This is the easiest almond cake with just 4 main ingredients. This cake has a soft, moist crumb and is lightly sweet with a pop of lemon flavor. You won’t believe it is a grain free and gluten free cake recipe!

Almond Cake Recipe over the top view garnished with almond slices and lemons with slice cut out

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

This almond cake comes together quickly and is perfect for unexpected company or satisfying the evening sweet tooth. My mother particularly loved this recipe and no matter how old you are, when your Mom is impressed, it’s a big deal :).

We added our Amazon affiliate links for the tools we used to make this recipe.

One of my readers, Yana P. wrote in and shared this Calabrian Walnut Cake with us and since there is a Walnut allergy in the family, we made it (even simpler) into an almond flour cake and changed the proportions. I made it 3 times in 1 week and it disappeared fast every single time. Its a keeper!

Watch How to Make Almond Cake:

The texture of this almond cake is so soft and fluffy, you would never guess it is made with finely ground almonds.You can also make a double batch 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!!

Piece of cake on a fork showing texture of soft almond flour cake

Ingredients for Easy Almond Cake:

Literally all you need to make this cake are 4 main ingredients: almond flour, eggs, sugar and lemon zest. I have tested this recipe with and without the sliced almonds over the top and it works both ways. (See exact measurements and print the recipe below)

Ingredients for almond flour cake with almond flour, sliced almonds, eggs, sugar and lemon zest

How to Measure Almond Flour Correctly:

Spoon almond flour into a dry ingredients measuring cup and level off the top with the flat edge of a knife. Do not compress the almond meal into the cup or you may end up with up to 50% more flour! Read all of our tips and tricks for how to measure accurately for baking.

How to Separate Eggs and Bring to Room Temperature:

To separate eggs, you can either use an egg separator or the shells of your egg if you get a clean break on the shell. It is easier to separate eggs while they are cold. To do that, separate eggs then cover and leave at room temperature no more than 30-60 minutes. You could also separate them and place into separate small bowls and set the egg whites over a larger bowl with warm water so the bowl with the egg white warms up within 5-10 minutes.

Angle of slice of cake being cut from the almond cake for serving

Almond Cake Recipe Printable:

Almond Cake Recipe

4.98 from 604 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
Almond cake recipe with lemon and a slice removed
This is the easiest almond cake with just 4 main ingredients. This cake has a soft, moist crumb and is lightly sweet with a pop of lemon flavor. You won't believe it is a grain free and gluten free cake recipe!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 8 slices

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" cake pan or 9" springform pan. Line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350˚F.

Almond Cake Recipe Instructions:

  • 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. 
  • 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 batter has an even consistency.
  • Once all the egg whites are incorporated and batter is even in consistency (do not over-mix), transfer 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.
  • Let cake rest in the pan 15 minutes then run a thin spatula around the sides and invert it onto your hand 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

*To Measure Almond Flour: Spoon almond flour into a dry ingredients measuring cup and level off the top with the flat edge of a knife. Do not compress the almond meal into the cup or you may end up with up to 50% more flour! Read all of our tips and tricks for how to measure accurately for baking.

Nutrition Per Serving

218kcal Calories17g Carbs7g Protein14g Fat1g Saturated Fat81mg Cholesterol31mg Sodium54mg Potassium2g Fiber13g Sugar120IU Vitamin A1mg Vitamin C65mg Calcium1.3mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Almond Cake Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
218
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
14
g
22
%
Saturated Fat
 
1
g
6
%
Cholesterol
 
81
mg
27
%
Sodium
 
31
mg
1
%
Potassium
 
54
mg
2
%
Carbohydrates
 
17
g
6
%
Fiber
 
2
g
8
%
Sugar
 
13
g
14
%
Protein
 
7
g
14
%
Vitamin A
 
120
IU
2
%
Vitamin C
 
1
mg
1
%
Calcium
 
65
mg
7
%
Iron
 
1.3
mg
7
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Keyword: almond cake
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $
Calories: 218
Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen

Almond Flour Recipes you will LOVE:

Q: What are your very favorite almond flour recipes or gluten free recipes? I’d love to hear from you in a comment below! We are always looking for new ideas.

