Almond Cake with Cherry Buttercream Filling and Buttercream Frosting

I mean, wow, right?

I'm not going to lie, this isn't anywhere near ok for your body. The original recipe (Always With Butter) called for FIVE AND A HALF STICKS OF BUTTER. It also takes awhile to make and you'll have to wash your baking dishes a few times throughout. But I'm telling you, it's totally worth it. Everyone goes absolutely crazy for this cake, and it can serve a lot of people because first of all, it's huge- very tall. And obviously it's very rich, so even when I carefully slice very small pieces, people have a hard time finishing them.

Almond, Cherry, and Buttercream Cake

 Cake adapted from cuteanddelicious.com
2 c almond milk
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 1/4 c flour
2/3 c almond meal
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 c sugar
2/3 c vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 TB almond extract

filling adapted from alwayswithbutter.blogspot.com

1 c Earth Balance vegan butter, softened

1 c cherry preserves

2 c powdered sugar

frosting adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World

1 c Earth Balance, softened

3 1/2 c powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 TB almond milk

small bag of sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour two 8" round cake pans.

Whisk vinegar into almond milk, set aside.

In medium bowl, whisk together flour, almond meal, baking powder, and salt. 

In separate bowl, combine sugar, oil, vanilla, almond extract, and almond milk mixture. 

Pour wet ingredients into dry. Stir just until combined.

Pour batter into pans evenly. Bake 30 minutes until golden brown on edges.

Meanwhile, make cherry buttercream filling:

Beat cherry preserves and Earth Balance until combined. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Set aside.

Wait to make buttercream frosting until after cakes are finished baking and cooled:

Beat Earth Balance and powdered sugar until smooth. Add vanilla and almond milk, beat another three minutes until fluffy.

To assemble cake, carefully slice both cakes into two even layers, making four altogether. Divide the cherry filling into thirds and spread each between a layer, stacking the layers as you go. Frost with buttercream frosting. Decorate with sliced almonds.