This almond cake is the perfect dessert for any occasion. Serve it plain for afternoon tea, or top it with whipped cream and fresh fruit for the holidays. All you need are seven simple ingredients, plus a little secret addition that gives it that pure, delicious almond flavor.
Why You’ll Love This Almond Cake
I love a simple cake that’s not overly sweet or loaded with unnecessary ingredients. And that’s exactly what this almond cake is! It’s similar to a Tarta de Santiago (a classic Spanish almond cake), but instead of adding lemon juice or zest, this version really lets the almond flavor shine. Call me a purist, but I want my almond cake to taste like nutty, toasty, slightly sweet almonds! I also love that this dessert is:
- Naturally gluten-free. And you don’t need to blend several different flours. All you need is almond flour—that’s it!
- Completely foolproof. I’ve made this countless times, and it turns out perfectly every time.
- Perfect for any occasion. Because it’s simple and elegant, it’s perfect for any holiday, including Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving. But I also just love it for a tea and coffee cake in the morning.
Almond Cake Ingredients
- Dry Ingredients: While some recipes use almond paste or freshly ground almonds, I like to keep things simple with finely ground almond flour. That gives you the same delicious texture with less effort! You’ll also need baking soda and a pinch of kosher salt to balance everything out.
- Eggs: For best results, I always bring my eggs to room temperature. They mix more easily into the batter, help the cake rise properly, and give it a slightly lighter texture.
- Sweetener: You can use maple syrup or honey here. I personally prefer maple syrup since it creates a lighter texture, while honey makes the cake a bit denser.
- Vanilla and Almond Extract: Vanilla extract is a key ingredient and adds sweetness. But if you want to bump up the almond flavor, I highly recommend using almond extract as well.
- Toppings: Top your cake with sliced almonds and a dusting of powdered sugar for that final almond touch. Pro tip: You can make powdered sugar easily from any granulated sugar!
How To Make Almond Cake
First, grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch cake pan or springform pan. You can also line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper for easy removal (I love these parchment paper rounds!).
Mix dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, baking soda, and salt.
Mix wet ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
Combine the ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir them all together until they’re combined into a cake batter.
Bake the cake. Pour the batter into the greased pan and top with sliced almonds. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350°F (175°C), or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then remove it and let the cake cool completely on a wire rack.
Almond Cake Toppings
One of my favorite things about this cake is how easy it is to customize with toppings, depending on the occasion!
- Classic Topping: I love keeping it simple with extra sliced almonds and a light dusting of powdered sugar. It’s elegant and perfect for brunch or afternoon tea.
- Fresh & Fruity: For something a little more elevated, I’ll add a dollop of whipped cream or coconut whipped cream and top it with fresh berries like strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries. You can also macerate the berries with a little honey and lemon juice for extra flavor (just like I do in my panna cotta).
- Citrusy & Bright: A light lemon or orange glaze drizzled over the top adds a beautiful brightness that pairs so well with the almond flavor.
- Creamy & Indulgent: If I’m serving this for dessert, I love adding a spoonful of mascarpone, Greek yogurt, or lightly sweetened whipped cream with a drizzle of honey.
- Nutty & Textured: To really lean into the almond flavor, you can add toasted sliced almonds, chopped pistachios (my favorite), or even a drizzle of honey for a little extra crunch and richness.
Common Questions
The dry-to-wet ratio in baking is important. And since this recipe uses a liquid sweetener, you can easily swap maple syrup with honey, date syrup, or liquid erythritol for a keto-friendly option. If you want to use granulated sugar, you’ll need to adjust the liquid in the recipe accordingly.
A traditional almond cake requires almond flour, or a base made of ground almonds or even almond paste. If you can’t find almond flour, hazelnut flour works in a 1:1 substitution. Unfortunately, other flours are not usually an equal substitution and may require some tweaking to find the perfect ratio.
I love using Bob’s Red Mill almond flour (I’ve linked it in the ingredients below). But any brand will work as long as the flour is super fine and blanched. A super-fine almond flour will give you a soft, tender crumb, while coarser almond meal can make the cake feel a bit dense or gritty.
Storage
This almond cake is SO good that it’s rare to have leftovers. But if you do, you can store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. For longer storage, let it cool completely, then tightly wrap it, and freeze it for up to 3 months. It’s also a great make-ahead dessert!
More Gluten-Free Cake Recipes
- Gluten-Free Carrot Cake: I love the cream cheese frosting.
- Amazing Paleo Chocolate Cake: A true reader favorite.
- Flourless Chocolate Cake: The texture is so soft and unique!