 

4.98 from 604 votes (390 ratings without comment)

Leave a Comment

Recipe Rating




Comments

  • T
    July 31, 2020

    Hi! I’m super excited to try this cake! I already baked it and it’s for an event tomorrow. Should I store this in the fridge or room temperature is ok?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      July 31, 2020

      Hi Temmy, It will keep for a day or two at room temperature. If it is going to be in a warm area, I would cover and refrigerate to be safe. Before serving, bring to room temperature then dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

      Reply

  • Debbie
    July 25, 2020

    This cake is my family favorite.Sometimes I add vanilla pod and grand marnier to the batter to enhance the flavor. It turns out really good. Thank you Natasha

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      July 26, 2020

      Sounds delicious, thank you for sharing!

      Reply

  • Reva
    July 19, 2020

    Love this cake ! Want now to bake in a square pan and then cut into squares? How would I alter pan size and baking time?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      July 20, 2020

      Hi Reva, I haven’t tested this in a square pan to advise. If the size is similar to our pan then it should work! If it is smaller or larger you many need to increase or decrease the amount of batter you make.

      Reply

      • Sindy
        February 1, 2021

        Hi Natasha I would like to make this recipe but my pan is 10 “, how much should I add to the dough?

        Reply

        • Natasha's Kitchen
          February 1, 2021

          Hi Sindy, if the size is similar to our pan then it should work! If it is smaller or larger you may need to increase or decrease the amount of batter you make.

          Reply

  • Lama S
    July 18, 2020

    Hi! Will almond meal (I have the Trader Joe’s brand Just Almond Meal) work if I don’t have almond flour? Thanks 😊

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      July 19, 2020

      Hi Lama, others commented that they used almond meal and it turned out great. As long as you get the finely ground almond meal (it is usually marked “almond flour” on the package) and there aren’t any brown flecks in it, it will work well. I have tried the Simple Truth Brand, Bob’s Red Mill and the Big bag at Costco and all work well.

      Reply

  • Manijeh nouraei
    July 15, 2020

    Just Perfect. Loved the recipe. Thank you. Please let me know if you have more gluten free cakes.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      July 16, 2020

      I’m so glad you loved this recipe!

      Reply

  • Patricia
    July 12, 2020

    Hi Natasha
    As always your recipes are perfect just one thing I was trying to listen you you mixing and making the almond cake but could not hear it because music from another recipe of your was coming through and I could not hear you because of it not sure what’s wrong

    From t

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      July 12, 2020

      Hi Patricia, thanks for your feedback. You can close the other window anytime, you should be able to see a close or x button to close it.

      Reply

  • Cat
    July 11, 2020

    I loved this recipe bc it was so easy. But I did find that my finished result was a slight tad dry, like it could’ve used a sauce or whipped cream or something. Any suggestions? I weighed everything and followed directions as the recipe

    Reply

    • Natasha
      July 11, 2020

      Hi Cat, a dry cake is usually due to over-baking which can dry out the crumb in the cake.

      Reply

  • DV
    June 30, 2020

    This cake is incredible and deserves 10 stars! I don’t know how it can be so light, moist and delicious without butter or oil but it’s amazing.
    I didn’t want to go to the store so I made some substitutions: I used lime zest because I didn’t have a lemon and I added 1/2 cup chopped sweetened coconut because I had it. I used slivered almonds because I didn’t have sliced. The cake looked beautiful too! It’s pretty quick to make and was perfectly done in 30 minutes. Thanks for a fabulous recipe.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      July 1, 2020

      What an amazing review, thank you so much! It helps inspire us to do more content.

