Cherry Almond Valentine Cake

There was a time when I hated Valentine's Day.

Back when I was young, single and had a Jennifer Aniston hairdo.

I was living 2000 miles away from home.

I hadn't had a date for a long time and was feeling lonely.

The holiday all about celebrating love just made me depressed.

So, I told my parents that I was going to wear a black armband and boycott on February 14.

When the dreaded holiday arrived, I received a bouquet of roses.

The card said they were from a secret admirer!

But I immediately knew they were from my Dad.

He tried to deny it at first, but finally admitted he had sent them.

He wanted to make me feel loved.

And he did!

I no longer think that Valentine's Day is just for romance.
It is a day to celebrate all the different kinds of love that make life wonderful!
Love for children, parents, siblings and friends...

Here is a Cherry Almond Valentine cake to make for someone you love.

This yummy maraschino cherry cake is topped with almond buttercream.
The cherry and almond flavors go perfectly together!
There are cherry chunks in the cake to make it extra special.

Maraschino Cherry Cake

adapted from Sprinkle Bakes

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup maraschino cherry juice
2 teaspoons almond extract
2 Tablespoons flour for sprinkling over diced cherries
10 oz. bottle of maraschino cherries, cut in eighths
4 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of three 6 inch cake pans (or two 8 inch) with parchment paper. Grease the sides.
Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. In another bowl, combine the milk, cherry juice and almond extract. Alternate adding the dry and wet mixtures to the butter and sugar. Batter will be thick.
In a small bowl, sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of flour over the diced cherries and stir until the flour has been completely absorbed. Stir cherries into the batter.
Fold stiffly beaten egg whites into the batter. Pour into prepared cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove from pans and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Almond Buttercream

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 cups powdered sugar
1 t. almond extract
1/2 c. milk (may use less)

Mix butter, sugar and almond extract on low speed in large mixing bowl. Gradually add milk until you reach the desired consistency. Keep covered.

I decorated the top of the cake with a petal tip (Wilton #81 ). I also used Americolor gel paste in "Red Red" and " Deep Pink" to color the buttercream.