This easy Almond Cake has just 4 main ingredients and a soft, moist crumb. It’s lightly sweet with a pop of lemon flavor, and it has so many rave reviews you won’t believe it is a grain-free and gluten-free cake recipe!
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Helpful Reader Review
“A couple days ago, I found this recipe, I wanted to impress some expected guests though. WOW! I followed the prep and baking as instructed, it was a totally success, so our guests loved it, they asked for extra piece…” – Laura ★★★★★
Almond Cake Video
See this almond cake recipe come together quickly. My mother particularly loved this recipe, and no matter how old you are, when your Mom is impressed, it’s a big deal :).
Easy Almond Cake Recipe
A reader, Yana, shared this Calabrian Walnut Cake with me, and since there is a Walnut allergy in the family, I made it into this easy, gluten-free almond-flour cake. It’s a keeper!
The texture of this almond cake is so soft and fluffy, you would never guess it is made with finely ground almonds or that it’s gluten-free! It gets rave reviews when served plain, but it can also pair with Lemon Curd, Strawberry Sauce, Blueberry Compote, citrus, or chocolate shavings.
You can also double the almond cake recipe and create a stunning two-layer cake since it bakes up level and is sturdy enough to stack. This would make an amazing gluten-free birthday cake!!
Almond Cake Ingredients
Grab these 4 main ingredients to make the best almond cake in under an hour!
- Almond Flour – also called almond meal, it can be found by the flour in the baking aisle, and be sure to measure correctly!
- Eggs – separated egg and yolks. Since eggs provide the rise, it’s important to start at room temperature so the eggs capture as much air as possible. To bring to room temperature quickly, place them in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes.
- Sugar – regular granulated sugar works with the eggs to create lift and sweeten the almond cake
- Lemon zest – grate one large lemon, or swap 1-to-1 with orange zest
- Optional – slivered almonds, confectioners’ sugar, and lemon slices to garnish
How to Make Almond Cake
Prep time for this Almond Cake takes just 10 minutes, so I find it easiest to use an electric hand mixer to make the batter.
- Prep – Grease and line a 9″ round cake pan (or use a springform pan, if you have one) and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer for 3 minutes until thick, and then add the almond flour and zest. Clean and dry the beaters.
- Whip the egg whites into stiff peaks (2 minutes), and then fold them into the almond flour mixture. Careful not to deflate the whites.
- Bake – pour batter into prepared pan and top with slivered almonds, if using, and then bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.
- Rest – cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes and then remove and cool to room temperature. Garnish, if desired.
Toppings
This almond cake is beautiful on its own or dusted with powdered sugar. Or see as a blank slate for toppings:
- Fruit – Garnish with sliced citrus, berries, or slices of pear, peach, or fig.
- Drizzle – Chocolate Ganache, Caramel Sauce, or Dulce de Leche
- Dollop – Whipped Cream, ice cream, or Greek yogurt
- Stack – Make two batches, top one with Vanilla Buttercream, Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, Apricot Jam, or Country Peach Preserves, and then stack the second on top
Make-Ahead
This cake keeps well for 3-4 days on the counter in an airtight container, or in the fridge/freezer. Cool it completely and then store, but it keeps best without garnish.
- To Refrigerate: Wrap in plastic wrap or place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: Wrap in plastic wrap in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw in the fridge or on the counter overnight.
Helpful Reader Review
“I make 2 small cakes with this recipe, and then one I freeze. I always have a dessert for 5-6 people ready. Delicious with fresh berries a a little whip cream. I have celiac and I have probably made this cake 50 times in the last year….maybe more! Always turns out great!” – Erin ★★★★★
My easy almond cake recipe is a classic and versatile dessert everyone will love. They won’t even know it’s gluten-free, so keep this recipe for a quick, crowd-pleasing dessert.
