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!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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
Beyond delicious ! The only almond cake recipe anyone ever needs!!!
Sounds like you found a new favorite! Thank you for sharing your awesome review with me!
Hi Natasha. I have made this cake today. Just taken it out of the oven and it looks fab. Can’t wait to eat it. Just wondered what size eggs you use? I used large and I think the batter looked runnier than yours. The cake still cooked ok and looks fine so not sure it matters but wanted to check with you. Many thanks.
Hi Helen, we used large eggs.
This is amazing! So simple to make! Great presentation! And the taste is amazing. I will definitely make this again!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us Beth!
Hi! Can I use almond meal or ground almonds instead of almond flour? Or does it have to be almond flour?
Hi Susan, 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.
1 and 1/2 cup of flour should be 192 gr of flour, right? 1 cup is 128 gr according to several conversion sites
I am.about to bake so keep your fingers crossed for me 🙂
Hi Ivana, I recommend checking the metric option at the bottom of our print window. “150 g almond flour * measured correctly”
Thanks! I made it yesterday!
You’re welcome!
Has anyone fiddled with the recipe enough to make it a bit more lemony? Would more zest make it bitter? Would adding lemon juice mess with the texture?
Hi Sharon! I think a little more will work fine. Here is what one of our readers wrote “my niece made the almond cake for Christmas using Truvia. It was delicious! She also added more lemon zest and a small amount of almond extract.” I hope that helps.
Do you use a hand-mixer for the egg whites as well? Would I be ale to use a stand mixer for either/both steps?
Hi Jenny! Yes we used a hand mixer for both! I’m sure you could use a stand mixer just beat sure to not overbeat the egg white.
Made this cake today for the first time. I was a little leery before adding the egg whites but it turned out beautifully. We both love it.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!
hi,
tried your almond cake recipe today.. and substituted the sugar for stevia… taste GREAT !.. thank you.
ps : just a suggestion : wont it be more idiot proof to indicate the amount of ingredient in WEIGHT instead of CUPS ?
Hi, thank you for the great review and sharing your tip about using stevia. In the recipe card, if you click on the word “metric” in red, it will display the ingredient measurements in grams (weight) instead of cups. Hope that helps!
Hi Pinky,
What is the measurement of the Stevia? I want to bake this cake for my colleague. She has digestion problems. She can’t consume so many things. However she may use Stevia.
I was wondering if this could be made in a loaf pan? I want to take it on a picnic and it’ll be easier to handle.
HI Camille, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Natasha, this recipe is great! I made it in a well buttered Pyrex loaf dish; put it in the oven on top of an Airbake cookie sheet; and, baked it an additional 5 minutes until the top was nice an golden and the poke test came out clean. I let it sit for 15 minutes and took it out of the dish. Slipping a spatula under the loaf, it came out with no effort at all. It was beautiful! I let it sit overnight under a tea towel and the next morning I wrapped it in parchment and aluminum foil and put it in a large Ziploc baggie. I then put it in the freezer where it sat for 3 days. I took it out the night before and let it defrost on the counter for 7 hours before we were going to eat it. It was amazing! I will be making this recipe quite a bit. My mother-in-law is very sensitive to gluten and she will love this! Thank you for the recipe!
You’re so welcome, Camille! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review with me!
Simple almond cake. Wonderful recipe♥️ Thank you! I also substituted the white sugar (I’m not allowed) with cocoanut sugar. Worked perfectly.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Natasha,
I made this cake and it turned out great! I didn’t have almond flour so I took almond meal, dried it in a low oven, and ground it in the food processor. Though the meal was darker, it rose beautifully. I candied the almond slivers before sprinkling on top. I used a little almond extract as well. Great gluten free desert and low in sugar! I’m going to experiment with different flavors. Thank you for sharing your recipes. You have a beautiful family. God Bless!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that, Victoria! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review with me!
Hello there Natasha, I made this cake this morning and I am gonna have a problem…it is so stinking good, I am going to be making it much too often 😋
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing that with me!
This cake is amazing. Easy to make, best result and tasty as well as healthy. Well done. My daughter and I love it.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi! If I don’t have a 9″ round pan can I use a 9×13 pan. Or is not going to be as good?
Hi, using a larger pan like that will make your cake very flat and it will bake faster. It won’t look like much of a pan in a larger pan – you would probably want to do 1 1/2 times the recipe in that case.
Thank you for the quick reply!! I actually bought a 9 in pan because all your reader reviews were so positive and I didn’t want to miss out. And am so glad — it turned out amazingly!!! I ended up using 1/2 tbsp orange zest and 1/2 tbsp lemon zest and it was delicious. Thank YOU for such an amazing low carb recipe. Please do more recipes with almond flour!!!
I’m so glad you loved the recipe. Thank you for the awesome review! You can see all of our current almond flour recipes here.
Hi Natasha, my family and I really like this recipe, thanks! I actually use my own homemade almond meal that I have leftover from when
I make almond milk, and it tastes delicious !
That’s so great! Thank you for sharing that with me!
Okay I seriously thought I had ruined the cake, I just angrily tasted a piece AND ITS DELICIOUS AND MOIST?!?! omg thanks so much for this recipe!
I’m so happy that worked out for you, Oilie!!
Super delicious cake!!!! OMG!!! I changed it a little…..hehe. I have tons of apples so I made an upside down apple cake!!!! I use butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a pan and mix it. I pit some sliced apples on top. I make your cake recipe exactly and pour it on the apples. I bake in the same pan and is an incredible super yummy cake!!!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi, looks so delicious! Can you use almond meal vs. almond flour for this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Yulia, 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.
Hi natasha I love your recipes esp your Swiss merigune just wanted to ask Could you make this cake with self raising flour and use and almond flavour?
Hi Michelle, without experiment, I cannot advise. IF you do try that please let me know how you like that!