Horchata Cake

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Horchata Cake

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These past few days have been quite leisure. The emails have slowed. The deadlines have been met and everyone seems to be winding down for the holiday season. I am completely ready.

I’ve already kinda made enough content for the month of December so these past few days have just been things I’ve wanted to bake. And this horchata cake was on that list!

I thought about it long and hard because the big question has always been: How do I get it taste like horchata…?

Horchata Cake

Initially I made horchata and incorporated it into the cake batter and you know what? It wasn’t worth the extra step. I couldn’t taste it. And I liked the cake with regular milk better. The texture is better.

SO, instead I added some cinnamon to the cake batter and added some almond meal to give it a bit of texture. It worked out great!

Horchata Cake
Horchata Cake

I then concentrated my efforts on the frosting.

I went to Guisados (if you live in LA, you’re probably/ hopefully very familiar!) to get some of their horchata.

Horchata Cake

I cooked it down, skimmed off the milk skin (also known as nata in Spanish, which you are either an ardent fan of or think it’s totally vile; I’m in the latter group) and then added that to the frosting. BAM! Tastes like horchata.

If you use homemade horchata (I often time use this easy, straight-forward recipe), I suggest adding equal parts whole milk to it so it will cook down properly. If you go to a restaurant and buy horchata, it will most likely be made from a powdered mix that has rice flour, cinnamon and then they’ll add milk to that. This is what you want! It works great.

I topped the cake with mini gingerbread houses and made trees out of rosemary dusted in powdered sugar BC Christmas.

Horchata Cake
5 from 5 votes

Horchata Cake

Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Decorating Time: 20 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Servings: 1 (eight-inch) cake
This Horchata Cake is a layer cake paired with frosting that is spiked with cinnamon, spices and has a wonderful almond flavor just like authentic horchata.

Equipment

  • 2 (8-inch) cake pans

Ingredients 

Cake:

  • 2 cups cake flour, plus more for dusting pans
  • 1/4 cup almond meal, sifted (any big bits of almond meal can be discarded)
  • 1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon, baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon kosher
  • 3/4 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature and cubed
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 5 large egg whites, will equal to a scant 3/4 cup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting:

  • 2/3 cup homemade horchata or restaurant-bought horchata cooked down to 4 tablespoons
  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • Pinch kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Instructions 

To make the cake layers:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Flour, grease and line the bottoms of two 8-inch cake pans with parchment. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand-up mixer, with the paddle attachment, combine the cake flour, almond meal, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. At a slow speed, add the cubed butter and mix until it resembles soft crumbs. In a bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the milk, egg whites and vanilla. Add about 1/2 of the milk/egg white mixture and continue beating for about 30 seconds. Add the remaining 1/2 of the milk/egg white mixture and beat for an additional 30 seconds or so, scrape down the sides and give it one last mix.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Using a rubber spatula, spread the batter to pan walls, smooth the tops and give the pans a gentle bang on the kitchen counter. Arrange pans at least 3 inches from the oven walls and 3 inches apart (this will help with proper cake circulation, yes this is a thing). Bake until thin skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 23 minutes. (If you’re using nine-inch cake pans, the cake might take around 25 minutes to bake, just keep that in mind.)
  • Let cakes rest in pans for 3 minutes. Loosen from sides of pans with a knife, if necessary, and invert onto wire racks. Reinvert onto additional wire racks. Let cool completely,

To make the frosting:

  • Add the horchata to a small saucepan set over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and then immediately turn the heat down to low. Cook for about 10 minutes, until it measures out to be about 4 tablespoons. Remove the milk skin that may have formed on the surface of the milk and discard (this is a normal thing to happen).t Set the horchata aside and allow to come to room temperature.
  • In the bowl of a stand-up mixer, add the butter. Sift in the powdered sugar and then add the salt, cinnamon and vanilla. Beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Next, pour in 2 tablespoons of the cooked down horchata and mix until fully incorporated. Add a tablespoon more if desired. Frost cake as desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 7g | Calories: 230kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Like this Recipe? Please Rate & comment below!
Horchata Cake

SHES A BAD DOG!

Cozy Latin-Inspired Comfort Food Recipes

Hi! I'm Adrianna and this is my cozy space on the internet that is super-charged by butter, flour and copious amounts of pasta. Stay awhile, will you!

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66 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Thank you SO much for the recipe. I made my nephew and his bride a Horchata wedding cake using your recipe and it was fabulous! I tried one recipe and the flavors were there but the cake was like bread dough. I tried your recipe and it was SO light and yummy. I did add 1/2 1/2 cup Horchata and took out 1/2 cup of whole milk and it was PERFECT for the flavors I needed. Your cake recipe was such a blessing for me to find. I’d love to share a photo . Thanks again!

  2. 5 stars
    Do you think that a whipped cream frosting would be good on this cake? with a little cinnamon and horchata in it as well of course!

      1. haha yes, what I meant to say was whipped cream as frosting. that might not have been worded exactly right!

      2. I wouldn’t because whipped cream doesn’t hold up like a frosting! I suggest this frosting. 🙂

  3. Adrianna! I have been wanting to make this cake for a long time and am finally gonna do it! However, I really want to make it in a 9×13 pan instead of the two rounds. Do you know how I should adjust the cooking time?

    Also, my husband and I really love the combination of horchata and Dr. Pepper so I think I’m going to cook down some DP and drizzle it on top. Sounds crazy but I think it’ll be good.

  4. Has anyone ever tried making this in cupcakes? I have made the cake and LOVE it– but wanted to break it down into cupcakes.

  5. Just pulled them out of the oven a few minutes ago and they look great! Should’ve trusted the process! 🙂 Can’t wait to finish it off for my husband’s birthday on Thursday!

  6. Is the almond meal supposed to be 1/4 sifted or what remains after a 1/4 has been sifted? You know what I mean? Just put these in the oven and my batter seemed really runny, wondering if that’s what I did wrong… ‍♀️

    1. Yes, sorry for the confusion. So you should take 1/4 cup of almond milk and then sift it. Any big bits (they shouldn’t be that big) then those can go. How did it turn out?

  7. you’re my favorite food blogger and i can’t WAAAAIT to spend my christmas break cooking/baking through a long list of your recipes!!!

  8. Oddly, I am interested in the hotpad you have pictured. Is it handmade? I would love to make some if you have a pattern to share?

  9. Can I substitute the almond meal with regular cake flour, or do you think the almond flavor really makes the cake?

    thanks!!

    1. if you don’t have it and it’s like a drag to get, then you can totally substitute it with more cake flour. i looooved it in this cake. the flavor is subtle but it gives it a nice texture. your call! i think the frosting makes this cake 🙂