Cherry Almond Cake

Cake
25 Preheat oven to 350°.
4 Grease 3 8-inch round cake pans. Cover bottoms with waxed paper and dust with flour.
5 Mix flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
6 Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes
7 Beat in vanilla, almond extract, and vanilla bean scrapings.
8 Add dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, beating well after each addition.
9 Add egg whites and beat at medium speed for two minutes.
10 Add chopped Maraschino cherries to 1/3 of the batter.
11 Divide the almond cake batter equally between 2 greased and wax paper lined 9-inch round pans.
12 Add the Maraschino cherry batter to the third pan.
13 Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, reduce heat to 325 and bake for 25 minutes more, or until the cake tests done.
14 Cool cake layers in pans 10 minutes, then turn out and finish cooling on racks.
Buttercream
17 Melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 10 to 15 seconds.
18 Let cool to room temperature.
19 Beat the butter until fluffy.
20 Add the confectioner's sugar.
21 Beat on high until well mixed.
22 Add the almond extract and heavy cream
23 With mixer on high spoon the melted white chocolate into the buttercream, beating until it is light and airy.
24 Use to fill and frost the cherry almond cake.