Vanilla Orange Almond Cake Recipe

Vanilla Orange Almond Cake Recipe. Vanilla orange and almond soaked cake with layers of vanilla orange almond buttercream.

Lately I’ve been doing a lot of sprinkle coated, pastel colored cakes and I love every minute of it. But when Nielsen Massey Vanillas wanted to work together again, this time to showcase their Nielsen Massey Tahitian Vanilla Bean Paste, first I let out a happy squeal but then I started brainstorming…

Nielsen Massey Vanillas is a family owned company that prides itself in the highest quality, no preservatives added vanillas and flavorings. So the dessert (cake, of course 😉 ) had to reflect the high quality of their Tahitian Vanilla Bean Paste. When you have an ingredient that is this good the design must showcase the ingredient (in my humble opinion). So away went the pastel sprinkles and colored buttercream and on comes the flavor showcased in a more rustic inspired semi-naked cake.

Vanilla beans are oh so tiny but their flavor is powerful. I took a close up pic of this cake so you could see the seeds in the buttercream and the ganache drip. These little specks are all from the Tahitian Vanilla Bean Paste (no additional vanilla seeds added) so you can see just how packed with vanilla bean seeds this paste is.

Vanilla Orange Almond Cake Breakdown:

Tahitian Vanilla Bean Paste is used in almost every part of this recipe. This means amazing flavor and those pretty little vanilla seeds speckled through out.
4 layers of vanilla, orange and almond flavored cake. With the use of Nielsen Massey’s Tahitian Vanilla Bean Paste, lots of fresh orange zest and Nielsen Massey Almond Extract this cake is packed with flavor and is all done naturally.
A flavor packed simple syrup – this syrup is packed with orange and almond flavor. When added to each cake layer its a boost of flavor and helps retain the cakes moisture.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream – You all know its my favorite and it becomes even better with orange zest, Tahitian vanilla bean paste and almond extract.
White chocolate ganache drip – White chocolate + Tahitian vanilla beans = deliciousness and beautiful speckles. So here is where I used a drop of orange gel color. To be completely honest the white chocolate ganache had a yellow cast on its own and when I added the vanilla bean paste it was it little brownish so a little help was needed here.
Very classy but understated piping and gold sprinkles. Just enough to make this cake sparkle but not too much to take away from the fresh ingredients of the cake.

Note – you’ll notice that the buttercream I piped with had a slightly orange tint to it. That’s because I didn’t pipe the same night I filled and crumb coated. I left the piping for the next morning and in that time the orange zest gave an orange tone to the buttercream all on it’s own while it chilled overnight.

What makes Tahitian vanilla different? In my opinion its a brighter vanilla, it is full flavored and adds a fruity floral hint to your baked goods. The paste itself is thick and packed with vanilla seeds. The paste can be used 1 to 1 in any recipe calling for vanilla extract, meaning if a recipe calls for 1 Tbsp of extract you can use 1 Tbsp of paste.

This cake is all things flavorful and delicious. Enjoy!

Stacey

Please note: This is a sponsored post in partnership with Nielsen Massey Vanillas. All opinions are 100% my own and I only recommend products I use and love. Thank you for supporting the brands that make The Sugar Coated Cottage possible.

PIN FOR LATER! Thanks.

Stacey - The Sugar Coated Cottage

Ingredients

CAKE: all ingredients room temp
4 cups cake flour
2 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup butter
1/2 cup oil
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 Tbsp orange zest
1 1/2 Tbsp Nielsen Massey Tahitian Vanilla Paste or vanilla of your choice
1 Tbsp + 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp almond extract
ORANGE ALMOND SIMPLE SYRUP:
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp almond extract
BUTTERCREAM you will need 2 batches of the below, I make one batch to fill and crumb coat the cake, the second batch to final coat and decorate the cake, if you have any leftover it can be stored for later use:
5 egg whites
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 lb butter room temp
2 Tbsp orange zest
1/2 Tbsp Nielsen Massey Tahitian Vanilla Paste or vanilla of your choice
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 tsp salt
GANACHE:
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 Tbsp vanilla bean paste
Touch of orange gel paste coloring optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Grease, flour and parchment 4 - 7 " cake pans
CAKE:
In medium bowl add the flour, salt, baking powder, stir, set aside.
In bowl of mixer cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Slowly stream in the oil and continue to mix until well combined about 3 minutes scraping the bowl as needed.
Add in the eggs 2 at a time, continue mixing.
Add in the extract, paste and orange zest continue mixing.
With mixer on low add the flour mixture and buttermilk milk by alternating each but ending with the flour. Mix until fully combined.
Pour into prepared cake pans.
Bake 30-34 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool completely.
SIMPLE SYRUP:
Place orange juice and sugar small sauce pan.
Bring to a boil and bring down to a simmer.
Simmer until reduced by half stirring often.
Remove from heat, stir in almond extract.
BUTTERCREAM:
In medium sauce pan add the egg whites and sugar.
On medium heat you are going to whisk egg mixture until sugar is completely dissolved (you can test it by rubbing a small amount between your fingers to test it, it should be completely smooth).
Remove from heat and let mixture cool. (If mixture is too warm it will melt your butter when the time comes).
Transfer to mixing bowl and with whisk attachment whisk on high until stiff peaks form and mixture is completely cooled.
Switch to paddle attachment.
On low speed add the butter one piece at a time.
Increase mixer to medium/high speed and mix until buttercream forms.
Add in the vanilla, almond and orange zest continue mixing until completely mixed in.
ASSEMBLY:
Cut tops of cakes if hump formed while baking.
Apply the simple syrup to the tops of each cake layer, you can do this to all of them at once or to each as you are stacking them. (I like to do it all at once so I don't forget to as I am in the assembly process).
Place first cake layer on cake board, secure it in place with a dab of frosting underneath.
Spread even layer of butter cream on top of the cake layer, smooth with offset spatula.
Repeat with the next two cake layers.
Add the top cake layer and crumb coat the cake with buttercream.
Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
Put final coating of buttercream on cake. Refrigerate 60 minutes minimum.
Make ganache by melting white chocolate and heavy cream together, stirring to make sure completely melted and combined.
Add in the vanilla paste and orange coloring. Let cool slightly so it is not hot but still warm enough to drip. (if too hot it will melt the buttercream)
Making sure cake is completely chilled, work the drips around the whole cake and fill in top with ganache and level with offset spatula. Add gold sprinkles to bottom of drips (if using).
Let set completely.
Decorate as desired. I used a french star tip and gold dragees (sprinkles), orange slices and slivered almonds.