Raspberry Almond Spiral Cake
Thank you to Naturipe for sponsoring this post and the KitchenAid giveaway below!
Traditional cake rolls are so last century. Now that it’s 2014, we are kicking it new school. We are no longer content to just roll our cakes—we’re spiraling them instead. Yes, despite what amusement park kiosks might have told you, Dippin’ Dots are not the dessert of the future—spiral cakes are. Get on my level!
When Naturipe asked me to help them celebrate the Very Berry Month of May and share a raspberry dessert recipe, I was thrilled. Raspberries are one of my very favorite ingredients to work with. I knew I wanted to do something a little different this time. Because raspberries have such a wonderful juicy texture, and pair well with so many different flavors, they’re the perfect vehicle for experimentation—recently I’ve combined them with brie and puff pastry, rose petals, pistachio mousse, and blended them into drinks with watermelon and lime.
I love all of those recipes, but this Raspberry Almond Spiral Cake just might be my favorite raspberry creation yet. It’s an ultra-light almond chiffon cake, topped with chocolate whipped cream, chopped fresh raspberries and sliced almonds, and rolled into a tight coil. The top is left uncovered so the beautiful spiral pattern is on display, and the fillings peek out just a little bit, giving tantalizing hints as to what’s inside. When it’s cut, you can see that each cake slices is made from vertical strips of cake sandwiched together—how cool is that?
“Yes, yes,” you say, “That is indeed a sexy cake. But how does it taste?” Friends, this cake looks and tastes just like spring. It makes me want to put on a sundress, pile the table with fresh flowers, throw open the windows, and have all of our friends over for a long, lazy brunch. Sadly, Southern California didn’t get the breezy spring memo, so instead I was sweating in a decidedly unladylike fashion in my 95 degree kitchen while making and photographing this…but at least the cake transported me to a cooler place. The flavors are well balanced, and each element is so light, it’s almost refreshing, even though that is not an adjective you would typically associate with chocolate or almonds!
This cake might look tricky (see above re: cake of the future) but it’s actually pretty easy to make—I’d say it’s only a little more difficult than making a regular cake roll! The chiffon cake itself is very forgiving, and it rolls beautifully without cracking or needing any special treatment. The whipped cream on the sides and the scattered berries and nuts on top are designed to cover any flaws, so have no fear—you can do this. Here’s a handy photo tutorial to show the way…
You might be tempted to try and use frozen raspberries in this dessert instead. Resist! A huge part of the charm is the texture of the berries as they pop in your mouth, and the sweet-tart bite of the fresh berries. Substitute fresh blackberries if you must, but please don’t use defrosted frozen berries in this one. Splurge on the best fresh berries you can find, make this cake, and then thank me with your mouth full. (It’s cool. We’re not fancy here.)
More fun news–as part of the Very Berry Month of May, Naturipe has some fabulous giveaways going on! They’re giving away $750 in Williams Sonoma gift cards on their page, so head over to the Naturipe page to enter to win!
They’ve also provided a prize just for SugarHero readers—a KitchenAid 7-Cup Food Processor, valued at $100! I use my food processor almost daily, it’s a huge time saver and is one of my favorite kitchen tools. You can enter below using Rafflecopter—and good luck!
And finally, are we Twitter friends? I hope we are. I’m learning to love it and I’ve found it’s way more fun when I’m following awesome people—like all of you—so please do find me on Twitter and say hi! Next Wednesday, May 21st, I’ll be co-hosting a Twitter party with Naturipe at 4pm EST, all about #VeryBerryMay. I hope you’ll join us for the party!
⇒ Click Here for the Recipe - Raspberry Almond Spiral Cake
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