- Berry Sheet Cake: Perfect for berry season.
- Lemon Blueberry Cake: So bright and lemony.
If you make this almond cake recipe, let me know how it turns out in the comments below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’d like to see more healthy food inspiration and exclusive content, join my free email community here.
Description
Video
Equipment
- Wood Cake Stand This is a gorgeous and timeless cake stand!
- 9-inch Springform Pan Springforms are always the best for easy cake recipes
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup maple syrup or honey
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract , optional but recommended
- ¼ cup sliced almonds, plus more for garnish
- Optional: powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Grease the pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch cake pan or springform pan. You can also line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper for easy removal.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix wet ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Then pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir together until combined into a cake batter.
- Bake the cake. Pour the batter into the greased pan and top with sliced almonds. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then remove and let the cake cool completely on a wire rack.
- Serve. Serve the cake with more sliced almonds and a dusting of powdered sugar, if you'd like.
Lisa’s Tips
- Storage tip: Store in the fridge for up to one week, or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Use finely ground almond flour: Blanched, super-fine almond flour will give you the best light and tender texture. Avoid almond meal, which can make the cake dense.
- Watch the bake time: Almond flour browns quickly, so keep an eye on the cake during the last few minutes to prevent over-browning.
Nutrition
©Downshiftology. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally posted August 2023, but updated to include new photos and information for your benefit!
This cake is so DELICIOUS!!!! It’s moist and I don’t know how, but it has a buttery taste to it. I can see why this gets eaten so quickly at your home! The only thing I did differently, was I put 2 tsps of Almond extract and 1 tsp of vanilla extract because I love that lovely almond taste. It’s also filling , satisfying even with a small slice. I will be serving this at family events. Thank you so much!!!!
Hi Kathleen – I’m so glad you love this almond cake!
I loved the cake, easy and delicious!
Thank you so much Lisa :-)
Hi Aime – Happy to hear you love this almond cake!
I want to make this recipe but I am confused about when to put the sliced almonds on the cake. If I put them on the cake before putting it in the oven, will they overcook? Thanks!
Hi Kim – You’ll sprinkle the almonds on top before baking!
So easy to make and delicious!
Happy you loved it, Lia!
Made this as an afternoon activity for me and my toddler. Super easy, and we both loved it! Didn’t have any slivered almonds, but we dusted it with powdered sugar.
Hi Erin – Happy to hear you both loved this almond cake!
Almond cake is a family favorite, but I’ve never thought of sweetening it with maple syrup. Will definitely try this week as I always have these ingredients on-hand!
Hi Jean – I hope you love this almond cake!
Excellent cake made in a minute! Thank you so much 😊
Happy you loved it, Florence!
I baked this in a tea loaf pan and served it on a Swedish almond cake plate. It was lovely, tasted divine. Just sweet enough, with a few berries and a dusting of powdered sugar over the top. Perfect for our 40th wedding anniversary tea!
Wonderful, I’m happy you loved it! And happy 40th anniversary as well!
Super delicious! If you’re a chocolate person, I highly recommend sprinkling some dark chocolate chips in before baking. I’ve also eaten this for breakfast as a kind of “coffee cake” (shhh, it’s heathy, right?)
Haha, it’s totally healthy. ;) So feel free to splurge on those chocolate chips!
Just made the Almond cake it’s baking in the oven now. I added some poppy seeds as well. Excited to see how it turns out. Recently gone gluten free after being dairy free for years. I’ve been making your recipes left and right and talking to all my friends about you and sharing your recipes. You have made my gluten free introduction so much enjoyable and it has allowed me to get in the kitchen more and have fun. Thank you! Looking forward to making many many more of your recipes.
Hope your almond cake turned out perfectly, Clark!
This cake is amazing! I made it for my school staff and next week I’m serving it at a baby shower for my first grandchild arriving in January. Love that I can offer a delicious gluten free dessert option.
Wonderful! I’m glad you’ve enjoyed serving it up for so many events. :)
Looks great. I want to try it but can I use stevia instead of the maple syrup? And if yes how much?
So easy to make, takes no time to mix together and very delicious. The cake came out very moist and flavorful. It’s going to be on my menu for sure.
Yay, I’m happy you loved this cake recipe, Marina!
I have a gluten free dairy free friend and I made this as her birthday cake. I did add cocoa powder to make it a chocolate cake (and added 1 more egg and a pinch of baking soda to compensate). It came out absolutely amazing. I was impressed that a cake with no gluten or dairy could come out being light and fluffy and not dense or dry at all. I will be making this one again.
