A simple yet elegant cake is the best way to celebrate a birthday. Make your friends and family feel like they’re in a boutique hotel, with a classic but stylish cake that they’ll want to share with others (and re-share). In this article, we’ll show you how to make this fabulous Steel Magnolias Armadillo Cake!
Steps to Make Steel Magnolias Armadillo Cake – Grooms Cake
Armadillo cake is the best dessert on earth. It’s like a chocolate fudge sundae, with nuts and powdered sugar on top. But what if there was an armadillo cake? That would be even better! So I made one: it’s delicious and pretty easy to make too—and it uses only four ingredients!
1/2 Pound Blanched Almonds
- Blanch almonds in hot water for about 1 minute or until the skins start to peel off.
- Rinse them under cold water, then dry on a towel and peel off the skins (the almond will be very soft).
- Slice almonds into halves or quarters as you prefer.
3 Cups Flour
Flour is a binder, leavening agent and thickener all in one. It’s also a filler, which means that when you add it to your recipe it makes the batter thicker and more spreadable.
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
Salt is a key ingredient in this recipe. It helps to add flavor and balance out the sweetness of the cake, so do not use more than this amount or less than this amount.
2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
Cocoa powder is a key ingredient in this cake. It’s used to add flavor and color, and it won’t affect the texture of your batter. Cocoa should go in at the beginning of mixing after all other ingredients have been added. You can find unsweetened chocolate chips at most grocery stores these days—they’re delicious on just about anything!
2 Tablespoons Red Food Coloring
You can use food coloring instead of the red velvet cake recipe. This will make your cake look like a really pretty flower, but it’s not necessary and may result in a less-than-perfect-looking cake. If you want to stick with the traditional red velvet recipe, then please follow it exactly as written below (with one exception).
If you’re using this substitute instead of the original red velvet recipe:
- 1 large egg white plus 2 extra large eggs beaten together in blender or mixer until fluffy
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 Cups Unsalted Butter, At Room Temperature
- Unsalted butter is better for baking. It’s also easier to work with and less likely to cause a mishap or two (like burning). To bring it up to room temperature: place the butter in a glass or stainless steel bowl and place in a warm spot (about 70 degrees). Leave this for about 2 hours, until the butter has softened slightly. This may take longer if you have cold weather or refrigerated your butter before bringing it out of its wrapper—but don’t worry! You can always use an electric mixer instead if that’s what you need help with!
4 1/4 Cups Sugar
- 4 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil, such as canola or olive oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (optional)
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
5 Large Eggs
In a large bowl, beat the white until stiff. Add the yolks and sugar to the egg whites in two additions, folding gently after each addition. Gently fold in flour and cocoa powder.
Turn into an oiled cake pan or shape into a round on your floured surface (for this recipe we used 20cm diameter tin). Bake at 180C for 50 minutes or until cooked through when inserted with a skewer (do not overcook!).
3 Teaspoons Almond Extract
Almond extract is used to create the flavor of almonds, and it’s a great way to get that almond taste into your cake. However, it’s important to use a good quality almond extract because many brands do not have enough flavor for this recipe. I recommend trying different brands until you find one that you like!
3 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Vanilla extract is made from vanilla beans, which are the fruit of a tropical orchid. They’re expensive and hard to find in stores, so you’ll need to make your own if you want it fresh. To do this:
- Split open one of the pods and scrape out all of its seeds with a paring knife (don’t worry—there won’t be much left).
- Place them in a bowl with just enough hot water to cover them; let sit for at least 24 hours before straining out any excess liquid through cheesecloth (you can also use paper towels).
- Pour through cheesecloth into another bowl; repeat step 2 until there’s nothing but black specks left behind!
M’Lynn’s Famous Armadillo Cake!
M’Lynn’s famous armadillo cake!
This is a chocolate cake with a cream cheese filling and topped with ganache. You can decorate it however you like—look for an armadillo cookie cutter, then drizzle some melted chocolate on top.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoy this recipe. It is not only delicious, but it also looks beautiful when served in a simple square cake pan. We have included instructions for making this into a sheet cake too!