This delicious almond snowflake cake is incredibly scrumptious and easy to make. The intricate snowflake cake pan makes this the perfect holiday cake recipe. A final dusting of powdered sugar makes this snowflake themed dessert a real crowd pleaser!
Let it snow, let it snow, let it SNOW! It's like a winter wonderland outside with delicate snowflakes tumbling from the sky. I love to spend a snowy afternoon in the kitchen baking. If you're not baking this winter snowflake cake, you should definitely be giving this cranberry orange bundt cake a try!
Why this recipe works
I've always been a fan of fun-shaped bundt pans because it's an easy way to make a basic recipe look really special. No need to fuss with fancy snowflake cake decorations! The recipe for this almond cake couldn't be easier, and all the ingredients are combined in a single bowl.
The design of the pan is what really puts this cake over the top. Just adding a little powdered sugar on the top adds the final touch to the presentation. This is a go-to holiday cake recipe for our family!
Key ingredients and why we use them
- Unsalted Butter: Use unsalted butter in this recipe, and make sure to take it out of the refrigerator 1-2 hours in advance to be at room temperature.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar adds a fairly neutral sweetness to this recipe.
- Eggs: Use large eggs that are at room temperature for this cake.
- Almond + Vanilla Extracts: I'm a fan of this duo of flavors for this cake. It's a sweet and slightly nutty aroma.
- Flour: Basic all-purpose flour is fine for this recipe. You can use bleached or unbleached—it won't make a difference.
- Ground Almonds: You don't need to blanch your almonds for this recipe. If you want to, by all means, go ahead, but it's certainly not a requirement.
- Milk: I used whole milk in this recipe, but you can substitute it with any milk variation available in your kitchen.
Frequently asked questions
I am actually more excited about the bundt pan I used for this cake than the recipe itself. I acquired this bundt pan at the Nordic Ware outlet when Matthew and I were back in Minnesota around Christmas. Nordic Ware is a Minneapolis-based company that makes AH-mazing kitchenware products. I love their products and have several of their baking trays and pans in my kitchen. I felt like a kid in a candy store during our trip to the outlet. This beautiful snowflake pan was one of several purchases that we made for our kitchen.
This almond snowflake cake is very intricate and has lots of edges, so you might find that it starts to brown a little bit too quickly. Your best defense against brown edges is to cover your cake with tented aluminum foil for about the last 15 minutes in the oven. Take care that the foil doesn't directly touch the cake because it might stick.
Step-by-step instructions
The entire recipe is below and can be printed to save for later. Before you get there, let's walk through it step-by-step, so you understand what you're doing beforehand.
1. Pulse your almonds in a small food processor until they are finely ground.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time; stir in almond and vanilla extracts.
3. In a small bowl, stir flour, baking powder, salt, and ground almonds.
4. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with milk, mixing just until incorporated.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Heather's helpful hints
- Cover your cake with tented aluminum foil during the last 15 minutes of baking time. This will prevent overbaked edges.
- Ensure you use a cooking spray with flour to coat your snowflake cake pan before baking. Liberally spray the pan and make sure you get in all the nooks and crannies. I like to use Baker's Joy spray.
- After you allow your cake to cool and invert for removal—use a wooden spoon to tap several times on the bottom. This is a good trick for getting stuck spots to release for a perfect cake!
Try these other holiday cakes
Did you make this recipe? First, let me say THANK YOU for giving it a try! Please leave us a rating above and leave any feedback in the comments section at the bottom of this post. I always love to hear your thoughts and ideas on what went well — and what didn’t — with a recipe! Be sure to check out some of our other recipes linked below!
Recipe
Almond Snowflake Cake
Equipment
- Snowflake Cake Pan (6 cup capacity)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1½ cups sugar
- 3 eggs large
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups flour
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup almonds ground
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ⅓ cup confectioner's sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Place a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit 20 minutes before baking your cake. Grease and flour pan and set aside.
- Grind your almonds in a food processor, if not already finely ground.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time; stir in almond and vanilla extracts.
- In a small bowl, stir flour, baking powder, salt, and ground almonds. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with milk, mixing just until incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake 40 - 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then invert the cake onto a wire rack. Cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired. Enjoy!
Notes and Tips
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in February 2016. It was updated in December 2020 with new pictures and a few updates to the recipe
Sumith Babu
Soo delicious!!
Heather @ Sweet Precision
Most definitely! Kind of wish I still had a slice right now! ;-)
sarahjmir
oooh so fancy!!!! love your blog and am following it now!
Heather @ Sweet Precision
So wonderful, thank you! :-)
anotherday2paradise
Oh Wow! This is a work of art. I can imagine it tastes just as good as it looks. :)
Heather @ Sweet Precision
It was pretty yummy... I just wish some of it was left!
anitacuisine
I love this, you pan form is great, the cake looks beautiful !