Almond Cake
Ingredients
Almond Cake Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour, measured correctly*
- 4 eggs, separated, room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest, grated from 1 large lemon
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- Confectioners sugar and lemon slices for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Prep – Grease/butter a 9" round cake pan or 9" springform pan. Line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
- Beat – In a large mixing bowl, combine 4 egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar. Beat with an electric hand mixer on high speed 3 minutes or until thick, creamy, and lightened in color. Add 1 1/2 cups almond flour and 1 Tbsp lemon zest, and use a spatula to fold and stir together until incorporated. Wash and dry attachments from the mixer.
- Whip – In a second large mixing bowl, add 4 egg whites and beat together until stiff peaks form (about 2 minutes). Fold the egg whites 1 heaping spoonful at a time into the almond batter, folding with each addition just until incorporated and scraping from the bottom of the bowl to ensure the batter has an even consistency.
- Bake – Once all the egg whites are incorporated and the batter is even in consistency (do not over-mix), transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and sprinkle the top with 1/4 cup sliced almonds. Bake at 350˚F for 30 minutes or until top is firm.
- Rest – Let the cake rest in the pan for 15 minutes. Then run a thin spatula around the sides and invert it onto your hand, and then place it right side up on the rack. Let cool to room temperature and garnish with powdered sugar and lemon slices if desired.
Notes
- Refrigerate – keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freeze – store in the freezer for up to 3 month, and then thaw in the fridge or on the counter overnight.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes
This almond cake is proof that gluten-free desserts are tasty and perfect for every occasion, so try these other delicious gluten-free dessert recipes:
- Lemon Posset
- Flan
- Hard Boiled Egg Chocolate Pudding
- Date Snickers Bars
- Panna Cotta
- Mini Cheesecakes (with GF crusts)
- Creme Brulee
I made it yesterday, doubled the recipe for a 9×5 pan and it’s a keeper! Next time I will make a cake out of it, just have to pair it with the right frosting.
I’m happy to hear you enjoy the recipe, thanks for sharing your great review!
Just made this Almond Cake and it was gone in 10 minutes! It was so delicious and I know it will be a go-to and favorite in our house! My son with Celiac Disease (he has to be on a gluten free diet) ate 3 pieces. Winner! 😃 It was so beautiful, wish I could post a picture. Thanks for the recipe Natasha! Oh and by the way, love your name! 😉
You’re welcome Natasha! I’m so glad to hear how much you and your family enjoy the recipe. Thanks for sharing your awesome review! 🙂
Just made this almond cake. I turned out so well. Light and moist! Definitely easy to handle, so making a couple of these and putting them into a layer cake was a breeze. I used a lemon butter cream for frosting. Fabulous. Thank you for posting this recipe!
My pleasure! I’m happy you enjoy the recipe so much. Thanks for sharing your excellent review with other readers!
Hi Natasha,
Thankyou for the wonderful recipe! I would like to try this with Orange Zest instead of lemon. Should I be using the same amount as lemon zest?
Hi DS, yes I would use the same amount or more of the orange zest. Orange zest isn’t quite as potent in flavor so you might try a little more.
Tried the recipe with a tbsp of orange zest and it turned out amazing! Such a soft and light cake!
Great suggestion, I will have to try that myself! Thanks for sharing your great review with other readers!
Hi, Natasha. I recently moved to New Mexico where the elevation is about 5,000 ft above sea level. Can you tell me what modifications to make when I bake at high altitudes?
Hi Debra, I wish I could be more helpful with that but I don’t have a way to test it. Maybe someone else has tried their experience with baking this cake in high altitudes? If so, please let us know and thanks in advance! 🙂 Here is a link to some good general guidelines for high altitude baking.
We live in Colorado Springs at about 6000ft above sea level and I bake everything 25degrees above the temp given in the recipe. I do everything else the same so far and I haven’t had any issues. I hope that helps a little.
I made this recipe for me because I love baking with almond flour.My husband ate it all up! We loved the flavor and the texture was perfect.
Thanks!!
You’re welcome Marjanne! I’m glad you both enjoy the recipe as much as I do. Thanks for sharing your fantastic review!
Hi Natasha,
Do you have cake/cookies or other sweets that doesnt conatain sugar or flour?
