1

Toast the almonds in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes, or until pale brown. Flavor the buttercream with the raspberry brandy. You can add more to taste, but don’t make the buttercream too runny. Flavor the simple syrup with the sweet wine. Have ready a 9 1/2-inch cardboard round. If you want the cake to have a perfectly delicate texture, trim off the crust on the top, bottom, and sides of the cake.

2

Cut the sponge cake crosswise into 3 layers, using a serrated knife. Reserve the bottom layer for the top of the cake. The smooth surface will make it easier to spread the buttercream.

3

Put a dollop of buttercream on the cardboard to hold the cake in place.

4

Set the top cake layer on the cardboard. Brush with the flavored syrup and put about 1 cup of buttercream in a mound in the center.

5

Holding the cake with one hand, with the other hand, using a metal offset or regular spatula, spread the buttercream until it completely covers the cake layer. Check the thickness of the buttercream by making indentations with the spatula. The buttercream should be about 1/4 inch thick. Add the second cake layer, brush with the syrup, and spread with another cup of buttercream.

6

Add the reserved bottom layer, smooth side up, and brush the top with the syrup.

7

Set aside 1/2 cup of the remaining buttercream for the rosettes and dollop the rest over top of the cake. Spread the buttercream over the top, working from the center outward, so the extra buttercream hangs over the edges. Use this to coat the sides.

8

Scrape any excess buttercream off the spatula into a little bowl to avoid getting crumbs in the main batch. Smooth the sides with a bench scraper or spatula and allow the excess buttercream to form on the top edge. Smooth the top.

9

Repeat, going back and forth between the top and sides, until the frosting is completely smooth. If you wish, freeze the cake for 15 minutes and apply another thin layer of buttercream.

10

Heat a metal spatula atleast as long as the cake is wide by dipping it in hot water or waving over a hot flame. lf you’ve dipped the spatula in water, wipe off the water with a towel. Smooth the cake with the warm spatula.

11

Here is where the cardboard comes in handy. Hold the cake up and use the other hand to press a thin rim of the toasted almonds all around the sides.

12

To decorate the cake with simple rosettes, fit a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch fluted tip and fill with the reserved buttercream. Hold the tip about 1/2 inch above the cake and squeeze. When the rosette is formed, move the tip quickly in a counterclockwise direction and quickly lift it away. Place a raspberry in the center of each one. Serve in wedges.