Almond Flour Cake
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This almond flour cake is so light and fluffy that you won’t believe how easy it is to make. With just four ingredients, it’s easy and elegant!
Love almond flour recipes? Try my almond flour brownies, almond flour cookies, and almond flour muffins.
Using almond flour instead of wheat flour for cakes completely transforms the texture. It yields a lighter, crumb, and fluffier texture and doesn’t leave you feeling heavy or bloated afterward. My classic almond flour cake recipe is a dessert staple in my home, and I have no doubt it will be in your home too!
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- It’s made with just 4 key ingredients, making it such an easy dessert to make.
- Everything is mixed in one bowl, so there is virtually no clean up required.
- It’s easily made, low-carb, and/or sugar-free, making it a fabulous keto dessert. No sugar and no grains are needed, but you’d never tell.
- The texture is light, fluffy, and with a gorgeous crumb. It’s sweet and with a slight lemon flavor, without being overpowering.
Ingredients needed
- Almond flour. You must use blanched almond flour. While almond meal can work, it won’t yield a soft and moist crumb.
- Eggs. room temperature and separated.
- Sugar. White or brown sugar works or sugar substitutes, like allulose. If you use brown sugar or coconut sugar, expect your cake to be darker in color.
- Lemon zest. grated from a fresh lemon. Do not use dried or freeze-dried lemon.
- Powdered sugar and sliced almonds. It’s optional, but it makes a fabulous garnish and looks pretty, too!
How to make an almond flour cake
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Make the batter. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick and creamy. Add the almond flour and lemon zest and fold through until incorporated. Next, in a separate mixing bowl, beat together the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter until combined.
Step 2- Transfer the batter to a greased cake pan. If using almonds, add them on top of the cake.
Step 3- Bake for around 30 minutes or until the top is golden and firm.
Step 4- Cool in the pan for 20 minutes before carefully inverting it onto a large plate. Once cooled to room temperature, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Do not over-bake the cake, as it continues to cook as it is cooling down.
- Be sure to use flaked/sliced almonds to top the cake, not whole almonds. The latter will sink into the batter while it is cooking.
- Your cake must be cooled completely before flipping it, or else you risk the cake falling apart.
- If you’d like to make a thicker cake (as pictured), use a 7-inch or 8-inch cake pan. If you prefer a thinner cake (like the video in the recipe card), use a 9-inch cake pan.
Dietary swaps and variations
- Make it keto-friendly. Use a sugar substitute, like allulose or brown sugar substitute.
- Add some frosting. Spread a light layer of cream cheese or vanilla frosting.
- Make it without eggs. Instead of egg whites and egg yolks, try one of these egg substitutes.
- Add anise extract. Some traditional almond flour cakes have this in their ingredients, so add 1/2 teaspoon.
- Add some coconut flavor. Add some coconut extract and shredded coconut flakes for some added texture and flavor.
Storage instructions
To store: Leftover cake can be stored at room temperature, covered, for up to 1 week. If you’d like it to keep longer, you can store it in the refrigerator.
To freeze: Place the cake in a shallow container and store it in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Unlike other flours, almond flour is the most similar to cake or wheat flour. You can substitute cake flour with almond flour on a cup-to-cup basis.
Almond flour doesn’t make cakes moist, but it yields a lighter and fluffier texture. The milk, eggs, and/or liquid ingredients, in combination with butter or oil, affect how moist a cake is.
No, you cannot substitute the almond flour with coconut flour. They both have different baking properties. If you’d like a cake with coconut, try making a coconut flour cake.
More baking with almond flour
Almond Flour Cake (4 Ingredients!)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 4 large eggs separated
- 1/2 cup sugar * See notes
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds optional
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease an 8-inch cake pan and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg yokes and sugar until thick and creamy. Mix in your almond flour & lemon zest until incorporated. In a separate bowl, beat together your egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Fold through your egg whites until combined. Transfer the cake mixture into the greased cake pan and top with sliced almonds.
- Bake the cake for 30 minutes or until tender on top. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes before carefully transferring it onto a plate and sprinkling with powdered sugar.
Love it!
Hi
Made this cake very often however today just made again , but the eggs whites did not make peeks :(((((((
Do not why I put it in anyway , will see what comes out ?
That’s so odd! It probably won’t be as light and fluffy but should still work out.
Absolutely loved this cake!! Wonderful tasting treat with minimal ingredients.
First time I made it and exactly as recipe says.
After reading so many comments I can’t wait to make it again with orange zest.
Thank you for sharing
When you beat egg whites, your bowl and mixing blades must not have any fat / oil residue on them, or whites will not peak.
Great recipe for gluten free and dairy free friends. The bowl in which the room temperature egg whites are beaten should be stainless steel, no oil of any kind and no egg yoke bits. The whites will rise up with soft peaks, but don’t overbeat.
This is my daughter’s favorite cake and I make it everytime she comes home from college and its become our little tradition. Thank you Arman for your recipe and your other ones, too.
Thank you for your lovely comment Janet- I’m so glad it’s a cake your daughter enjoys and thank you for making it for her!
the cake is light and moist and low carb we like it a lot
I use orange zest instead of lemon and it truly makes it divine.
I used honey instead of sugar, and it still turned out well. Thank you!
Hi, how much honey did you use? Thanks!
How much honey did you use?
Thank you for sharing this. I used honey and almond extract instead of sugar and lemon zest as that’s what I had. It’s baking now and smells divine. Looking forward to having this as a healthy alternative to cake.
We tried this and it was delicious. Replaced lemon with orange zest and added almond slivers in the batter. Still can’t belive there is a healthy cake I can enjoy at breakfast. Thank you! The only drawback is that it’s almost impossible to not eat the whole cake on day one.
Hi!
I was looking for a cake that had healthier ingredients but still fluffy and moist for my daughter bday cake. I was going to use this recipe and layer it with the proper structure of dowles and cake boards. However, do you think it will hold the weight of a whipped cream frosting? If not, do you have a recipe that you use for bday cakes?
Hi Melissa- this isn’t a cake I’d suggest frosting or layering or decorating. It’s best enjoyed as is, and it quite light in texture. If you want an almond flour based cake for this, try my almond flour chocolate cake instead.
Such a healthy recipe really. I like it.
Wonderful cake! I cut the recipe in half for a mini cake and it worked well. Thanks!!
Love to hear that!!
This is the best almond flour cake recipe EVER!
Would a little almond extract taste good added to this?
You definitely can, Beverly- I like to keep it as is, but if you like almond flavor, it definitely will be evident if you add some. 🙂
Worked really well! I made it vegan with flax eggs as recommended, and the texture and flavor was great. The powdered sugar and almonds on top really made it.
I just made this and it is soo delicious, I might cook mine for a min less next time. I used light brown sugar but next time might try coconut sugar
Thank you!!
Works well….. Tastes good. Do you think it would be possible to include dates in recipe, or would it all be too heavy? Any thoughts?