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.
Hey! Can I add a swirl of sugar free marmalade before cooking or will it ruin the batter?
Hi Carol, this should be fine as long as the marmalade is nice and thick, and just swirled (not mixed) into the batter. Let us know how you go!
Sounds very nice being celiac I can eat this cake.
I may of missed the oven cooking time for this cake.
Thanks for sharing..
Hi Wendy- it’s step one of the instructions 🙂
Can this be doubled ,I need to use it for a small wedding cake.
Thanks
Hi Sandy- it can! It isn’t a very thick cake, so doubling it will be fine. Just increase the baking time by about 10 minutes (if using the same size pan) and continue baking in 2-3 minute increments until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
so…looks great, but can I substitute packed light brown sugar for the granulated white sugar?
That’s totally fine Cheryl! Either of those types of sugar will work for this recipe.
Oh boy, I just realized I’m very low on sugar (may have 1/4 cup) but DO have light brown sugar…. can I use that following your recipe? I also just commented on a tip from another person from April 4th saying she added 1tsp vanilla extract and then splashes of milk, in a particular order. Was thinking to do the same.
First time baking this…but looks good! I REALLY do want to add the sliced almonds so thinking I can wait until Monday AM and see if I can be blessed with the monies to buy the nuts. I’ve got the confectioner’s sugar.
BTW, my son Anthony graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. He happens to be in Florida right now but coming home tomorrow late afternoon I do believe – so baking this for him too as “welcome home!”. He may have news he is taking the job he is interviewing for in-person/in-Florida…. 🙏😊it rather depends on if the offer is more than enuf/worth what it would be to make a HUGE move from CT to FL with himself, me, and 4 birds – and all the house stuff – not to mention the income level from prior “private” job which he would like to maintain. Of course, this all depends on if he is even offered the job…I am in the “dark” up here in CT!
Hi Cheryl! Yes, you can absolutely use light brown sugar- it will just give the cake a slightly deeper, caramel-like flavor, and a little more moisture, which actually sounds delicious! 🙂 And the vanilla extract and little splashes of milk tip should work nicely too- just add the milk gradually so the consistency stays right. The sliced almonds would be a lovely addition if you’re able to grab them Monday, but they’ll still turn out beautifully every way. And how special to make this as a ‘welcome home’ bake for Anthony!
Congrats to him on graduating from CIA Hyde Park- HUGE accomplishment 🙂
I’ll be hoping good news comes from the Florida interview- that is definitely a huge life decision with such a big move involved.
hi, this looks great. confirming there is no butter or oil in the cake.
Hi there! Correct- what you see is what you get 🙂
Hi,
This recipe looks amazing! I am trying to make a smaller portion. Serving size of 6. Would you recommend making it in a loaf pan? Any other recommendations. Thank you!!
Hi Geet! I’d recommend baking it in a circular pan if you plan on scaling it down. It bakes best that way, especially if it’s a springform pan. I did test this out in a loaf pan and it didn’t have the correct structure.
Thank you! Appreciate your prompt reply!!
I love this recipe and have made it several times, but I’ve had to make a couple tweaks. When I make it as-is, for some reason I don’t have enough liquid ingredients (perhaps I am too heavy handed on the almond flour??). What I’ve done is added 1 tsp vanilla extract to the egg/sugar mixture, and after adding the almond flour and lemon zest, I added a few splashes of milk. This created a better consistency for me when I folded in the egg whites – if I just follow the recipe as-is, for some reason the texture is a bit like wet sand. The added vanilla extract and milk make it fluffier at the end. Just wanted to offer those adjustments if anyone is having the same problem.
Thanks for sharing, Nina. Hmm, are you measuring the almond flour correctly? It shouldn’t be too thick, but the batter is also not like a typical cake batter. I’m glad the changes you are making do help with the consistency, and it’s super helpful for others who might find themselves in the same position 🙂
I experienced a similar batter consistency issue – it was too thick. I added almond milk, a teaspoon at a time, probably totaling about 2 tablespoons. This improved it significantly. I also enjoyed the cake as is, without frosting and still with a good level of sweetness.
Thanks for sharing, Katherine 🙂 Good thinking on the addition of almond milk 🙂
Every guest loves this cake. I use a 9” cake pan lined with parchment paper. (USA cake pans are heavy duty and bake really beautifully.) To get a cake like the photo using the 9” pan, a double recipe is perfect. This is the cake pre- powdered sugar.
file:///var/mobile/Library/SMS/Attachments/42/02/4FF533C6-8EB0-42D3-A492-EE034A9E3AF0/IMG_4003.HEIC
Julie- Thank you so much for sharing your lovely comment and review with me. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Unfortunately the photo isn’t loading for me- do you want to email it to me? I’d love to see it 🙂 arman@thebigmansworld.com
This is such an easy cake to make! In my opinion, this doesn’t need powdered sugar, but the next time I’ll add a little.
Made this dessert for Passover & was a hit! Literally none left!
Baked it for 25 mins and turned out well.
Thank you for sharing this cake recipe!
Oh I hear you, Lonnie. When testing this recipe, I was umming and aahing about the powdered sugar topping, but did it just for aesthetics 🙂
I’m so glad it was a hit for passover and that everyone enjoyed it- thank you for taking the time to leave a lovely review and rating.
Overall it is a very good recipe. Few comments-
It was a challenge to fold egg whites to the flour mixture. I baked for 30 min and felt it was over baked, I guess it is my oven. I also added Trader Joe’s freeze dried blueberries on top with the almonds. I used monk sweetener, didn’t fill it to 1/2 cup and found it too sweet for me. Will make adjustments next time. Thank you for sharing this 😉
Hi Maria! No worries at all, glad you enjoyed it. Yes, folding in the whites is challenging with almond flour, but it still bakes up beautifully. If it felt overbaked, I actually think it’s more the monk fruit sweetener, which is notorious for needing less cooking time compared to regular sugar. Let me know what you think with your second bake! 🙂
Would you please provide the weight of the almond flour? Also, there’s no baking powder or baking soda? Thanks.
Correct, no leavening agents Janice- it’s what gives the cake it’s light and airy texture. You’ll need 150g of almond flour for this recipe 🙂
I didn’t have lemon so tried orange zest, it was amazing. Next time… lemon. Thanks for a great recipe.
You are so welcome, Mary. I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe 🙂
oh goodness I’m glad I saw this! I have ZERO lemon but several nice oranges…so I could substitute.?
Yes, absolutely Cheryl. Any citrus will work well for this cake. Let me know how you go!
Can sugar be substituted for maple syrup? Thank you.
Hi Helen, yes, that should be ok! You might only need about a 1/3 cup of it though. The syrup will also add a little extra moisture too, so just keep an eye on the consistency of your batter. Let us know how you go!
Have you made this recipe using cupcake pans? If not, thoughts on using cupcake pans? I would like to make smaller versions. Thank you!
Hi C! I haven’t, but several other readers have. If you use cupcake pans, fill them up to the top and ensure the pan is greased generously. I’d also check on them around the 17 minute mark! Let me know how you go!
Lovely cake with a nice crumb for flourless.
I made an apricot glaze for the top.
LOVE the addition of an apricot glaze on top. Apricot and almond flour pair so well together 🙂
Hi Arman or Lisa, I like the idea of an apricot glaze. Do you trickle it on top of the almonds once cooked or do you skip the almonds? Kind regards, Sonya
Skipped the almonds