Blackberry Almond Cake - Milk Bar Style Naked Cake
This blackberry almond cake is a riff on the Milk Bar pistachio layer cake with lemon curd. The cake layers are almond-flavoured as is the frosting, and the curd is made with a mix of blackberry purée and lemon juice. Sinfully good!
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 782kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
For the blackberry curd
- 50 grams blackberry purée
- 30 grams fresh lemon juice
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 4 large egg(s)
- 1 gelatin sheet
- 115 grams unsalted butter
For the almond cake
- 190 grams almond paste
- 75 grams Wilton glucose
- 6 large egg white(s)
- 280 grams icing sugar
- 110 grams ground almonds
- 75 grams almond oil
- 55 grams whipping cream (35 % fat)
- 160 grams bleached all-purpose flour
- 6 grams baking powder
- 6 grams Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
For the almond frosting
- 115 grams unsalted butter room temperature
- 40 grams icing sugar
- 230 grams almond paste
- 1 pinch Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
For the milk crumbs
- 40 grams nonfat dry milk powder
- 40 grams bleached all-purpose flour
- 12 grams cornstarch
- 25 grams granulated sugar
- 2 grams Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
- 55 grams unsalted butter
- 20 grams nonfat dry milk powder
- 90 grams white chocolate
For the cake soak
- 60 grams blackberry purée
Instructions
To make the blackberry curd
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together the purée, lemon juice, and half the sugar.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and the rest of the sugar, and then transfer to the saucepan.
- Place the gelatin sheet in a bowl of cold water to soften.
- Heat the fruit/egg mixture on medium heat with constant whisking until the curd thickens and begins to boil. Boil for 1 minute with whisking, then take it off the heat.
- Squeeze the gelatin of excess water, then whisk the softened sheet into the saucepan, followed by the butter.
- Strain the curd into a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap clung to the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Cool in the freezer for a maximum of 30 minutes, then in the fridge for several hours.
To make the almond cake
- Heat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Prepare a rimmed quarter sheet pan by spraying it with cooking spray and then lining it with parchment.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the almond paste and glucose on medium-low for about 2 minutes until it is smooth and homogeneous, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- On low speed, beat in the egg whites, one at a time, waiting til each is incorporated before adding the next, scraping the bowl as needed. At the end you should have a fluid, uniform batter.
- Add the icing sugar and almond flour and mix the batter on low speed to combine for about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stream the oil and cream into the mixer bowl set to low. Increase the speed to medium to ensure it is well mixed.
- Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix them in on low speed for about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. The batter should be smooth
- Spread the batter onto the prepared sheet pan and bake it for about 22 minutes or until the edges are golden and a cake tester comes out clean.
- Cool completely before using.
To make the milk crumbs
- Heat the oven to 250 °F (120 °C).
- Combine the 40 grams milk powder, flour, cornstarch, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter and mix with a spoon until clumps form.
- Dump the crumbs onto a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes then cool them completely.
- Transfer the cold crumbs to a bowl and toss them with the remaining 20 grams milk powder, followed by the melted chocolate.
- Stir the mixture every so often to ensure all the crumbs are evenly coated. Let cool completely before using.
To make the almond frosting
- Beat together the butter and icing sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium.
- Add the almond paste and the salt and beat again starting at low, then increasing to medium-high, scraping down the bowl as needed. Use immediately.
To assemble the cake
- Cut out two 6-inch circles of cake, and two half circles.
- Fit the two half circles of cake at the bottom of the acetate-lined ring, filling any gaps with the leftover cake scraps.
- Brush the cake with half the blackberry purée (~30 grams), then smooth on half the blackberry curd and sprinkle one third of the milk crumbs over the curd. Dollop with one third of the almond frosting, then gently spread into an even layer.
- Gently fit a second strip of acetate between the first and the ring to give your mold height. Then, place the next layer of cake over the frosting, and repeat the previous step by brushing with purée, smoothing with curd, sprinkling with milk crumbs, then dolloping/smoothing with frosting.
- Place the final layer over top, pressing slightly. Spread with the final bit of frosting and the milk crumbs.
- Freeze 12 hours to set, then pop the frozen cake out of the ring, placing it on a cake stand. Pull off the strips of acetate and let the cake defrost for about 6 hours in the fridge before serving.
Notes
- This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
- For the fruit purée, I recommend Ravifruit brand frozen purée, which you can purchase on Amazon
- For the gelatin sheets, I used Dr. Oetker “gold” gelatin, which you can also find on Amazon
- For the almond paste, I like I used Lebecca (Lubecker) brand, which has 60% almonds. You can buy a similar product from Amazon.
- I like to buy Wilton glucose (available on Amazon) because it comes in small containers (this way you aren't stuck with a 5 kg tub of glucose!)
- I bake with Cacao Barry chocolate usually. For this recipe, I used Cacao Barry 30% Blanc Satin Amazon
Nutrition
Calories: 782kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 113mg | Sodium: 361mg | Potassium: 356mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 61g | Vitamin A: 852IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 200mg | Iron: 2mg
