looks amazing! And birthday cake for no reason is always a good idea :)

    <3 Josephine
    http://www.champagnestar.com

  • http://shawneedreaming.blogspot.com Shawnee

    Oh, that looks delicious! I just might have to bake that this week ..for fun of course:) I’ll win ‘Best Roomie’ award haha

    xoxo

  • http://www.daintylittlethings.com Andrea {daintylittlethings.com}

    That cake looks amazing! Perfect to match the warming weather in LA!

  • Roberta Whittiker

    This cake looks perfect for Valentine’s Day, especially if the raspberries form a heart. Love the pictures.

  • http://becomingraje.blogspot.co.uk/ r.a.j.e.

    That is one beautiful looking cake. Maybe if I start hunting now Ill get one for my birthday!

    R x
    http://becomingraje.blogspot.co.uk/?m=0

  • http://www.leslimarie.com LesliMarie

    This looks so yummy. I love that its so classic and simple, makes it look that much more beautiful.

    xo
    http://www.leslimarie.com

  • http://laminlouboutins.blogspot.com Stephanie

    It looks so simple and so yummy!

    -Stephanie
    @LaminLouboutins.blogspot.com

  • http://losangelesbrunette.blogspot.com/ Kareena

    This cake looks so good!!

    xoxo
    Kareena

    http://losangelesbrunette.blogspot.com/

  • http://yeahwebake.com Ashley @ Yeah We Bake

    Oh, we featured a similar cake last week. I hope you don’t mind if I link it here. Your cake is absolutely gorgeous, m’dear!

    http://www.yeahwebake.com/2013/01/sandys-birthday-cake.html

    xo,
    Ashley

  • http://www.travelpumps.com Alexandra

    Perfectly presented as always. Cheers!

  • Taylor

    That’s funny you posted this because today is my birthday, I wish someone made this for me today sounds delicious!

  • http://petiteandhungry.blogspot.com Petite and Hungry

    I really want cake now….

    http://www.petiteandhungry.blogspot.com

  • http://myfashionfoodstyle.blogspot.co.il/ Maya

    Wow that is so yummy! I really want a piece:)
    http://myfashionfoodstyle.blogspot.co.il/

  • http://www.soyouagree.com Donna
  • http://potatoesandpilates.blogspot.com Potatoes and Pilates

    So classic and pretty. I bet it is pretty yummy too!

    Hope you feel better, Emily!

  • http://rachmariepr.blogspot.com rachel

    That looks way too delish!! I am not that big of a cake person but I want some of this now!! ;)

    rachmariepr.blogspot.com

  • http://www.inspirationlush.com Jamie

    This cake is adorable! And the cake stand is so cute :)

    xo,

    Jamie

    http://www.inspirationlush.com