My Easy Gluten-Free Almond Cake is sure to impress! If you think that using a packet mix is the fastest way to make a cake, this recipe will absolutely change your mind. This is one of the easiest cake recipes ever, and it produces amazing results with a delicious almond flavour. It is deceptively simple – so quick to make that you can have it prepared by the time the oven pre-heats.
You will love this Gluten-Free Almond Cake because:
- It is quickly and easily made from ingredients that are readily available. In fact, you may already have them on hand.
- If you don’t need to eat gluten-free, you can use regular wheat flour.
- You have the satisfaction of knowing that you made it yourself and you know exactly what it contains; there are no artificial colours, flavours or other unnecessary additives.
- It is a versatile cake. Serve it with a dusting of icing/powdered sugar for tea or coffee, or dress it up with cream and berries and serve it for dessert.
Ingredients in this recipe:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
Butter – butter is an essential ingredient in baking; it provides flavour and a tender texture to baked goods. We use unsalted butter in this recipe, but lightly salted will work just fine.
Eggs – I use large free-range eggs. Ensure the eggs are at room temperature.
Gluten-free plain/all-purpose flour – I have used a commercial gluten-free blend. However, you can substitute regular all-purpose flour if you don’t need the Almond Cake to be gluten-free. Our gluten-free flour blends contain either xanthan or guar gum to stabilise and provide structure to our recipes. However, not all gluten-free flour blends are equal. It may take trial and error to find one which you like.
Caster/superfine sugar – I use caster/superfine sugar as the fine grains will dissolve more readily in this very simple cake method. You can use regular granulated sugar if you prefer.
Almond extract – it is the extract that gives the cake its very distinctive almond flavour. However, if you’re not fond of a pronounced almond flavour, you could reduce the amount of extract.
Flaked almonds – add the flakes to the top of the cake as decoration, to reinforce the almond flavour and provide textural contrast.
Icing/powdered sugar – a dusting of icing sugar adds a lovely finishing touch to the Almond Cake.
How to Make Gluten-Free Almond Cake:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
1 – Combine the eggs and butter:
Melt the butter and set it aside to cool.
In a stand mixer, or using hand-held electric beaters, beat the melted butter and eggs together.
2 – Add in the other ingredients:
Add the flour, sugar and almond extract and mix well.
3 – Put the cake mixture in your prepared tin:
Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top.
4 – Top with flaked almonds and bake:
Top the cake with flaked almonds.
Bake for 25 – 30 minutes until cooked. Allow the Gluten Free Almond Cake to cool completely in the tin.
Tips for success and FAQs:
You will love this super easy recipe for Gluten-Free Almond Cake. It is ideal for bakers of any skill set.
It is important to have the eggs at room temperature so they properly amalgamate in the batter. If you haven’t remembered to remove them from the fridge, you can remedy that. Place them in a bowl of warm water for a minute or two. Just ensure that the water is not too hot, or the eggs will begin to cook.
Like many gluten-free baking recipes, the cake is best on the day it is baked. However, it will keep for up to 3 days in a cool, dry location. If you prefer to freeze it, allow it to cool completely, and then wrap it twice in clingfilm to ensure it doesn’t suffer from freezer burn. The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months.
We have tried this substitution, and it is not successful. The almond meal produces a very dense, heavy cake.
Flaked almonds are finely sliced blanched almonds whereas sliced almonds are thicker, and the almond skin is left on. They have a different appearance and slightly different taste, but you could substitute them if you don’t have flaked almonds.
There is no leavening agent in this Gluten-Free Almond Cake so it does not rise a great deal, but it still turns out deliciously moist and flavoursome.
Yes, this cake works well with both regular and gluten-free plain/all-purpose flour.
Serving suggestions:
This Gluten-Free Almond Cake is extremely versatile; the uncomplicated flavours make it perfect to serve, just dusted with icing/powdered sugar, with a cup of tea or coffee.
The other side of its personality is that it can take on a sophisticated demeanour when served as a dessert. The almond flavour of the cake is complemented beautifully when accompanied by berries and whipped cream. Our Easy Strawberry Sauce is a great accompaniment.
I was given this recipe many years ago by a good friend, and I have been happily and gratefully making it ever since. You will find many ways to enjoy this lovely, easy cake.
Alex xx
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Gluten-Free Almond Cake
Please note:
For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results. All oven temperatures listed are for fan forced.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (125 g) butter – lightly salted or unsalted -melted
- 2 large eggs – at room temperature See Note 1
- 1 cup (150 g) gluten-free all-purpose/plain flour See Note 2
- 1 cup (220 g) superfine/caster sugar
- 2 teaspoon almond extract See Note 3
- 3 tablespoon (60 ml) flaked almonds See Notes 4 and 5
- a dusting of icing/powdered sugar – to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 Degrees C (355 F).
- Lightly grease a 20 cm (8-inch spring-form) cake pan and line the base with non-stick baking paper.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan or microwave in a glass bowl. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
- Using a stand mixer, a handheld electric mixer or a whisk, beat the eggs and butter together in a bowl. You can use the same bowl if you microwaved the butter.
