Almond Extract Is The Key Ingredient For Upgraded Vanilla Cakes

It'd be difficult to dispute that vanilla extract is a delicious ingredient. Nearly ubiquitous in home and commercial kitchens alike, it is a critical ingredient in so many beloved items, from cookies to cakes to lattes, and it is impossible to overstate how important it is to the flavor of the world's favorite sweets. But vanilla isn't the only flavor that brings out the best in your baked goods. In fact, there's another elixir that you'll find in vanilla's shadow on the supermarket shelf that can add depth and dimension to a simple vanilla cake — and that's almond extract.

While you can certainly use either vanilla or almond extract on their own and achieve a delectable confection, combining them creates a flavor supergroup that can seriously upgrade your favorite vanilla cake recipe, be it classic or sprinkle-flecked funfetti. Putting this idea to the test couldn't be simpler. Next time you're planning to make a moist and fluffy cake that calls only for vanilla extract, split the amount in two and go for a half-and-half ratio with almond extract. If you prefer to go totally nuts, you can substitute almond entirely — just be aware that it's a bit more powerful, so a good rule of thumb is to use half the amount you would for just vanilla extract.

Almond extract is a curious ingredient in that even when labeled as pure, it may not actually be made from almonds. To confuse things further, while almonds are typically categorized as a nut, they're actually a fruit that's part of the same family as peaches, nectarines, cherries, and apricots (part of the reason they pair so well with these flavors). When those other stone fruits are used for commercial purposes like jams or dried snacks, their pits are often pressed and combined with water and alcohol to create "almond" extract. These pits share the chemical compound responsible for the flavor most associated with almond extract, called benzaldehyde, making an easy substitution for actual almonds. 

If you find the flavor of almond extract far different from that of the almonds you snack on, you're not wrong. The taste of extract is more recognizable for its classic confectionary applications than the type you might throw into trail mix — with probably the most famous among them being marzipan. Almond extract is potent, but it has a nutty, slightly fruity sweetness that — when paired with delicate floral vanilla — provides a balancing effect in your cake.

Because both vanilla and almond are so versatile, you can take inspiration from many sources when pairing them together in a cake. A go-to partner for both extracts is citrus. Try a vanilla orange almond cake that bursts with brightness, or a buttermilk vanilla cake that you could layer with sweet-tart lemon curd. On the fruit front, you can also lean into almond's relationship to other sweet gems by incorporating cherry, peach, or apricot fillings or frostings.

Convert this inspired flavor combo into easy-to-serve vanilla-almond cupcakes or sheet cakes. Better yet, a classic buttery pound cake with added almond makes the ideal easy accompaniment to teatime, perhaps elevated with a pile of fresh strawberries and cream.

If you want to gild your cake with even more vanilla-almond goodness, you could add a little almond extract to the topping on your cake. A chocolate buttercream will get a flavor boost from both extracts, and an easy vanilla-almond glaze acts as a deceptively simple icing. With this one-two punch of familiar components, you'll find ways to upgrade almost any take on cake.