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
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.
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!
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
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Andrea! Thank you for the wonderful review!
I tried this cake.It turned out incredible.My favorite almond cake receipt so far
Super! Thanks for your amazing review and feedback. I love it!
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!
That’s so great, Vee! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
I only have almond meal. Would that work with this cake?
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.
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 !!!!
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.
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 🥰
Thanks for sharing that with us. I’m so happy that you enjoyed this recipe!
Can I make this ahead and put in the freezer? Thanks Natasha for all your delicious recipes.
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.
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.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Tan!
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?
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,
Look forward to making this cake. You are so enjoyable to watch.
I’m excited for you to try this out. I hope you love it!
Thank you so much for this recipe! It was simple to make yet delicious!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that, Maddy!
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?
Hi Caroline, I haven’t tested that in a tart pan to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
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.
That is awesome, Martha. Thank you for sharing that with us and for your nice feedback. Appreciate the support!
Made the first time today and happy with it. Next time will make two layers and use lemon curd between the layers
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
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.
What a great comment and feedback. Thank you for sharing your experience with this recipe Janet!
This is almost exactly the king arthur recipe for almond flour cake…
Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
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!
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.
Absolutely delicious! So light and airy. I can’t wait to try your other recipes!
Can’t wait for you to try this Jacqueline. Hope you love it!
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.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
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.
hello Natasha,
Can I use a sugar substitute instead of regular sugar? My husband is diabetic but loves his desserts.
Thank you
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.
I tried it with stevia and the cake came out amazing!
Love it!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
That’s so great, Jo! Thank you for that awesome review!