      Reply

  • Nicole
    June 29, 2020

    Hey natashaskitchen! This recipe was soo good! I enjoyed it very much. Thank you for sharing

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      June 29, 2020

      I’m so glad you enjoyed that Nicole! Thank you for that wonderful feedback!

      Reply

  • Hairstyles
    June 28, 2020

    I haven抰 checked in here for a while because I thought it was getting boring, but the last few posts are great quality so I guess I will add you back to my daily bloglist. You deserve it my friend 🙂

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      June 28, 2020

      Thanks, I hope you enjoy every recipe that you will try!

      Reply

  • Glenn Richmond
    June 27, 2020

    I made this tonight as a substitute for the shortcake part for strawberries and shortcake. It was great with fresh berries, and homemade whipped cream! I did leave out the shaved almonds because of how I was using it. I will be making this time and time again!! For home, church, potlucks. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      June 28, 2020

      That is awesome! So great to hear that your substitutes worked great with this recipe. Thanks for your excellent review!

      Reply

  • Joyce
    June 24, 2020

    This is a KEEPER!
    I have tried a few of your recipes and I’ve loved all of them !
    I made this last night and it’s almost gone (between 2 kids and my husband).

    I substituted the sugar for Swerve granulated & powdered sugar and it came out great ! Didn’t have a round pan, but square worked just fine.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      June 24, 2020

      I am so glad you enjoyed this almond cake recipe, Joyce. Thanks for your excellent review!

      Reply

  • Ragini Kashyap
    June 22, 2020

    Hey, can this be made with flaxseed egg replacement

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      June 22, 2020

      Hi Ragini, I haven’t tried that yet to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.

      Reply

  • Nisha
    June 21, 2020

    I was too skeptical to try this, since the other gluten free cake recipes (my husband is allergic to gluten) never gave me good results. This has been a game changer. This light and fluffy cake with its hint of lemon zest just wins you over. My family is in love with this cake. I’ve made it twice in two weeks already. Can’t be happier. Thanks Natasha. Love and hugs.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      June 21, 2020

      Wow that is so great! I am so glad that your family enjoyed this recipe, thanks for sharing that with us!

      Reply

  • Lynette
    June 13, 2020

    Hi Natasha, I wonder if I can make this with Stevia in the Raw, I am looking for a tasty low carb cake for my birthday.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      June 13, 2020

      Hi Lynette, I have not tested that but here is what one of our readers wrote. “hi, tried your almond cake recipe today.. and substituted the sugar for stevia… taste GREAT !.. thank you.” I hope it helps.

      Reply

  • Ava
    June 9, 2020

    Hi Natasha!!
    Would I be able to bake this in a pie dish?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      June 9, 2020

      Hi Ava, I haven’t tested that to advise. If you experiment please let me know how you like that.

      Reply

  • Priya Ravi
    June 9, 2020

    Hi Natasha!
    I tried this almond flour cake recipe and the whole family loved it. It turned out to be super moist and tasty. Thank you so much.The egg white foaming technique, can it be used in any other recipes like muffins or bundt cakes ?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      June 9, 2020

      Hi Priya, yes but it definitely depends on the recipe. I’m so glad you all loved the almond cake!

      Reply

  • malaika
    June 3, 2020

    Hi, do i need butter for this recipe?

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      June 4, 2020

      Only for greasing/butter the cake pan or springform pan

      Reply

  • Khyati
    June 2, 2020

    im just wondering is i can add orange jam in between of the layers, since i want to replace the lemon with orange.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      June 3, 2020

      Hello Khyati, I haven’t personally tested that to advise.If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes!

      Reply

  • Isabel
    June 1, 2020

    Delish! Quick question, the nutrition facts listed, is it for the whole cake or individual serving size?

    Reply

As Featured On

Never Go "Hangry" Again!

Get weekly updates on new recipes, exclusive giveaways plus behind the scenes photos.