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

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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 :).

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)

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Andrea
    April 8, 2020

    Hi Natasha, first of all I want to say I love your recipes, they are simple to make and taste delicious! I want to try to make this almond cake but I would like to add chocolate to the recipe, either into the flour directly or on top of the cake as a ganache or topping. Also I was thinking I could make this into a 2-layer cake and put chocolate in between. Please let me know what you think and any suggestions.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      April 8, 2020

      Hi Andrea, I haven’t tried adding chocolate to the recipe so you would have to experiment and let me know how it goes. I love the idea of cutting the cake in half and putting a chocolate ganache or chocolate frosting in the center. That sounds delicious!

      Reply

      • Andrea
        April 17, 2020

        Hi Natacha,
        Okay I made the cake last night. I made two layers and put a chocolate butterfrosting in between, plus on top and covered the cake with the chocolate. It was delicious and a total hit! The lemon zest went very well with it. Amazing. Thank you for the awesome recipe, I will use it again

        Reply

        • Natashas Kitchen
          April 17, 2020

          I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Andrea! Thank you for the wonderful review!

          Reply

  • Sushma
    March 31, 2020

    I tried this cake.It turned out incredible.My favorite almond cake receipt so far

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      March 31, 2020

      Super! Thanks for your amazing review and feedback. I love it!

      Reply

    • Vee
      April 7, 2020

      I’ve made this cake about 5-6 times and it’s always a hit. Easy to make and delicious! This has also become our go-to afternoon tea cake. Thank you, Natasha!

      Reply

      • Natashas Kitchen
        April 7, 2020

        That’s so great, Vee! It sounds like you have a new favorite!

        Reply

  • Sonja
    March 28, 2020

    I only have almond meal. Would that work with this cake?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      March 28, 2020

      Hi Sonja, 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

  • Mona
    March 20, 2020

    You need to add more than five stars to rate this!! Perfect recipe. Light, delicious, not too sweet, easy to prepare and bake…what can I say??? I have already shared your page with my family and friends. Loved it. Thank you !!!!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      March 20, 2020

      What a great compliment, Mona. This is so flaterring thank you so much! I’m so happy that you loved the recipe and I hope you enjoy all the recipes that you try.

      Reply

  • Maisan
    March 18, 2020

    I love this cake!!! So delicious, light, not too sweet! Perfect with a cup of coffee 👍🏼I just added 1 teaspoon of vanilla to the recipe. Definitely making this again! Thanks 🥰

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      March 19, 2020

      Thanks for sharing that with us. I’m so happy that you enjoyed this recipe!

      Reply

  • Margret
    March 15, 2020

    Can I make this ahead and put in the freezer? Thanks Natasha for all your delicious recipes.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      March 16, 2020

      Hi Margret, I haven’t tested freezing that but here is what one of our readers wrote ” 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” I hope that helps.

      Reply

  • Tan Fox
    March 14, 2020

    I whipped this up one morning, it was simple and easy and turned out delicious. I left out almonds simply because I didn’t have any. Dusted with powdered sugar. Voila! I would definitely make this again.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      March 14, 2020

      That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Tan!

      Reply

      • Ruby
        April 16, 2020

        Not much left over, it was so good!

        What’s the best way to store leftovers? Fridge or just on counter?

        Also, I was expecting it to be more moist/soft, I baked as instructed. Perhaps should take it out few min earlier?

        Reply

        • Natashas Kitchen
          April 16, 2020

          Hi Ruby, I’m so happy you enjoyed that! 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

  • Julia
    March 6, 2020

    Look forward to making this cake. You are so enjoyable to watch.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      March 6, 2020

      I’m excited for you to try this out. I hope you love it!

      Reply

    • maddy
      March 27, 2020

      Thank you so much for this recipe! It was simple to make yet delicious!

      Reply

      • Natashas Kitchen
        March 27, 2020

        I’m so happy you enjoyed that, Maddy!

        Reply

  • Caroline
    March 6, 2020

    Natasha, I am excited to try this recipe as I love lemon flavored cakes. Could I possibly use a tart pan still using the parchment ring?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      March 6, 2020

      Hi Caroline, I haven’t tested that in a tart pan to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.

      Reply

  • martha katona
    March 6, 2020

    I made this cake twice now exactly as written and it turned out super !! Not too sweet and gluten free. I dusted it with pure icing sugar not icing mix so it was totally gluten free. Thankyou for such an easy and tasty recipe. You are a delight to watch on the videos and your recipes are so easy to follow. I am of similar heritage and I am so happy to find recipes for things my mother made and I never learnt but you have put them up . Thankyou from Australia.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      March 6, 2020

      That is awesome, Martha. Thank you for sharing that with us and for your nice feedback. Appreciate the support!