Happy to hear this almond cake turned out great as a chocolate version with cocoa powder! Thanks for sharing, Ali.
I made this cake last week when we had friends over. It was super easy to make and it turned out delicious. Everyone loved it! I also shared the recipe with them. :) Thanks Lisa!
I’m glad everyone enjoyed it and thanks so much for sharing the recipe as well!
Loved this cake! Not too sweet, nice texture. I reduced the maple syrup by halving with unsweetened applesauce. I’ll definitely make this again!
thank you!
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe, Kim!
I made this cake and was not happy with the results. Ending up throwing it away. It was too dense and dry. I’m not sure how others said it was moist. How could it be moist without butter or oil? Did I miss something?
Hi Emma – the recipe has 4 eggs and 1/2 cup of maple syrup or honey. Did you swap in granulated sugar for the liquid sweetener?
WOW! This was a great cake! Texture and flavor were perfect. I’ll definitely be making this again!
I’m happy you loved it, Miranda!
can this be converted to cup cakes?
I haven’t tried it, but it could maybe work! If you try, let us know how it turns out :)
Yes! I always make a side cupcake when baking a cake to make sure it tastes good before serving it to people. My side cupcake came out great.
OMG can we give this girl a prize for the idea of the year… a side cupcake? How awesome of an idea is this?!
This cake is moist and delicious! It comes together quickly, perfect when your unexpected guests are 30 minutes away. Served with homemade vanilla ice cream. Yum!!!
I’m thrilled you loved it, Carol! And yes, it’s super easy to make. :)
The baking soda gives unpleasant smell. It is better to add lemon juice to soda before mixing with flour.
This recipe has been up for less than two weeks and I just made it for the third time. It’s the PERFECT cake to enjoy with some tea or coffee without being overly indulgent. (Although three cakes in two weeks might perhaps be overindulgent 😅). It’s not overly sweet, the texture is perfect. Lisa’s done it again!
Haha, thanks so much Anne-Marie! I don’t think that’s overindulgent, but perhaps I’m biased. ;) Enjoy!
Honestly, the easiest, most delicious cake I have ever made. Baked with fresh apricots and a hint of lavender
That sounds amazing with apricots and lavender! Glad you enjoyed this cake, Gillian!
I made this today and came up perfect! It’s not too sweet and the texture was just right. I will definitely do this again. Hubby loves it. Thanks Lisa for your recipes. There is no one that I made that didn’t come up well. You are the best!
You’re more than welcome! I’m happy you loved it!
So simple, yet so delicious. This was very easy and quick to make. Plus all ingredients I had on hand.
Happy to hear this cake was a cinch to make, Lisa!
I made this cake recipe with adding a bit of orange zest and it turned out delicious. The texture was just right! Highly recommend.
Glad this worked out great with orange zest!
It is soo soo good, I loved it, my husband loved it and my kids. It’s so simple to make, its got great ingredients and I just made it yesterday and its already more than half way done. Thank you so much for your recipes.
You’re more than welcome! I’m happy to hear the whole family loves this almond cake recipe. :)
I made this cake as part of a personal plan to have my cake, and eat it too, as I’m eating healthier (and I crave cake). I used half local honey/half 100% dark amber maple syrup as the sweetener. And I used honey roasted almond slivers, skipping the powdered sugar on top. My family LOVED IT! – saying the flavor is complex. It was wonderful with fresh berries and a dollop of canned whipped cream. My son said, you know Cake is good for breakfast! hahahaha – it is now on regular rotation in my home.
I fully agree with having your cake and eating it too – ha! Glad the whole family enjoyed it!
This was so simple and delicious. I added the almond extract as per the reciped and it really enhanced the overall outcome so I would definitely recommend doing that. I used maple syrup in mine as well. I like that it is not too sweet but that you can amp up the sweetness with the powdered sugar or other toppings if you like. It’s a really quick cake to put together and looks beautiful. I’m going to go have some for breakfast :)
Yes, it’s definitely not an overly sweet cake. Which makes it completely suitable for breakfast. ;) Enjoy!
One of the easiest and tastiest gluten free cakes I have made. This cake has a delightfully moist texture and it already has become a family favourite.
Wonderful! I’m happy you loved it, Judy.
Wonderful! Followed the recipe – was moist and delicious. Made three at the same time and all cooked evenly. So glad I made an extra to try before using the two I need. Had a few test slices today :)
It’s always good to have leftovers. ;)
Made this cake exactly like recipe using the organic maple syrup.
