Almond Pound Cake with Raspberry Swirl

This recipe embraces the rich flavor and texture of almond flour, making a Bundt cake with a distinctively dense crumb. I like the dramatic and delicious raspberry swirl, but you can leave it out for a simpler cake. The photo is here.

Makes one 10-inch Bundt cake

Difficulty: Easy

Make Ahead and Storage: Although it is best within 2 days of baking, pound cake has a long shelf life if tightly wrapped—1 to 1½ weeks. Another option: Cut the cake into slices, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Thaw at room temperature before serving.

• 142 g / 1½ cups almond flour
• 181 g / 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 6 g / 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• 2 g / ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 227 g / 8 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 298 g / 1½ cups granulated sugar
• 170 g / 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 5 g / 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 g / ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• 181 g / ¾ cup whole milk, at room temperature
• 102 g / ⅓ cup raspberry jam (seedless is best)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C, with a rack in the middle. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium- low heat. Once the pan is hot, sprinkle in the almond flour in an even layer and toast, stirring occasionally, just until lightly golden and aromatic, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the almond flour to a medium bowl and let cool to room temperature.

3. Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt to the almond flour and whisk to combine.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl, using a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar on medium-low speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes.

5. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until each one is fully incorporated before adding the next. Scrape the bowl well. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix to combine.

6. Add about one third of the almond flour mixture and blend on low speed just until combined. Add about half the milk and blend just until combined. Add another third of the flour mixture and mix until combined, then add the remaining milk. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix just until incorporated.

7. Pour half the cake batter into the prepared pan and tap the pan firmly on the counter a few times to remove any air pockets. Drizzle on half the jam (see Pro Tip). Try to keep the jam away from the edges of the pan—if it’s exposed to too much heat, it can turn very dark in the oven. Repeat with the remaining cake batter and jam.

8. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

✻ Why It Works

The fine texture of almond flour (almonds ground to a powder) allows it to replace all or part of all-purpose flour, which, because it contains gluten, provides structure. Here I use half all-purpose flour and half almond flour to produce what I think is a perfect Bundt—dense, moist, and flavorful.

★ Pro Tip

It’s easiest to make the jam swirl with a disposable pastry bag. I snip a ¼-inch opening at the tip and drizzle half the jam randomly over the first layer of batter. Then I add the rest of the batter; I drop it in big dollops all over the pan to avoid disturbing the first layer of jam too much. Then I drizzle the remaining jam over the top. If you don’t have a pastry bag (or a zip-top bag), you can just drizzle the jam with a spoon, but you may end up with some bigger pockets of jam instead of a swirl.