Horchata Cake

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare the three, 8-inch cake pans by greasing and flouring the pans. A round of parchment paper may also be used to line the bottom of the pan if desired. 

 

Step 2

To prepare the horchata cakes, start by adding the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl. The 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder will be left to the side to be used in the cinnamon swirl portion of the cake. Blend the dry ingredients with a whisk to ensure the dry ingredients are incorporated and lump free. Set the bowl to the side. In a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, beat butter until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and beat on high for 2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the sides of the mixing bowl. On low speed, add egg whites slowly in four additions. After each addition, increase speed to medium high to properly blend in egg whites. After the egg whites have been incorporated, beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Add the sour cream, vanilla, and almond extract. Mix on low speed to combine.  Mixing on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternating with the milk. The mixing may be finished with a rubber spatula, so the batter is not overmixed. Scoop 1 cup of the prepared cake batter and add to a small bowl. Add the remaining cinnamon, cocoa powder, and remaining vanilla extract to the cup of cake batter and mix to combine. Divide remaining cake batter evenly between the three prepared cake pans. Using a small spoon, spoon dollops of the cinnamon cake batter on top. Swirl the cinnamon batter into the cake batter by using a knife or skewer to make the swirl. Place cakes in the middle rack of oven and bake for 36 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean in the middle of the cake. Set cakes on a wire rack to cool completely. Once cakes are cooled, remove from pan and place on a cardboard round or a clean piece of parchment paper. 

 

Step 3

To prepare the horchata soak, in a small saucepan, combine milk and horchata mix. Over medium heat, bring mixture to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes while stirring occasionally. Watch the temperature so the mixture does not boil over. Once mixture has reduced by half,  remove from heat and add vanilla and almond extract. Set saucepan aside to cool. 

 

Step 4

Prepare the Swiss meringue buttercream. In a large mixing bowl or a bowl of a stand mixer, whisk sugar into egg whites. Set the bowl over a saucepan filled a few inches with water. Over medium heat, bring water to a simmer. Whisk the egg whites and sugar constantly over the simmering water until the egg mixture is very hot, or until an instant read thermometer reaches 160°F. Remove the bowl from the heat. Using the whisk attachment for the stand mixer, over medium high speed, whisk the egg white mixture until stiff glossy peaks are formed. The mixing bowl will also have cooled down to the touch. To reach stiff peaks, this should take approximately 15 minutes. If it is a very hot and/or humid day, the mixture may take longer to reach stiff peaks. The mixing bowl can also be placed uncovered in the refrigerator to cool for 10 minutes; this will help to whip the egg whites. Once stiff peaks are formed, touch the outside of the bowl. If the bowl seems warm, wait until the bowl has cooled to room temperature. Remove the whisk attachment and replace with the paddle attachment to the stand mixer. Over medium high speed, add butter to the whipped egg whites 1 tablespoon at a time and wait until the butter has been incorporated until the next tablespoon is added. Once all the butter has been added, lower the speed to medium and add the vanilla, almond extract, salt, and the 1 tablespoon of the reduced horchata. The finished buttercream should be thick and smooth. Cover buttercream and set aside until the cake is ready to be assembled. If at any point after incorporating the butter the buttercream looks curdled, it may be a little too cold. The buttercream may be warmed up slightly over a double boiler for a few seconds. Finish beating the buttercream with the paddle. If the buttercream seems soupy or not coming together, the mixture may be too warm. The bowl may be placed in a refrigerator uncovered for a few minutes. Then continue to beat with the paddle to finish the buttercream. 

 

Step 5

Before assembling and decorating the cake, prepare the almond topping. Toast the sliced almonds on a sheet pan in a 350°F oven for approximately 10 minutes, or until golden  brown. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Once the almonds are cool, place a few tablespoons to the side in a small bowl for the top of the cake, and finely chop the remaining almonds. 

Step 6

To assemble finished cake, start by placing the first cooled cake directly on a cake stand or a cardboard round. If the cake is not completely level on top, a long-serrated knife can be used to trim the top of the cake to ensure that the top of the cake is level. The cakes should all be leveled before assembly. Using a pastry brush, brush some of the reduced horchata on the top of the first cake. There should be a few tablespoons of the reduced horchata on each layer. Scoop approximately 1 ½ cups of the buttercream on the first layer. Using an offset spatula, evenly spread-out buttercream over the first layer. Place the second layer on top of the first layer. Brush the second layer with the horchata and top with another 1 ½ cups of buttercream. Evenly spread the buttercream over the second cake layer. Place the last cake layer over the second iced cake layer. Brush on the remaining horchata and wait a few minutes to let the horchata soak in before icing the entire cake. Use the remaining buttercream to ice the top and the sides of the cake. First, scoop some of the buttercream on the top of the cake and evenly spread over the top. Second, ice the sides of the cake by taking some of the buttercream on the end of the spatula and icing the sides. Moving around the sides of the cake will also help to push some of the buttercream up. Lastly to smooth, use a large plastic bench knife or the same off-set spatula to smooth out the sides and then the top. Any remaining buttercream can be used for garnishing if desired. 

Step 7

To decorate the cake, press the chopped almonds along the bottom of the cake. The almonds should go up approximately ¼ inch up the cake. This can be done by having the cake on the stand in the one hand and using the other hand to press the almonds along the bottom. A clean pastry brush can be used to clean up any almonds that are on the cake stand. Take the unchopped toasted almonds and either sprinkle or place on the top of the cake in a leaf-like pattern. The two cinnamon sticks can be placed on top also for decoration if desired.