- Add flour, sugar and almond extract and mix well.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, spread it evenly, and sprinkle flaked almonds over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick, placed into the centre of the cake, comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin. Transfer to a serving dish and dust with icing/powdered sugar if desired. Serve with whipped cream and berries.
Video
Notes
- Eggs: if you forget to remove your eggs from the fridge, you can bring them to room temperature by placing them in a bowl of warm water for 2 minutes. Just ensure that the water is not too hot or you will partially cook the eggs.
- Flour: we use a commercial all-purpose flour, made from a blend of naturally occurring gluten-free flours. Our gluten-free flour blends contain either xanthan or guar gum to stabilise and provide structure to our recipes. Not all gluten-free flour blends are equal. It may take trial and error to find one which you like.
- Almond extract: if you are not overly fond of a definite almond flavour, I suggest that you use half the amount of almond extract specified in the recipe.
- Flaked almonds: are finely sliced blanched almonds. They differ from sliced almonds which are almonds with the skin on and thicker sliced. You could, however, use them if you can’t find flaked.
- Tablespoon: we use a standard Australian tablespoon which is 20 ml (4 teaspoons).
- Serving: serves 6-8, depending on how big you like the slices to be and what the cake is served with. We find the cake serves 8 when served alongside berries and whipped cream.
- Storage: like many gluten-free baking recipes, the cake is best on the day it is baked. However, it will keep for up to 3 days in a cool, dry location. If you prefer to freeze it, allow it to cool completely, and then wrap it twice in clingfilm to ensure it doesn’t suffer from freezer burn. The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
This post was originally published in July 2018. It has been updated with new photos and more information. The recipe remains the same.
Erica
This was very good, but a bit dry. What can I add to make it more moist?
Alexandra
Hi Erica,
We haven’t found this cake dry before – I wonder if perhaps your oven is a bit more powerful than ours and that it cooked a bit quicker?
The texture of the Almond Cake should be quite moist, in fact.
I would try testing it a few minutes earlier next time to see if it has, in fact, finished baking.
Alternatively, you might like to try one of our cakes that has almond meal, which makes the texture much more delicate and super moist, such as our
Pear Cake.
Kind regards, Alex
Christy
Incredible! So easy to make and utterly delicious.
Alexandra
Hi Christy!
Thank you so much for letting me know you enjoyed the cake 🙂
Vicky
Hi,
Have you tried this recipe with almond meal?
Alexandra
Hi Vicky!
We have, and it was very dense, and almost frangipane like. We have also tried it with half almond meal, half flour – still not the ideal texture (although some readers have enjoyed the more dense type of cake by doing it this way) – this cake should be nice and light.
If you’d prefer a cake that uses some almond meal, you could try:
Pear and Raspberry Cake
And we are working on some new recipes at the moment 🙂
Kind regards, Alex
Mary
I never knew something THIS good could be gluten free. My family and I absolutely DEVOURED this. Thank you, Alexandra for this amazing recipe. I can’t rave about it enough
Alexandra
Hi Mary! Thank you so much for the wonderful review – I am thrilled you enjoyed the cake 🙂
Nadia
Hey lovely can I replace the almond extract for vanilla extract? ( I don’t have almond extract currently)
Alexandra
Hi Nadia, vanilla will be fine. I do hope that you enjoy it. 🙂
Julieta
Love, love, love this recipe! Its so easy to make its just perfect! Thanks a lot!
Alexandra
I am delighted that you like the cake Julieta, thank you for letting us know.
Angie
How delicious is this cake! This cake would actually be so perfect for Easter brunch. So yummy and so simple!
Alexandra
Thanks, Angie! Yes, I will be making it for then too! 🙂
Melissa
Oh yummie …. my cooking notebook is nicely extended today … I see all wonderful things coming by. This recipe also looks great to me. And of course I also have to try it … I wrote it down, so soon I’ll be baking with the kids this delicious pie. thank you for sharing.
Alexandra
Thank you so much, Melissa. I really appreciate your kind words 🙂
Lali
Hi Alex,
This cake is so yummy and delicious. My children and I throughly enjoyed making it and especially eating it ??
It’s so nice when it’s straight out of the oven, so light and fluffy ?
This recipe is so simple to make.
Thank you ??
Alexandra
Hi Lali,
Thank you for letting me know. So happy you loved the cake!! Thank you for stopping by! xx
Rebecca
Haha this actually was as simple and quick as the recipe said! The almond flavour was a bit too intense for the kids but that just meant more for me.
Alexandra
Haha yes it really is simple!!! 🙂
And all the more for mama is never a bad thing 😉 Plenty of other kid friendly recipes coming up 😀
Sarah Cooke
Never have I made such a simple and scrummy cake as this one! It’s the first time I’ve melted the butter to combine with the rest of the mix but it seemed to really help with the consistency. Beautiful recipe, thank you Alex and Faye!
Alexandra
Thank you Sarah! That is so kind 🙂 We really appreciate it x