Flourless Almond Cake made with only 5 ingredients, a moist and light almond sponge cake that is ready in well under 40 minutes. With lower sugar than traditional cakes, naturally gluten free and high in protein, this sponge is made with no oil, no butter and dairy free too, so it caters for a lot of lifestyles and ages. What a treat this is!
Whether you are looking for a healthier dessert that goes down well with all ages, or are looking for a free from sponge cake, this recipe is all you need! It's as delicious as a regular sponge cake, minus all the carbs, sugar and saturated fats that come with such an indulgent treat.
I do believe that a cake must be worth its calories to be truly enjoyed, but with that in mind, I always tend to reduce the amount of sugar a dessert calls for - some just call for a ridiculous amount that is absolutely not necessary.
Ground almonds or almond meal are a great substitute for the regular wheat flour that is commonly used for desserts. You get a gluten free treat that is a lot lighter, crumblier and so moist.
You could, of course, decorate the sponge with icing or buttercream to create a nicely layered indulgent cake, just as you would with a regular sponge cake like my Vanilla Sponge Cake with Vanilla Buttercream or double the ingredients to create 2 sponges that can be turned into a delicious Victoria Sponge Cake.
Another cake that doesn't rely on regular wheat flour is my Semolina Cake. While it's not gluten free like the almond cake, it's wonderfully delicious and as easy to make.
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Note!
Go to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions!
Ingredients overview
- ground almonds / almond meal- you can find them in regular supermarkets or various health stores. Compared to almond flour, which is finer, the ground almonds are made from unpeeled almonds that have been ground.
- eggs - I used large eggs - not enough and the texture of the cake will be too dense
- almond flakes - for decorating the sponge, they also give a nice crunch
- lemon zest - gives a nice kick to the cake, I highly recommend using it
- sugar - I used caster sugar, although granulated is also ok
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Step-by-step photos and instructions
- separate the egg whites from the egg yolks
- in a large mixing bowl, add the egg yolks together with the sugar, and mix
- add the lemon zest and ground almond, and mix well to get a thick batter ( see photo 4)
- in a separate mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the egg whites well until you get stiff peaks (see photos 5& 6)
- fold the egg whites into the almond batter, and use the hand mixer to beat everything well until you have a smooth texture
- grease a 19 cm / 7.5 inch round cake tin, and line a non-stick paper at the bottom of the tin
- spread the batter evenly, and top with the almond flakes
- bake at 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) for 30 minutes until golden and well risen
Expert tips
Before folding in the beaten egg whites, the almond batter is thick and lumpy, but that's normal, the egg whites will make the batter a lot thinner and the right texture for baking.
Using a hand mixer helps massively to achieve a smooth batter, thus a lighter sponge that stays moist for days, so I highly recommend using one.
You can use powdered sugar to decorate the sponge for a sweeter touch or indeed increase the amount of sugar used, although I think the sponge is sweet enough as it is.
Other almond desserts
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Flourless Almond Cake
Ingredients
- 150 g ground almonds ( 1 ½ cup)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 20 g almond flakes ( ¼ cup)
- 65 g caster sugar ( â…“ cup)
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Instructions
- Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the egg yolks with the sugar, add the lemon zest and ground almonds, and mix well to get a thick batter.
- In a separate mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the egg whites until you get still peaks.
- Fold the egg whites into the almond batter, and use the hand mixer to beat everything well to get a smooth, thinner batter.
- Grease a 19 cm / 7.5 inch round cake tin and line the bottom of the cake tin with non-stick baking paper.
- Spread the batter evenly, and top with the almond flakes.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) for 30 minutes until the sponge is golden and nicely risen.
Video
Notes
- Before folding in the beaten egg whites, the almond batter is thick and lumpy, but that's normal, the egg whites will make the batter a lot thinner and the right texture for baking.
- Using a hand mixer helps massively to achieve a smooth batter, thus a lighter sponge that stays moist for days, so I highly recommend using one.
- You can use powdered sugar to decorate the sponge for a sweeter touch or indeed increase the amount of sugar used, although I think the sponge is sweet enough as it is.
Jenny says
I wanted a post-Christmas cake, something that was comforting without being overly indulgent. This has fitted the brief perfectly. Soft, light, fluffy, moist, sweet without being too much. I used orange zest instead of lemon and brushed the top with a drizzle of honey when it came out the oven.
(I did have a slight panic when mixing the yolk/almond ‘batter’ because it was lumpy & dry, more of a crumble than a batter! Luckily I watched the video and saw it was meant to be like that, so maybe you could edit the text to say dough, rather than batter?)
Daniela Apostol says
Thank you for your feedback! I am glad you enjoyed the cake. Because almond flour soaks us liquid quicker than regular flour, it does look pretty thick, I will have a look at the recipe and see if it can be adjusted.