Cherry Vanilla Cake with Swiss Buttercream Frosting

As a kid, Cherry Chip Cake was one of my favorites. I rarely, if ever, use cake mixes-- so I was delighted when I saw this recipe on "Sprinkle Bakes" baking blog. I made a few teensy weensy tweaks to it (like using a cherry concentrate to boost the flavor) and kicking up the almond extract a bit more. The frosting is slightly adapted, using a method from Cook's Illustrated. If you've never made Swiss Buttercream, fear not! I'll walk you through the steps on my food blog. This frosting is not as sweet as a traditional buttercream. It might appear more challenging to make, but it's not. It's silky and really fun to work with a spatula. This was my self-made birthday cake, and I think these would be great as cupcakes, too.