DIY wedding cake-white almond buttercream with strawberries (2024)

4.39 from 42 votes

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 13 minutes minutes

• 2 packages white cake mix - 18.25 ounce each (see note to make your own cake mix – I like using mixes because it makes it so that there are fewer ingredients)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 egg whites
• 2 cups sour cream
• 2 2/3 cups water
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons almond extract
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 lb strawberries finely chopped

Frosting for inside of cake & crumb coat:

• 1 cup butter 2 sticks, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream at room temperature
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 6 cups confectionery sugar (powdered sugar)
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 2 tablespoons milk for crumb coat of frosting
• 2 cups strawberry fruit spread jam

Frosting for outside of the cake:

• 1 1/2 cups 3 sticks butter, at room temperature
• 8 cups confectionery sugar powdered sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 tablespoon milk

To make the cake:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line the bottom of two springform cake pans (1 pan 10.25 inches, 1 pan 6 inches) with parchment paper and then spray liberally with cooking spray and set aside.

  See Also

  The Complete Guide to Wedding Cake Frosting

  

• In a bowl (make sure it's big enough) stir together the white cake mix, flour, sugar, and salt and set aside.

• In the bowl of a stand mixer beat egg whites with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form (I beat them on medium-high for 3 minutes). Change the mixer attachment to the paddle attachment and add in the sour cream and beat on medium for 1 minute, then slowly pour in the water, vegetable oil, almond extract and vanilla extract and beat until combined.

  

• Slowly add in cup by cup of the dry mixture as the mixer is running. Mix on medium speed until well mixed and no big lumps remain.

• Divide batter, pouring it into prepared cake pans - batter should come 3/4 way up the pan. Set cake pans on baking sheets, and bake until light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes for the smaller cake, remove it from oven.

• Turn oven temperature up to 350 and continue baking the larger cake for another 25 minutes. Use a toothpick to check doneness, toothpick should come out clean. Remove from oven.

• Allow cakes to completely cool before frosting. Can be made up to three days ahead of time and stored in the fridge before frosting.

• Put cooled cakes in the freezer for 30 minutes. Then remove from freezer and remove outer cake pan part. Using a large sharp knife, cut each cake into three layers.

  

• Make the frosting for the inside of the cake while the cake is cooling.

To make the inside of cake frosting:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer add the butter and cream it on medium speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy (you're just mixing the butter adding air to it to make it fluffier, this step is called 'creaming the butter'.) Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and add in the sour cream and beat for 1 minute. Add vanilla and almond extract. With the mixer on low, slowly add in the confectioners sugar. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl a few times to make sure everything is mixed in, then add in 1 teaspoon of milk and let the mixer mix for 2 minutes on medium high. Remove half the frosting and leave the other half in the bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of milk to the frosting for the crumb coat. Beat on medium high for 2 minutes, then turn mixer off.

• Put the frosting that you removed from the bowl into a piping bag (I just make one by putting the frosting into a ziplock bag and cutting a corner off.

To assemble the cake:

• Place a layer of parchment paper onto the cake stand. Lay 1st layer of 10.25 inch cake onto the stand. Pipe a layer of frosting around the outer edge of the cake. Spread a thin layer of strawberry jam inside the layer of frosting, sprinkle a handful of strawberries around the cake. Place second layer of cake onto the strawberries. Pip a layer of frosting around the outer edge of the cake. Spread a thin layer of strawberry jam inside the layer of frosting, sprinkle a handful of strawberries around the cake. Place third layer of 10.25 inch cake onto the cake (I usually invert the top layer of baked cake – so the top is touching the strawberries – that way the top of the first tier will be flat). Now pipe a layer of frosting around where the smaller cake tier will go, then place the first layer of 6 inch cake on top of the 10.25 inch cake. Pipe a layer of frosting around the outer edge of the cake. Spread a thin layer of strawberry jam inside the layer of frosting, sprinkle a handful of strawberries around the cake. Place the second layer of 6 inch cake on top of the strawberries, then pipe a layer of frosting around outer edge of the cake. Spread a thin layer of strawberry jam inside the layer of frosting, sprinkle a handful of strawberries around the cake. Place the last layer of cake on top. Pipe any remaining frosting onto the top of the cake and smooth it out with a spatula.

  

• Now take the crumb layer of frosting and frost both tiers of the cake. Put the crumb-coated frosted cake into the fridge for 2 hours to cool down.

To make the frosting for the outside of the cake:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer add the butter and cream on medium speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and almond extract. With the mixer on low, slowly add in the confectioners sugar. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl a few times to make sure everything is mixed in, then add in milk and let the mixer mix for 2 minutes on medium high. If the frosting seems too thick, add in additional 1 teaspoon of milk at a time and beat until desired consistency is reached. Using a spatula (I like using a special cake frosting spatula) frost the entire cake until smooth. Carefully remove piece of parchment paper and then enjoy your beautiful creation.

  

• I used 2 fresh roses and just removed the leaves and then cut them very short and stuck them into the cake for decorations.

To make your own cake mix (this equals 1 pouch of cake mix) combine 2 3/4 cups cake flour, 2 cups super fine sugar, 1/2 cup non-fat dried milk or powdered buttermilk, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.[br]I would highly suggest watching a YouTube video or two on how to frost a cake, it really helped me when wondering how to frost a large cake!

The nutrition information presented on this site should be considered an estimate as the calculations will change based on the exact products you use in your own kitchen.