      Reply

  • Alma Owens
    February 22, 2020

    Made the first time today and happy with it. Next time will make two layers and use lemon curd between the layers

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      February 22, 2020

      Thank you so much for sharing that with me.

      Reply

  • Janet Pohl
    February 9, 2020

    How can anything so easy be this good? I was just blown away by how lovely this cake is. I am not even on a gluten-free diet, and I loved it! So did everyone else I served it to. Thank you so much for this recipe.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      February 10, 2020

      What a great comment and feedback. Thank you for sharing your experience with this recipe Janet!

      Reply

  • Curt
    February 8, 2020

    This is almost exactly the king arthur recipe for almond flour cake…

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      February 8, 2020

      Thank you so much for sharing that with me!

      Reply

  • Mark
    February 7, 2020

    Hey Natasha, my wife and I love your videos. We tried making this last night. Followed the recipe word for word, but for some reason, our cake came out super flat. No thickness to it at all, a little thicker than a pancake. Do you know why this is? I have a feeling I may have over folded the egg whites into the almond mixture. The cake still looks pretty and we are serving it later, hope it tastes good too!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      February 7, 2020

      Hi Mark, did you possibly use an oversized pan? I also recommend reading all of our tips and tricks for how to measure accurately for baking on this post on measuring which should help.

      Reply

  • Jacqueline
    February 2, 2020

    Absolutely delicious! So light and airy. I can’t wait to try your other recipes!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      February 3, 2020

      Can’t wait for you to try this Jacqueline. Hope you love it!

      Reply

  • Marie Gauci
    January 27, 2020

    I had some ground almonds in my freezer that I wanted to use. I found this recipe. I am not generally a fan of gluten free. Oh my goodness, this cake is amazing. Everybody had a second piece. I forgot the icing sugar on top but it honestly didn’t need it and it looked so good with the almonds on top that the people I took it to thought I had bought it. Awesome. I didn’t think I could have another recipe as good as your pumpkin cake. YUM.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      January 27, 2020

      I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!

      Reply

    • marie gauci
      January 30, 2020

      I made this again with a light dusting of icing sugar on top and it looked even better so if you don’t have icing sugar it’s fine, if you do it looks amazing and doesn’t change the taste much.

      Reply

  • Stella CAMPANELLA
    January 6, 2020

    hello Natasha,
    Can I use a sugar substitute instead of regular sugar? My husband is diabetic but loves his desserts.
    Thank you

    Reply

    • Natasha
      January 6, 2020

      Hi Stella, I honestly haven’t tested that out so I can’t make a recommendation for it. If you experiment, please let us know how it goes since others may have the same question.

      Reply

    • blair
      April 12, 2020

      I tried it with stevia and the cake came out amazing!

      Reply

      • Natasha's Kitchen
        April 12, 2020

        Love it!

        Reply

  • Jane French
    December 23, 2019

    Hi Natasha! I love your recipes! A dear friend gave me a large bag of Chestnut flour in a basket of goodies for Christmas and I’m stumped what I can do with it. Lol. I’d love to make something sweet for her as a thank you. Will the Chestnut flour substitute for the finely ground almond flour in your Almond Cake Recipe do you think?
    Or if you have any advice on how to use the Chestnut flour to it’s best advantage.
    Thank you for any advice or links!
    Have a wonderful holiday and a very happy new year!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      December 23, 2019

      Hi Jane, I honestly haven’t tried working with chestnut flour so I’m not sure. I imagine if they are ground to the same consistency, that could work, but again, I haven’t tried that.

      Reply

  • Suzanne
    December 16, 2019

    This recipe looks great! Do you think it would make a good sponge layer for a trifle with lemon curd and a little lemonchello? Berries and cream will be the other layers as well. Looking for a gf alternative to my trifle which uses a pound cake.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      December 16, 2019

      Hi Suzanne, that is a great question! I have not tested that but I imagine it may work. If you experiment I would love to know how you like that.

      Reply

  • Jo Warburton
    November 17, 2019

    I had lots of pears from our tree so I added little pieces of butter, a little brown sugar and sliced pears to the bottom of the springform pan and then made as directed. Delicious!! Thank you Natasha!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      November 18, 2019

      That’s so great, Jo! Thank you for that awesome review!

      Reply

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