Tasted great. Topped with blueberries 🫐 and sprinkled powdered sugar.
Drizzled sweetened condensed milk.
Was yummy 😋
Sounds wonderful with the blueberries! Glad you enjoyed it, Sherry.
This came out great! It was super easy and a tasty cake without being overly sweet. I sliced it up to bring to work as my afternoon snack with some berries and it was great for that.
Awesome! So happy you loved it. :)
Nobody said anything about almond flour. Did they use it or use plain flour? I’d like to know. Sounds like a winner.
The recipe calls for almond flour.
I have made this recipe twice so far and both times it has been perfect. The cake is moist, flavourful, and absolutely delicious.
Thank you Lisa for another home run!
Yay, so happy you love it, Tiffany!
Dear Lisa,
I used the American measurements and the cake turned out amazing! My husband and I enjoyed it with some ice cream. Perfect dessert!
However, the metric in grams are not correct. I even compred with your book and almond flour is two times what you suggest in your book and what my scales say. I just ignored the metric but maybe you can adjust for other European Downshifters. 😊
Hi Marina – happy to hear this cake turned out beautifully! As for the metric measurements, thanks for catching that as sometimes our calculator can be a bit off.
Hi
I am eager to try this recipe! My ex m-i-l used to make one and I always loved it. Have the metric measurements been corrected? I prefer weighing when baking. Thanks!
Hi Susan – the metric measurements have been tweaked!
A simple straightforward recipe that is easy and quick to make! The taste is super delicious and the best part of it that it’s healthy!! The entire family loved it! 🤍
Wonderful! So happy the whole family loved it. :)
This cake is amazing. Will be my go to favorite. Will make again and again.
Woot! Love to hear that. :)
I made this cake today following the US measurements given, but the result was very compact. The batter was not runny but more like a dough, so I had difficulties putting it into the pan as it didn’t pour easily as shown in your video. Did I miss something, or is there maybe too much almond flour (should there be only one cup instead of two)? Thanks for your help!
Hi Sophie – unfortunately, I’m not quite sure what went wrong. But I know many others have made it with success recently. The batter should definitely be runny. And it is indeed two cups of almond flour.
Hi,
Is it moist ?
Thank you
Sally
Yes! As long as it’s not over-baked. :)
Really excellent!! This recipe is a keeper…thank you!
Glad you’re loving this almond cake recipe Isabelle!
I am not a professional chef/cook but enjoy baking and while the recipe is similar to many online, and to the one I bake, it is not MY recipe. It is a recipe from the Middle East, has been around for decades, so I think it is appropriate at the very least to acknowledge that this is YOUR VERSION of this famous cake.
Hi Grant, I do mention that this is a variation of the Tarta de Santiago cake in the post :)
Do you have an idea how I could make this cake vegan.
I haven’t tested this without an egg yet, but if you try a flax egg or anything like that, please let us know how it turns out!
Hi Lisa what can i substitute for eggs to make it vegan?
I haven’t tried this recipe with any egg substitutes yet. But if you do, let us know how it turns out!
I made it and feel the taste of baking soda.
Wondering if you meant baking powder since nothing acidic here. Thanks
I used baking soda. But if you prefer baking powder you can use that.
Thank you, unfortunately it’s dry to my taste
You can try baking it for a little less time if you find it’s dry.
I am allergic to almonds. Why is everything always with almonds flour? What is a good substitute because it sounds fantastic! Thanks.
I’ll be sure to test a nut-free flour cake!
Looks delicious! Happy to see it does not hae a ton of sugar too!
Hope you love it Eileen!
I made this today as soon as I saw the recipe. I realized I had all the ingredients and I definitely love almonds. It was quick and easy to make for sure. The taste is really good and the texture is perfect. My only complaint would be that it does taste a little eggy. But other than that I would definitely make this again. Thanks for the recipe.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Just made this cake and wow it was delicious! Left out the almonds/almond extract out of taste preference and didn’t have any vanilla extract but it was still amazing!
Glad this still worked out perfectly without the extracts!
Easy elegant delicious cake! Love the almond flavor and it has perfect amount of sweetness. I will be making this again.
Happy to hear you enjoyed this almond cake, Michelle!
Can this be made into muffins? If so, how long would you bake them for, and are there any other adjustments that need to be made? Thanks!
I’m sure it could be! I’d recommend following the time and instructions on my blueberry muffins recipe. :)
Can you make this vegan? Replace the eggs with flax eggs?
I haven’t tested this with flax eggs, but if you do, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Can you substitute Monkfruit sweetener for the honey?
Yes, that should be okay!