Hi Yaffa, I can’t think of any that don’t have either sugar or flour besides a fruit salad. I don’t have anything baked like that.
Natasha, you can try replacing the sugar with a sugar replacement like sucrolose or stevia. And then use almond flour or coconut flour for baking
Thank you for sharing!
It’s truly the easiest recipe!! I love simple things 😍😍
I think it would be great with lemon jams or chocolate sauce 😋
Yum, that does sound delicious! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe Natalie, thanks for sharing your great review!
Thank you for such a delicious cake Natasha. My family devoured the cake within a few hours and asked me to bake a second one the same day. I don’t like the overly sweet American cake so I love your recipes. Can you help me with a baking question? If I want to cut down the sugar in a recipe, what can I do to keep the cake moist and not dry out? And do you have a recipe for rum cake? I’ve been looking for one but all of them have a higher ratio of sugar to flour.
Hi Han, I haven’t tested it with less sugar but I think you could still make it work well with 1/3 cup sugar if you wanted to cut it down even more. I think at 1/3 cup you could leave everything else the same.
What is the difference between almond flour and almond meal? I love you Natasha for such wonderful recipes…..
Hi Vanessa, almond flour is basically almond meal that is finely ground. Almond flour is usually made with blanched almonds so you won’t see the brown flex in almond flour. Here is an article that goes into more detail on the difference between almond flour and almond meal.
Natasha,
I am so glad you are adding some gluten-free recipes! I can’t wait to try the almond cake as I have a ton of almond flour and rarely use it. Have you tried other gluten-free flours? I love Grandpa’s Kitchen Gluten-Free flour blend and find I can make almost anything I want to and it tastes great, which is unusual for gluten free. I’m curious about your experience with gluten free flours and what you use. My favorite recipe is the Angel Food cake I make with the Grandpa’s Kitchen flour, my husband couldn’t believe it was gluten free.
Thank you for all of your amazing recipes, I have tried many of them and they are now family favorites!!
Hi Allyson, thank you for sharing! Which Angel Food cake recipe did you try gluten free? I’d love to experiment! I currently use the Namaste brand that I found at Costco and the results I have been getting are great! I experimented with my sponge cake recipe and it worked so well 🙂 I will have to try the brand you recommended also! Thanks again! 🙂
Natasha,
I would love your sponge cake recipe. I haven’t tried Namaste, but I’ve spoken to many people who have found it gritty with a bad after taste. I’m glad it is working for you. This is the Angel Food Cake recipe I use:
Angel Food Cake
3/4 c Grandpa’s Kitchen Baking Flour Blend
1 ¼ c granulated sugar
1 ¾ c egg whites, room temperature
3 Tbsp corn starch
1 ½ tsp cream of tartar
½ tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Move oven rack to lowest position (remove other racks).
In medium bowl stir together flour blend and 3/4 c of the sugar. Set aside. In large mixing bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt on medium speed with wire whip attachment until foamy. Increase speed to high and beat until egg whites have doubled in volume and thickened. About 2 minutes. Beat in remaining 3/4 c sugar a little at a time on high speed, add vanilla with last addition of sugar, until stiff and glossy meringue forms. Do not under beat.
Sprinkle sugar/flour mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, over meringue, folding in just until mixture disappears, transfer egg white mixture to a very large bowl if necessary. Spoon into ungreased 10 inch angel food (tube) cake pan. Gently tap pan on counter to remove large air bubbles.
Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until cracks feel dry and top springs back when lightly touched. Do not under bake. Immediately turn pan upside down onto heatproof bottle or funnel until cake is completely cool, about 2 hours. Run knife or long metal spatula around edge of pan to loosen. Turn cake out onto serving platter. Use long, serrated knife to cut cake.
I hope you like it!
Allyson
Hi Allyson, thank you so much for sharing! This is the sponge cake recipe we use and we replace the flour with gluten free flour for a gluten free version :).
Thank you. I tried sending you a picture of the Angel Food cake but I couldn’t figure out how to upload it, it’s so pretty. You see it on the Grandpa’s Kitchen website along with a bunch of other recipes. They don’t have nearly as many as you, but they have some good ones.
