For any occasion, this almond cake is the ideal treat. For afternoon tea, serve it simply; for the holidays, garnish it with fresh fruit and whipped cream. It just takes seven basic components, plus an unidentified substance that adds a delightfully pure almond taste.
I adore a straightforward cake without an excessive amount of sweetness or excessive ingredient count. And that’s the main goal of this recipe for almond cake! Depending on how you top it up (I’ve included a few suggestions below), this is the kind of cake you can eat anytime, anyplace. To put this almond cake in perspective, it resembles a Tarta de Santiago cake, which is a Spanish almond cake. Unlike my Chocolate Strawberry Cake, which highlights the natural, mildly sweet flavor of almonds, this recipe does not call for the addition of lemon juice or zest to the ingredients. Call me a purist, but I want the flavor of toasted, earthy, and nutty almonds in my almond cake!
ALMOND CAKE INGREDIENTS
- Dry Ingredients: Almond paste or freshly ground almonds are used in various recipes. However, to keep things straightforward, using less ingredients and finely powdered almond flour produces the same outcome. You’ll also need baking soda and a little teaspoon of kosher salt.
- Eggs: It is advisable to use room temperature eggs for baking purposes. They will mix in more easily with the batter, aid in the cake’s correct rising, and give it a texture that is just a little bit fluffier.
- Sweetener: For this recipe, you may use either honey or maple syrup. For me, maple syrup tastes better since it has a smoother texture overall, whereas honey slightly thickens the texture.
- Almond extract with vanilla extract: Almond extract offers sweetness and is a crucial component. However, I strongly advise adding almond extract if you want to intensify the almond taste even further.
- Toppings: For the last touch of almond flavor, place sliced almonds on top of your cake. Additionally, sprinkling it with powdered sugar can make it look amazing if you have the time.
HOW TO MAKE ALMOND CAKE
Oil the pan. Set the oven’s temperature to 175°C/350°F. Grease a springform pan or 9-inch cake pan from bottom to top. For simpler removal, you may also cover the pan’s bottom with parchment paper.
Blend the dry components. Mix the baking soda, salt, and almond flour in a large mixing basin.
Blend moist ingredients. Whisk the eggs, honey, almond extract, and vanilla extract in a separate medium dish.
Mix the ingredients together. After adding the wet ingredients to the dry, mix everything until a cake batter is formed.
Work on the cake. After adding the batter to the buttered pan, sprinkle the almond slices on top. To ensure a clean toothpick comes out, bake for 30 minutes. After the cake has cooled for fifteen minutes in the pan, take it out and let it cool fully on a wire rack.
ALMOND CAKE TOPPINGS
- Traditional Garnish: I like to add more sliced almonds and powdered sugar on top of this cake. It’s tasteful, sophisticated, and ideal for afternoon tea or brunch.
- Fruity Topping: You can dress this up a bit for the holidays by putting pieces of fresh fruit on top of each slice of coconut whipped cream.
INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS & MODIFICATIONS
- switching up the sugar. Remind yourself that in baking, the dry-to-wet ratio is very important. You can simply replace the maple syrup in this recipe—which I made using a liquid sweetener—with honey, date syrup, or liquid erythritol for a ketogenic alternative. However, you’ll need to change the ratio if you’re using granulated sugar, either by increasing the amount of wet components or decreasing the amount of dry ingredient.
- Incorporate a tinge of citrus. For a brighter flavor, you may always eliminate the almond extract and use the zest of lemon or orange instead.
- a substitute for almond flour. Almond flour, crushed almonds, or even almond paste are needed for the basis of a typical almond cake. If almond flour is unavailable, hazelnut flour can be used 1:1. Regretfully, alternative flours may not always be a perfect match and may need to be adjusted to obtain the ideal proportion.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Which almond flour is the best for almond cake?
I adore using Bob’s Red Mill almond flour (found in the ingredients section below). However, as long as the flour is blanched and very fine, any brand will function.
Can you freeze almond cake?
You won’t believe there are any leftovers (yep, it’s that good). However, leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for up to a week when kept in an airtight container. After it’s fully cooled, cover it securely in two pieces of plastic wrap and freeze for up to three months if you’d want to keep it longer.
MORE EASY CAKE RECIPES
- Chocolate Strawberry Cake
- Nutella Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Strawberry Cake
- JAPANESE STRAWBERRY SPONGE CAKE
ALMOND CAKE
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
- ¼ cup powdered sugar optional
Instructions
- Oil the pan. Set the oven’s temperature to 175°C/350°F. Grease a springform pan or 9-inch cake pan from bottom to top. For simpler removal, you may also cover the pan’s bottom with parchment paper.
- Blend the dry components. Mix the baking soda, salt, and almond flour in a large mixing basin.
- Blend moist ingredients. Whisk the eggs, honey, almond extract, and vanilla extract in a separate medium dish. After that, mix the wet and dry ingredients and whisk until a cake batter is formed.
- Work on the cake. After adding the batter to the buttered pan, sprinkle the almond slices on top. To ensure a clean toothpick comes out, bake for 30 minutes. After the cake has cooled for fifteen minutes in the pan, take it out and let it cool fully on a wire rack.
- Serve the cake with the easy almond topping of slices, or add a dusting of powdered sugar if desired.
Notes
- Please read the blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.