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!
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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 :).
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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!!
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)
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.
Almond Cake Recipe Printable:
Almond Cake Recipe
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" 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
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:
- Almond Nutella Cake – flavor explosion gluten free indulgence
- Raspberry Macarons – gluten free cookies with raspberry filling
- Almond Croissants – incredible French bakery style filling
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.
I made this will Allulose instead of sugar. I checked on it at 25 minutes and it was already burned. However it tasted good so next time I’ll check after 10-15 minutes. Even though it was burned it still seemed fluffy.
One other tip- It took me a lot longer than 2 minutes to get my room temp egg whites at stiff peaks!
I followed the recipe exactly and it came out like it was supposed too. However, the taste is not good. Has a funny after taste. Sad because I usually love Natasha’s recipes. My search for a good almond tea cake will continue.
Hi Cynthia, I have never noticed a funny after taste with this cake and nothing in it should cause that. Did you substitute any ingredients? Or could any of your ingredients have expired which would cause an off taste?
I did not get my egg whites to whip into stiff peaks, got lazy lol. I used a spray avocado oil to grease the pan, and the cake did stick . But it still turned out great, so I imagine a lot lighter cake when I actually whip the eggs. Will be making this recipe a lot! Super simple and easy to follow.
Hi Kimberly, I’m so glad you still liked it. Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
the first batter is too thick and didn’t mix with the egg whites
Hi Natasha, did you use too much almond flour or were your eggs smaller? It sounds like something was off in the liquid to dry ingredients. I added a note into the recipe card notes on measuring the almond flour which should help.
Doesn’t seem to rise in the oven. Pretty flat for a 9 inch spring form. Cake should be at least an inch tall. Maybe adding a T of flour? Or a t of baking powder? Lemon takes the almond out of it entirely would only add a pinch or so. Also needs almond extract. Doesn’t have that typical chemical flavor almond cakes I’ve eaten have has. Almonds on top ruin the texture for some so I made a candied almonds for the base of plating with a cornel of marscapone and segmented orange and grapefruit
Hi Micah, make sure to beat the egg whites for the appropriate amount of time until they are stiff since the cake relies on the beaten egg whites to rise. For a taller cake, I would suggest making a second batch and creating 2 layers. You could frost between the layers and it would make a delicious 2-layer almond cake. I like your flavoring ideas. Let me know if you experiment with those.
I plan to make this cake for my son’s second birthday. I want to make it a cute smaller cake in inch pans. Will this recipe work for that or do I need more batter?
I have always make this cake using a 9″ pan. I’m sure a smaller cake will work but you have to make some adjustments.
Can you add berries to the top and a butter crumb topping to this like your other cake?
I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe, Kathi!
Would this still work if substitute coconut sugar for cane sugar?
Hi VM, good news! More than one of our readers reported great results substituting with coconut sugar.
I made this cake today and there is only one word that can describe it DELICIOUS !!! 😋 😋😋
I’ve not baked with almond flour before, made the cake, followed directions, used a springform pan, it came out great! I do love almond flavor, but forgot to add a bit of extract and just did the lemon zest. I thought it had a nice texture, and was not too dense, and had light lemon flavor. I saw that you could do two layers, it doesn’t rise as much as a regular cake does, but that’s fine, and if you added almond extract to the cake or a powdered sugar glaze, sprinkled slivered almond on top, it would be quite pretty and a nice gluten free dessert and maybe a raspberry jam to the center. Yum! Recipe is going in my book. Thank you.
Did not fair well with this cake. It came out like a biscuit. Maybe too much flour? I will try to make it again.
We havem’t had that problem before. Did you use any subsbstitutions? I recommend checking the recipe ingredients again to be sure you didn’t miss anything.
This cake is amazing not only for those of us who have celiac disease but for anyone! I brought it to a party and the hostess said it was the closest thing she’s tasted to her favorite Spanish dessert since she left Spain. All the guests loved it too and it was gone super quick!
I’m happy to know that the guests love this recipe! Thanks for sharing, Alex!
Wowwwww made this to bring to dinner to meet my boyfriend’s parents (who keep kosher for passover) for the first time. I was worried cause I tend to ruin baked goods in one way or another but this cake turned out absolutely perfect. The sweetness, the moisture, the subtle tart of the lemon zest, everything was delicious. I wasn’t sure if after finishing baking I should leave the cake to rest for 15 min in the still-hot oven or take it out to rest. I ended up leaving it in and it turned out great. Thank you for this, will definitely keep making it throughout the year!!
Can I use ground almonds instead of almond flour? I have a large bag of ground almonds so I’m hoping that it will be successful using ground almonds instead of the flour
Hi Margaret! Yes, almond flour is essentially very finely ground almonds. If your ground almonds are coarse, then the texture of the cake will be a bit different but it will still work. If needed, you can toss them in the food processor for a little bit to get a more fine texture.
Hi,
I was wondering if we can add some baking powder in this cake?
Hi! You can experiment with baking powder, but this recipe does not require baking powder. It relies on the eggs and sugar to rise. Be sure to beat the eggs properly.
This is my “go to” dessert recipe! So easy to make and oh, so delicious!
Love it! I omit the lemon, use almond extract, make two layers and put your strawberry cake cream and filling. Could I make this onto tres leches cake? I want to make it for a gluten free friend.
Thanks for sharing! I have not tried making this into tres leches cake to advise but I have a recipe for Tres Leches Cake.
Can we substitute Lemmon zest with lime zest? Same for Lemmon juice, can that be replaced with lime juice. I generally love all your recipes.
Hi there, I haven’t tries using lime to advise. If you do an experiment, we’d love to know how it turns out!
Found out recently that I’m intolerant to wheat and dairy but LOVE cake! This is a delicious and simple alternative. Thanks, I think I’m gonna make it! 🙂
Very simple, wonderful cake recepie, and low calory,
Love it!!!
I’m so happy you loved this cake, Ildiko!. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Cake smells good (still in the oven) but wondering if this cake should have risen a lot or is this a relative low profile cake? Mine does not look like it rose a lot. Thanks
Hi Jodi! I hope you loved the taste of the cake. It doesn’t grow very much (you can reference the video or image above to see what mine looked like).
Hi. Wanted to know if this can be made ahead and frozen for a few days? Thanks
Hi Tara, Yes, the cake freezes well. Cool it completely and then wrap it well or keep it in an airtight container.
My partner is gluten intolerant so I am always on the lookout for new desserts – we made this tonight. Incredibly straightforward and quick to make and we both loved it. Agreed it would be great for a holiday breakfast dessert too!