The best flour-less almond cake recipe ever! It’s gluten-free, with a fantastic light texture, and it doesn’t even need any oil or butter. Best of all, you only need 5 ingredients to make it!
Easy Gluten-Free Almond Cake Recipe
When my family gets together for holidays, birthdays, or just because, everyone chips in and brings a dish. It’s usually a given that my cousin Nina will bring dessert. At one family party, Nina brought this healthy almond cake and I couldn’t get over how delicious it was. The original almond cake recipe comes from baking goddess Dorie Greenspan’s cookbook, Baking Chez Moi. The only changes I made to Dorie’s recipe were reducing the sugar and egg yolks. It is perfection!
Why You’ll Love This Almond Cake
- Short ingredient list. With only 5 ingredients (plus berries and powdered sugar for topping), you might have almost everything to make this cake in your pantry already!
- Simple. Don’t let the long list of instructions scare you! This cake is very easy to make.
- Moist and fluffy. Beating the egg whites and gently folding them in ensures a moist almond cake with a light texture.
- Lightened up. Since almond flour has more fat than regular flours, there’s no need to add oil or butter. One slice has 179 calories, three grams of fiber, seven grams of protein, and only 17 grams of carbs! Not to mention, it’s gluten-free and dairy-free.
- Perfect any time of the day. This simple almond cake with berries not only makes a great dessert, but it also works for breakfast since it’s not super sweet.
- Passover friendly. This cake doesn’t use any flour or leavening.
What You’ll Need
With a short list of pantry ingredients, this almond cake is perfect for making on a whim! Scroll down to the recipe card below for exact measurements.
- Eggs – You’ll need three egg yolks and six egg whites at room temperature.
- Sugar – Measure 2/3 cups of sugar and scoop out two tablespoons. Set aside the two tablespoons of sugar to mix in with the egg whites later.
- Vanilla extract – For a slightly different take on this recipe, swap the vanilla for almond extract.
- Salt – A pinch of sea salt adds balance.
- Almond flour or almond meal – I don’t recommend subbing all-purpose flour or any other kind. (For more desserts with almond flour, try my Cheesecake Brownies, Fudgy Flourless Crinkle Brownie Cookies, and Chocolate Zucchini Brownies.)
- Berries – Use a mix of fresh berries.
- Powdered sugar – It’s optional, but I love to dust the cake with powdered sugar. It adds a little extra sweetness and looks pretty!
Almond Meal vs. Almond Flour: What’s the Difference?
Almond flour is made by finely grinding blanched almonds, while almond meal is made from almonds that still have their skins intact—almond meal is also ground, but slightly less finely. In some recipes, almond meal and almond flour are not interchangeable, but in this almond cake recipe, either option will work.
How to Make Almond Cake
Here’s a quick overview of the steps involved in making this gluten-free almond cake. See the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
- Prepare. Place a rack in the middle of the oven while it preheats to 350°F. Coat a spring form pan with nonstick spray, then line it with parchment paper and lightly flour it.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Whisk the egg yolks and all but two tablespoons of the sugar for about a minute, or until the yolks lighten in color. Add the vanilla and salt; whisk again.
- Beat the whites. Use a stand mixer with the whisk attachment to beat the egg whites on medium speed for a minute until they are opaque and fluffy. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar and beat until the whites hold medium peaks.
- Finish the batter. Stir a quarter of the egg whites into the yolk mixture. Scrape the remaining whites and half of the almond flour into the yolks. Partially fold the whites into the yolks; when the mixture has only a few streaks of white, gently fold in the rest of the almond flour.
- Bake. Pour the batter into the pan, then bake for 35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and springs back when touched.
- Cool. Let the almond cake cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Run a knife along the edges of the pan and invert it onto the rack. Remove the sides and bottom, then peel off the parchment. Turn the cake right side up to finish cooling.
- Serve. Dust the almond cake with powdered sugar, slice it, and serve with fresh berries.
Tips and Variations
- Using another sweetener. There were many questions in the comments about substituting monk fruit for granulated sugar. I’ve never tried it, so I don’t know how it’ll work but my guess is, it should be fine. If you make the swap, comment below to let me know how it goes! Also, some people said they had luck with Swerve granular sugar replacement.
- Add citrus zest. Change the flavor of this almond cake by adding orange or lemon zest to the batter.
- No springform pan? A regular nine-inch round cake pan will work if you don’t have a springform pan.
- More topping ideas. Use whatever kind of berries you have. It can be only one kind or a mix of raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries. Fresh peaches and nectarines would also be tasty if they’re in season.
Proper Storage
- Room temperature/fridge. Almond flour cake can sit on the counter without the berries for 3 days before refrigerating. (It stays moist for days!) You can then refrigerate it for a couple more days.
- Freeze. You can freeze this almond cake for up to 3 months. Slice the cake, wrap each piece in foil, and store them in a big zip-locked bag. Thaw the cake in the refrigerator or microwave it straight from frozen to eat.
More Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes You’ll Love
Yield: 12 servings
Serving Size: 1 /12th
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Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
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Grease a 9-inch spring form pan with nonstick spray, line with parchment paper, and flour (use almond meal or a gluten-free all purpose flour blend to keep the cake gluten-free).
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In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and all but 2 tbsp of the sugar. Whisk until the yolks become thick and pale in color, about 1 minute. Whisk in the vanilla extract and the salt and set aside.
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In the bowl of a standard electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or a bowl with a hand mixer), beat the 6 egg whites on medium speed until they become opaque, about 1 minute.
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Sprinkle in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, and continue to beat the egg whites until they hold medium peaks.
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With a flexible rubber spatula, stir in about 1/4 of the egg whites to the egg yolk mixture (no need to be gentle here). Scrape the remaining egg whites over the yolks, and about half of the almond flour.
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Gently fold them into the yolks, but only partially.
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While the mixture still has a few streaks of white left, add the remaining almond flour and fold in, folding until you have a homogeneous batter. Be gentle!
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Pour the batter into the prepared pan and shimmy until the batter is level.
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Bake the cake for about 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and springy to the touch. Let the hot cake cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then run a butter knife along the edges of the cake pan.
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Invert the cake pan onto the rack, remove the sides and bottom, and peel away the parchment paper. Turn the cake right side up and allow to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar, cut into 12 slices and serve with fresh berries.
Last Step:
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Serving: 1 /12th, Calories: 179 kcal, Carbohydrates: 17 g, Protein: 7 g, Fat: 11 g, Saturated Fat: 2 g, Cholesterol: 47 mg, Sodium: 39 mg, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 13 g
