Almond Raspberry Layered Cake

Directions

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃).

Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray with flour or coat the pans with regular cooking spray, line them with parchment paper and spray the paper.

Mix together whole wheat pastry flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.

Place almonds in a food processor and process until finely ground. Add milk, oil and almond extract and pulse to combine.

Beat egg whites in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Add ¼ cup sugar in a slow, steady stream. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Whisk egg yolks and the remaining ½ cup sugar in a large bowl on medium speed until pale yellow and doubled in volume, about 5 minutes.

Gently stir the almond mixture into the egg-yolk mixture with a rubber spatula.

Add the flour mixture; gently stir until just incorporated. Add about 1 cup of the whites into the batter, whisk until combined.

Gently fold the remaining whites into the batter, using long, even strokes, until just incorporated and no white streaks remain.

Divide the batter between the prepared pans, spread it to the edges and gently rap the pans against the counter once or twice to settle the batter.

Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 18 to 20 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert the layers onto the rack, remove the pans and parchment paper, if using, and let cool completely, about 45 minutes more.

To assemble cake:

Place one layer, top-side down, on a serving plate; spread raspberry jam over it. Cover it with the second layer, top-side down.

Sift powdered sugar over the cake. Decorate with fresh raspberries.