Hi Allyson, I would love to see it! You can also email it to me: natasha @ natashaskitchen.com (no spaces). Thanks for thinking of me 🙂
I just made this Almond cake and I was not sure If I did right but I just tasted it and it is amazing, Thank you for all of your great recipes.
You’re so welcome, Penny! I’m happy you enjoyed that!!
Hi,
Can you give the correct weight of the almond flour? I’d feel better that I was measuring correctly (haha — I don’t trust myself).
Thanks!
Hi Debbie, scroll down to the bottom of the recipe and click “Metric” in the print-friendly section and you will get the weight in grams 🙂
Natasha, I love your recipes! Always work perfect. I was waiting for almond flour cake or cookies and plan to ask you for it. I made this cake today and it is delicious! Thank you so much!
I’m so happy you loved it!! Thank you for sharing your amazing review 🙂
I am beyond thrilled to see you experimenting with ‘alternative’ flours. You are such an inspirational source for me — but because we are on low carb diet, I cannot do some of your recipes – so this is a wonderful trend you are on. Thanks for the great site
My pleasure Sasha! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe, expect more of these in the future!
Looks and sounds great! Do you think it would work with a sweetener instead of sugar?
Hi Shannon, I haven’t experimented with anything besides sugar. It is on my list to try this with honey but without testing it first, I can’t make a specific recommendation.
If someone else tries before I do, please let us know how it goes! 🙂
Ty 🙂
You’re welcome!
This cake looks yummy and amazing. I really want to try it.
Thank you Julie!! I hope you LOVE it! 🙂
Is there a sugar free option for this delicious looking cake?
Hi Jackson, I honestly haven’t experimented with anything besides the 1/2 cup of sugar. It is on my list to try this with honey but I just haven’t experimented sugar free so I can’t make any recommendations on that.
My family is sugar free for the past 2+years. I use Sukrin 1:1 and Swerve confectioners to substitute refined sugar in this recipe.
Natasha,
Just joined your blog. Your recipes look amazing. I have been looking for a cake to make and would like to know if I can use coconut sugar instead of refined white sugar and reduce the amount by half for your recipes.
Hi Barbara, Welcome to our blog!! Some of our readers have reported using coconut flour. If you experiment please let us know how you like it!
Hi Natasha,
Thank you for your quick response. I have used coconut flour in the past and could use it in this recipe as suggested. However, my question is about substituting refined white sugar with coconut sugar and using a lesser amount. I do this with most recipes and wondered if it would work with this one.
Hi Barbara, Well that was a honest mistake… I totally read flour out of habit. I haven’t tested coconut sugar myself. So without knowing the exact sweetness level or how it reacts to baking I won’t be able to say specifically.
Hi Barbara, I haven’t tested that so it is difficult to make that recommendation without experimenting first. I’m assuming it would work, but if you test it out, please let me know how it goes 🙂
So many of your recipes have lemon zest. I don’t like citrusy smells and tastes. Is there anything else to substitute?
Cake looks really good though. Will definitely try to bake it, if I find substitution for lemon zest.
Hi Victoria, since this recipe is so simple, you would have to replace it with something else for added flavor. You might try doubling the vanilla extract instead. The zest is not overpowering here though and it complements the almond flavor very well.
I used Almond extract + Mexican Guava thinly sliced on top instead of lemon. Any fresh fruit SPARSELY placed on top would add interest to this basic cake.You want firm, under-ripe fruit like pear, apple, or mango slices not something watery like watermelon.
Can you use finely ground almonds instead of flour?
Hi Rose, since almond flour is basically finely ground almonds, yes it can be done :). I would suggest googling how to make almond flour to get the correct consistency.
Lately you have not been incorporating step-by-step pictures in your recipes. Is there a reason why? Nonetheless, thank you for yet another delicious recipe. However, I do wish you would go back and add the step-by-step pictures.
Hi Oksana, when there is a video tutorial included, we do not include step by step photos, but otherwise we are continuing to do the step by step photos when there is no video.