Light and fluffy sponge almond layers with coconut frosting between them and white chocolate frosting on top. This Raffaello Cake recipe, inspired by the loved Ferrero praline, is a dessert you surely want to try!
Together with the cake you can also make homemade Raffaello Truffles for decoration or to serve them aside!
Want to try other Ferrero inspired recipes? You may like the Kinder Cake or the Quick Nutella and Mascarpone Biscuit Cake.
Origin of the recipe
The authentic Raffaello dessert is the famous praline created by the Italian manufacturer Ferrero and introduced on the market in 1990. It has become a favourite of many people all around the world due to its light and delicious taste, crispy texture and wonderful almond coconut flavour.
This praline is a favourite also of my mom. That's why this year I decided to bake a birthday cake for her inspired by her preferred candy.
Cake preparation
This cake is very light due to its sponge almond layers. I used the technique of the Linzer Cookies and mixed almonds with flour in the food processor. This would guarantee you a smooth texture and is much easier than mixing the all purpose flour with almond meal.
The layer recipe calls in addition for coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, eggs and milk. Oil or butter are not needed in this recipe!
Frosting
This airy and fluffy cake is best with a creamy frosting. I used one can of coconut cream to make the coconut frosting between the layers. In addition I also used cold whipping cream mixed with melted white chocolate for the frosting on top.
The overall combination of tastes and flavours is really great. If you want to add some crunchiness to this cake, decorate it with shredded coconut, almond flakes, chopped almonds or even crushed wafers.
Recipe tips
- I used coconut sugar for the layers because it is healthier and I find that it enhances nicely the almond flavour. Beware that coconut sugar does not have a coconut flavour. It is also drier than the cane sugar so if you substitute it with brown sugar, be careful when adding the milk: you might need less than the original quantity.
- When you make sponge cakes, whip the egg whites first. That way you won't need to wash the beaters of the mixer before moving to the egg yolks. For the egg whites it is essential the beaters and the bowl to be free from any grease.
- The coconut cream has a mild coconut flavour but it is not strong enough to create a substantial taste. You may want to add some coconut extract to both frostings in order to make the flavour stronger.
Other cake recipes that you may like:
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📝 Recipe
Raffaello Cake (Almond Coconut Cake)
Ingredients
For the cake layers:
- ¾ cup/ 2,8 oz/ 80 g roasted almonds
- 1 ⅓ cup/ 160 g all purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cup/ 210 g cup coconut sugar
- 5 eggs, separated
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- ⅓ cup/ 80 ml milk
- 1,5 teaspoons baking powder
- ⅓ teaspoon baking soda
For the coconut cream frosting:
- 1 can/ 14 oz / 400 ml coconut cream, cold (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract, optional
For the white chocolate cream frosting:
- ⅞ cup/ 200 ml whipping cream, cold
- 3,5 oz/ 100 g white chocolate, melted
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract, optional
For decoration:
- shredded coconut
- almond flakes
- whole or chopped almonds
Instructions
Cake Layers:
- Preheat oven to 360 degrees F/ 180 degrees C. Line two 7 inch / 18 cm cake pans with circles of parchment paper and grease them well inside.
- In a food processor combine flour and almonds. Process until the almonds become a fine powder. Transfer to a bowl and add the baking powder and baking soda. Stir to blend.
- In a large mixing bowl whip the egg whites until thick and foamy.
- In another bowl beat the egg yolks together with the coconut sugar until thick and creamy. Gradually add the milk and the dry mixture, folding gently with a rubber spatula.
- At the end add the egg whites. Stir carefully with the spatula, until combined.
- Pour into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Let the layers cool until room temperature before assembling the cake. Ideally refrigerate them for 3-4 hours before cutting them in halves.
Coconut cream frosting:
- In a large mixing bowl beat all ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Make sure to remove any coconut water and use only the solid part of the cream.
White chocolate cream frosting:
- In another large bowl beat the cream and the coconut extract until thick and creamy. Little by little add the melted chocolate. Continue beating with the mixer first at lower speed, until all chocolate is absorbed, and then for 15 seconds at high speed, to make the texture creamier.
To assemble:
- Use a long serrated knife to cut horizontally the two layers into halves. Place one of the layers on a serving plate. Spread ⅓ of the coconut frosting on top.
- Place another layer and then spread more frosting. After placing the fourth layer, frost the cake all around with the white chocolate frosting.
- Let the cake cool for at least 4-6 hours or overnight. Decorate before serving.
Notes
- Instead of coconut sugar you can use 1 cup brown sugar. In this case you might not need the whole quantity of the milk.
- Make sure both the heavy cream and the coconut cream are cold before using them.
- About the coconut cream: from my experience and from the readers feedback not every coconut cream can contains sufficient quantity of cream for one cake. In addition some cans just won't whip well. It is unclear why this happens, however it would be safer to always have one additional can on hand.
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