Heather @ Sweet Precision
Thank you!! :-)
CakePants
That sounds like such a lovely afternoon - baking and watching the snow fall! This cake looks so beautiful, and the dusting of powdered sugar is so perfect for a snowflake-shaped cake. Yum!
Heather @ Sweet Precision
Exactly my type of weekend, although I suppose I could have done without the snow ;-) Thank you so much!
Francesca
Oh my gosh, Heather! Perfection can really take different shapes. I love your almond cake! And it is way too beautiful to eat it. Great, great job my dear!
I agree with you ... mostly. Bad weather = inside not in the kitchen though! On the couch, under a blanket reading a good book or watching a beautiful movie. Bad mommy! ;-)
Heather @ Sweet Precision
Thank you Francesca! It was tricky trying to decide where to make that first cut! More wintery weather for us today if you can believe it! I guess it's another night tucked inside and I won't be in the kitchen today!! ;-)
Just Add Attitude
Heather your almond snowflake cake looks picture perfect. I hope the snow in Ann Arbor clears soon.
Heather @ Sweet Precision
Thank you B! If you can believe it, we had 60 degree weather over the weekend and now almost all the snow is gone!
This Cake is Desi
This just looks a bit too pretty to eat.. I'm loving it
Heather @ Sweet Precision
You know what? That is exactly what I was thinking before we cut into the cake LOL!!
Mom
What a perfect pan for a beautiful snowflake cake. I absolutely love the look of the cake and think you are very brave to use such a pan. I'm so glad Matthew encouraged you to buy it. You will have lots of fun using it. I can think of many ways to make interesting snowflake cakes year round. How about a strawberry birthday flake cake?
Heather @ Sweet Precision
There are definitely many fun options to think about! Strawberry cake... YUM!
Mom
I hope you have lots of fun over the years with this great pan. How fun to have it in your kitchen.
chef mimi
'What a neat pan! It makes such a pretty cake!
Heather @ Sweet Precision
Thank you!
Jess
It was a nightmare for me getting to work this morning Heather; had to dig my car out after getting stuck leaving my complex, then fell my behind down in a snowbank while shoveling out the front wheels. Fun. (Don't you love how's it's so pretty and nearly melted now? Pure Michigan.)
On a positive note, this cake looks SUPERB. I love those intricate cake pans, but I too suffer from the fear that the cake will stick and ruin the "look". Glad to see yours turned out perfectly :-)
Heather @ Sweet Precision
Oh my goodness, what a terrible morning Jess! Yeah, our apartment complex was a disaster in the morning. I ended up admitting defeat and just took the bus to work. And even the bus was late!! Just one of those days I suppose ;) I think I went a little overboard with spraying the pan for the cake but I was super nervous about it coming out. It's the worst when you do all the hard work only to have it get messed up in the end.
Sherri
Oh my! This is just so beautiful Heather, and I adore almond cake. What an amazing bundt cake pan, I've never seen anything like it! I can almost taste this cake, thank you so much for the recipe! I see what you mean about your weather, I admit I would love to be hunkered down all cosy in side looking out at falling snow. We got done out of it this year...although with our fickle British weather, we never know. I've known it snow in April! Keep warm and cosy Heather and safe when you go out. I agree, snow is beautiful to look at but it can make every day life, especially out on those roads, dangerous. Have a wonderful weekend my friend! :-)
Heather @ Sweet Precision
Thank you Sherri! I was intrigued when I saw the pan in the store and it was actually Matt that convinced me to buy it so he definitely deserves a little credit for his keen eye :) Yes, this winter weather is a bit of a bummer being that I thought Spring was right around the corner. I always feel like the final weeks of winter are the hardest. I was loving your post this week that showed the daffodils in bloom, so beautiful. Happy Friday to you and lovely weekend and well!!
Sherri
Matt has a very keen eye, that's great! Thank you Heather...I'm so glad the daffodils cheered you :-) See you soon!
Antonia
The cake turned out great Heather! What a cool pan..I can see why you were so excited. I get the same way about buying things for the kitchen, it is so much fun! The powdered sugar looks like snow on the snowflake...love it!
Heather @ Sweet Precision
Thank you Antonia! Yes, new gadgets are always so much fun to experiment with in the kitchen. I remember when you received your pie bird for Christmas and were so excited to try it out! I'm sure you have some more fun plans for it after the delicious chicken pot pie that you made! Happy Friday and hope you have a lovely weekend :-)
Antonia
I hope you have a great weekend too! Kitchen gadgets are the best! I am going to try and make a fruit pie soon :D
Heather @ Sweet Precision
I've just started seeing strawberries a little cheaper at the grocery store and it makes me want to bake a strawberry pie or crumble!
Antonia
I am looking forward to fresh berries for baking :D Yum...a strawberry crumble!
Lynz Real Cooking
lovely!
Heather @ Sweet Precision
Thank you Lynn!
Lynz Real Cooking
most welcome!
Next Stop: TBD
beautiful!!!
Heather @ Sweet Precision
Thanks Hannah :)