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This easy Almond Flour Cake is so light and fluffy, delicately flavoured with lemon and vanilla without being too sweet. Topped with flaked almonds, its the perfect addition to an afternoon tea. And it’s naturally gluten free and grain free!
What you need to know at-a-glance:
- Why choose this recipe? This almond flour cake is gluten and grain free. It’s super light and fluffy and not overpoweringly sweet, with subtle lemon, almond and vanilla flavours. Keep it simple or ice it how you like!
- Goes The Egg-stra Mile: How do you get this almond flour cake to rise so beautifully? The trick is in taking the step to separate the eggs and whip up the egg whites. You won’t regret it, it makes this cake so light and fluffy.
- Flour of choice: This recipe is specifically designed for gluten free almond flour. If you want to use a plain gluten free flour, check out my other cake recipes.
- Want more almond flour recipes? Try my easy Almond Flour Chocolate Cookies recipe next. A great way to use up any extra flour you may have!
Ingredients and Substitutions
The full quantities are in the recipe card below but here are some notes on the main ingredients, and ideas for any swaps including making this cake dairy free.
- Almond Flour: Ensure you use fine almond flour, not ground almonds (almond meal). You can find this in health food shops but be sure to double check for ‘may contain’ warnings for gluten. I buy the Holland and Barrett one which is gluten free.
Eggs: I use large UK eggs which would be XL eggs in the US. - Caster Sugar: Use superfine sugar in the US.
- Butter: I used unsalted butter and add a pinch of salt. If using salted butter, omit the extra salt. For a dairy free recipe use a vegan butter / margarine like Stork.
- Lemon: You can add extra lemon zest for a stronger lemon flavour, or use the juice to make lemon icing (follow the recipe in my gluten free lemon drizzle cake for this)
- Baking Powder: Always ensure your baking powder is gluten free.
- Flaked Almonds: I like to top my almond flour cake with a scattering of these and a dusting of icing sugar, but it’s entirely optional.
How to Make An Almond Flour Cake
There’s a printable recipe card below with the method. But here are some step-by-step photos to show you how easy it is to make this gluten free lemon and almond flour cake.
Preheat the oven to 180C / Fan 160C / 350F / Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a 20cm (8-inch) round cake tin and set to one side.
Separate the eggs into two separate mixing bowls. In a third bowl, mix the baking powder and almond flour.
Beat the egg whites using an electric mixer until you have stiff peaks. Add 1-2 tbsp of caster sugar and beat again until glossy.
In a separate bowl add the melted butter, caster sugar and lemon zest to the egg yolks. Beat with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy – around 1-2 minutes.
Add approx 1-2 tbsp of the egg white mixture to the egg yolks and beat together to loosen the mixture.
Pour in a third of the almond flour mix and then add a third of the beaten egg whites to the egg yolk mixture. Use a spatula or metal spoon to gently fold in, ensuring there are no loose lumps of flour.
Repeat again with another third of the flour and egg whites, and again until all the mixture is combined. Pour into the lined cake tin and gently smooth the top with a palette knife.
Sprinkle over the flaked almonds and then bake for 25-30 minutes until risen and golden brown on top. Leave on a cooling rack to cool before removing from the tin.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: Once completely cooled this cake can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.
TO FREEZE: Freeze this almond flour cake in slices, that way you can defrost whatever you fancy at room temperature before eating. Placing some parchment paper between the slices will stop them sticking together as they freeze!
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some FAQs about this easy almond flour cake recipe. If you can’t find the answer to your question here or in the post above, please comment and I’ll try answer!
Almond flour is made from blanched almonds which are very finely ground, so it is naturally gluten free. Some brands have a ‘may contain’ warning if they are manufactured where they could be cross contamination from gluten. I always recommend looking for an almond flour which is clearly labelled gluten free, especially if you have coeliac disease.
This almond flour cake rises beautifully thanks to whipping up the egg white, in the same way you would when making a pavlova. Although it adds an extra step it really does make a huge difference to the texture of the cake as it’s so light. Gluten free baking powder also helps with the rise.
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Preheat the oven to 180C / Fan 160C / 350F / Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a 20cm (8-inch) round cake tin and set to one side.
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Separate the eggs into two separate mixing bowls. In a third bowl, mix the baking powder and almond flour.
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Beat the egg whites using an electric mixer until you have stiff peaks. Add 1-2 tbsp of caster sugar and beat again until glossy.
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In a separate bowl add the egg yolks, melted butter, caster sugar and lemon zest. Beat with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy – around 1-2 minutes.
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Add approx 1-2 tbsp of the egg white mixture to the egg yolks and beat together to loosen the mixture.
-
Pour in a third of the almond flour mix and then add a third of the beaten egg whites to the egg yolk mixture. Use a spatula or metal spoon to gently fold in, ensuring there are no loose lumps of flour.
-
Repeat again with another third of the flour and egg whites, and again until all the mixture is combined. Pour into the lined cake tin and gently smooth the top with a palette knife.
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Sprinkle over the flaked almonds and then bake for 25-30 minutes until risen and golden brown on top. Leave on a cooling rack to cool before removing from the tin, dusting with icing sugar and serving.
- Storing and Freezing: This cake will keep for up to a week in an airtight container, or can be frozen. I recommend freezing it in slices.
- Weighing Scales vs Cups: You can toggle this recipe card to convert the ingredients into cups. However, I always recommend using weighing scales – these are cheap to buy and much more accurate. And in gluten free baking, a tiny variation can make a huge difference!
- Step-by-Step Photos: Check out the blog post above for step-by-step photos to show how to make this almond flour cake if you prefer a visual guide.
- Like this Recipe? It would mean SO much to me if you could leave a 5* review and a little comment telling people how much you enjoyed this Almond Flour Cake! It makes a huge difference in supporting my website, thank you xx
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 13g
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