Almond Sour Cream Bundt Cake

Question! Why are almonds so divisive in the baking community? Those of you who have shared your disdain for almonds have explained passionately that you don’t care for them and I’ll never quite understand why. As an almond lover myself, I find the flavor and smell of almond anything to be enjoyable. Admittedly, almonds can be slightly bitter or tart so sweeter almonds like Marcona’s {which are softer and possess a buttery flavor), are an ideal choice to bake with. Almonds host a bunch of health benefits as well and while this recipe is centered on fulfilling an indulgence here, the benefits are numerous and worth mentioning.

If you are anti-almond, then I want to encourage you to make this cake anyway and replace the almond extract with some vanilla or flavoring of your choosing. A large part of why baking is such a thrill to me is the never-ending possibilities; the flavor combinations and variety of bakes can keep me up at night as there are always new ways to make something, new methods to try and infinite ingredients to work with. This Almond Sour Cream Bundt Cake is a pillowy pound cake of sorts. With an amazing almond flavor and a soft, moist crumb, this cake is sweet, buttery and the perfect dessert for any occasion.

Here are the main ingredients:

Butter: I prefer to use softened, unsalted butter. The butter should be softened, not just room temperature. Softened butter will cream better with the sugar. This helps to create a fluffy and moist cake.

Sugar: At first glance, there’s a lot of it in this recipe but think big! This is a large Bundt cake so we can expect a fair number of slices out of it and the sugar will disperse accordingly. If you’re looking for a less sweet option, slightly cut the amount of sugar in this recipe or opt for a “lighter” sugar like pure cane sugar. I like Domino’s Golden Sugar. Note that sugar is sugar, however a golden or cane sugar is less processed and this gives a lighter, fluffier texture and may be less sweet overall.

Eggs: Make sure they are at room temperature as they will better incorporate into the batter and help to give this cake a better rise.

Almond Extract: My favorite almond extract is made by Nielsen Massey. Taylor & Colledge also offers an incredible almond extract paste which smells amazing and adds so much flavor.

Flour: I highly recommend White Lily’s All-purpose flour for an incredibly light and fluffy texture.

Sour Cream: Next to almond extract, sour cream is the star of the show in this cake. It brings a creaminess and tangy flavor that compliments the sweetness.

Nutmeg: Optional but definitely worth it as it adds warmth and a bit of extra nuttiness to the almond flavor.

Let’s bake this Bundt!

Almond Sour Cream Bundt Cake Recipe

INGREDIENTS

2 cups unsalted butter, softened

3 cups white granulated sugar

6 eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons almond extract

3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup sour cream

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and prepare a standard 10-inch Bundt pan. Using a stand or hand mixer, beat butter and sugar together in a large bowl until it becomes light and fluffy. Beat eggs in one at a time, making sure that each egg is fully incorporated into the batter mixture before adding another egg. Beat in almond extract. Whisk together the dry ingredients and add half of the flour mixture to the batter. Combine and add half of the sour cream to the batter. Repeat again and mix until just combined. Bake for 1 hour and up to an additional 15 minutes after that. Let cool for up to 20 minutes before removing from pan to fully cool. Sprinkle some icing sugar over it or use your favorite frosting. For this frosting, I whipped 1 stick of butter with 3 cups of powdered sugar, a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract with some heavy whipping cream.

A couple notes regarding your Bundt pan:

I typically use a Bundt pan for this recipe but this time I chose to use a tube pan. This will bake the same in either pan. Make sure to doublecheck your oven temperature and make sure to properly prepare your pan for baking.

I like to brush melted butter or oil generously throughout my pan and avoid dusting it with flour. I have found that this helps the cake to bake evenly in the pan and gives the pan an easy release.