To prepare cake, grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper (cut circles to fit). Set aside. (or use my homemade cake release)
In small bowl, mix egg whites and 1/4 cup buttermilk. Set aside.
In mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in almond extract. Add in dry ingredients and mix until combined. Slowly add in egg white mixture.
Beat in remaining buttermilk for 1-2 minutes until fluffy.
Pour evenly into cake pans. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25-28 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Remove and cool in cake pans 5 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth, several minutes. Add in orange juice, almond extract, and powdered sugar. Beat for 3-4 minutes until fluffy.
To assemble. Lay one layer of cake on a cake plate. Pipe frosting around the top edge of the cake. Add half of a can of whole berry cranberry sauce. Add additional frosting OVER the cranberry sauce.
Top with second layer of cake. Repeat frosting edge on top of cake, and spread frosting on sides of cake. Fill in the top with the remaining cranberry sauce.
Notes
One thing I love about cake is the ability to slice and freeze it for a later date.
To do this, I lay each large slice of cake on a piece of plastic wrap and wrap it up entirely. Then wrap the slice in foil and slide into a ziploc freezer bag.
Freeze for up to 30 days. Thaw overnight and enjoy.