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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 this recipe! I dropped a ricotta, vanilla, & monk fruit sweetened mixture before sprinkling the almonds (because I needed to use the ricotta). Worked beautifully!
Listen, I’m not a big man, but I know a good cake when I eat it. This was excellent. Pro tip from a small man: 1 cup of diced strawberries layered between 2 layers of batter, then topped with a few strawberries and Trader Joe’s coconut almonds crushed with a refried bean can (fat free, also Trader Joe’s) is a nice adaptation. Bake for a few minutes longer than the big man recipe.
Doubled the recipe and made the mistake of dividing the batter into two pans. The cakes were very flat. They look sad. I haven’t tasted yes and are probably fine, but they don’t look great. I suggest doubling and putting all the batter in one pan to get a thicker cake.
This seemed too good to be true – so few ingredients and ready in 30 minutes!!! But to my great surprise, it is EXCELLENT! I just whipped it up before work – it’s that quick….and I had a small piece with tea. So good! Not too sweet and the lemon zest really shines! 5 Stars!
I made this for a quick bday dessert and it was SO delicious! I was wondering if the next time I made it, the cake would be stable enough if I stacked & iced 2-3 layers, or if it’s too light & moist and would have structural issues?
Hmmm, I think it could work- But I’d bake them in a smaller baking pan.
Watched video after baking and saw you used confectioners sugar. Recipe just says sugar.
I made this without watching video. Your recipe says “sugar” but your video shoes confectioners sugar in the mix. Makes a big difference I’d think in batter consistency. Maybe clarify which to use?
Can you simply add cocoa powder to make this chocolate?
I haven’t tried- feel free to experiment and see 🙂
Best almond flour cake ever!
I have to 2nd attempt with the exact ingredients and I must day, parang, delicious. The picture posted does not do it justice. Thank you
Made this with stevia instead of sugar for dessert after a meal with my in laws, who do not eat low carb and they had no idea it was healthy! This almond flour cake is delicious and it’s pretty enough to serve to guests!
So glad it worked!
Just made this and thought there is no way this will work but it came together perfectly and was a big hit at my house…thank you !!
Are you magic or something? I’ve only recently started making your recipes and they are great! Too good to be true! I think “I’m not too sure this will work out” but it does and tastes fabulous! Simple and easy to follow and I don’t have to travel world wide for the ingredients 🤪 Certainly helps to keep us on a low carb diet. Thanks!
Thank you
Loved this heavenly cake recipe !
i tweaked the recipe (bcz i had only 3 uncooked eggs in hand and i wanted to have this cake RN :D)
1 cup almond floor, 3 eggs seperated, a little less than 1/2 cup brown sugar. and it worked like magic !!
I love all your recipes 😍
This recipe is absolutely awesome and I love making it for my friend who has to have gluten-free.I’ve even adjusted the recipe a little bit by swirling some apricot jam on the top of the batter.Anyway with all that said I have made this many times but the last two times I have had a terrible time trying to get it out of the pan…can I use Bakers Joy or PAM baking spray ? Time before last I used butter to grease the whole pan.. it stuck…so today I used Crisco shortening and it stuck a bit …please advise ..I would appreciate it …thank you very much
Hi Diane! Wow, apricot jam sounds fab. I typically use cooking spray and its fine- I also use a springform pan which makes the removal even easier 🙂
Get a silicone pan. Nothing sticks, so easy to clean. Just sit it on a metal tray.