Almond Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 325F (165C). Grease and line the base of (3) 6 inch baking pans with circular parchment paper cutouts.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk ingredients together to combine. Set Aside until ready to use.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with a hand-held electric mixer, add the butter, oil and sugar. Mix ingredients together at medium high speed until mixture appears pale yellow and fluffy in appearance, about 3-4 minutes.
4. Beat the eggs one at a time into the creamed butter mixture followed by the vanilla and almond extract.
5. Reduce mixture to low. In an alternating fashion, starting and ending with the dry ingredients, mix half of the dry ingredients into wet batter followed by all of the milk and ending with the remaining dry ingredients.
6. Stop the mixer. With a silicone spatula, scrape the sides and base of the mixing bowl to catch any ingredients.
7. Continue to mix cake batter at medium speed for 1 minute to ensure that you have a smooth cake batter.
8. Equally divide batter between the prepared baking pans and bake for 30-35 minutes. Cakes are ready when a toothpick inserted into one comes out clean.
9. Cool cakes in baking pans for 10-12 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature. 

Blueberry Buttercream 

1. Grind the freeze dried blueberries into a powder in a coffee grinder or small food processor. You should end up with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of powdered freeze-dried blueberries.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with a hand-held electric mixer, cream the butter at medium high speed until it is smooth and fluffy in appearance, about 2-3 minutes.
3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the confectioners’ sugar and powdered freeze-dried blueberries into creamed butter. Gradually increase the mixer speed back to medium.
4. Once all the sugar and powdered blueberries have been incorporated into the butter, mix in 1 tablespoon of the heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract (optional) into buttercream.
5. If buttercream appears too thick, mix in additional cream 1/2 tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency (thick but spreadable) is reached.
6. If buttercream appears to be too soft, mix in additional confectioners’ sugar 1/4 cup at a time until a thick but spreadable consistency is reached.
7. Increase mixer speed to medium high and mix blueberry buttercream for an additional 30-60 seconds. The resulting buttercream should be smooth and fluffy in appearance.

Assembly 

1. Level cooled almond cakes with a serrated knife or cake leveler. This will allow cakes to be evenly stacked and assembled.
2. Spoon about 2/3 cup of the buttercream into a pastry bag fitted with a round piping tip. I used a Wilton 2A piping tip.
3. Position the first cake layer faced up on a cake stand or serving plate of choice.
4. Spoon about a 1/3 cup of the buttercream onto the cake and spread into an even layer using an offset (angled) spatula.
5. Use reserved buttercream to pipe a border of buttercream around the other rim of the cake layer.
6. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the blueberry jam into the center of the piped border and smooth into an even layer using the back of an offset spatula.
7. Repeat this layering and filling process once more with the second cake layer, buttercream and jam.
8. Place the final cake layer faced down on top of the second layer.
9. Using an offset spatula, apply a thin layer of the buttercream over the entire surface of the cake starting at the top and working down to the sides of the cake.
10. Smooth out the crumb coat using an offset spatula (top of cake) and bench scrapper (sides of the cake).
11. Place the cake in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow the crumb coat to firm up before applying the final coat of buttercream.
12. Top frosted cake with fresh blueberries and fresh herbs (optional) before sprinkling with crushed freeze-dried blueberries.