Super moist, fragrant and delicate Vegan Almond Cake with delicious lemon and olive oil flavour. Made with almond flour, it is naturally gluten-free and vegan, and quite possibly the easiest cake you'll ever make. It's got a soft, very moist, almost pudding texture and is excellent served on its own, but also great dressed up for dessert with fresh berries, fruit compote or poached pears, and some dairy-free cream, custard or whipped vegan ricotta!
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"Absolutely amazing cake. I made it for someone's birthday today and everyone was blown away!" - Wendy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
Hello, cake! And this Vegan Almond Cake is such a favourite of mine for many reasons. First, it's fragrant and vibrant and amazing in a cake meets dessert kind of way.
We're talking packed with almond, lemon, and olive oil flavour, and light and delicate, yet moist and syrupy in texture. You know, like a drizzle cake that gets drenched with syrup after baking...Only you don't have to with this recipe. It bakes up like that all on its own.
And did I mention it's easy? Ridiculously easy! And even better, it doesn't taste easy. Everyone will be so impressed with your baking skills when you present this delicate, golden deliciousness. Convenient too because it keeps well for ages. You can easily make it a few days ahead if you need to, and the flavour just gets better and better.
Looking for more ways to use almond flour? Check out my other vegan almond flour recipes.
Mel x
Ingredients & Equipment
Here is what you need to make this eggless almond cake at a glance, along with some important ingredient notes & substitution ideas:
- Almond flour– This is a naturally gluten-free vegan almond cake. Because it is made entirely from almond flour, which is a completely gluten-free flour, and contains no wheat flour at all, the light, soft and fine texture of the almond flour is crucial to the structure and texture of the cake. This means that to make this vegan almond flour cake, you must use blanched superfine almond flour. Almond meal will not work. Bob's Red Mill is a commonly found brand to look for while shopping. Amazon also carry many varieties. I get mine from Costco. They sell a great big bag that's great value for money. If you are in the UK, you can usually pick it up from Holland & Barrett. The flour should look pale yellow and be very fine, similar to regular flour in texture. Not coarse with brown bits of skin in it (that's almond meal).
- Olive oil - This should be a fairly good quality oil with a good flavour. I like to use extra virgin olive oil for its rich, deep, grassy flavour, but regular olive oil is fine too. The olive oil adds delicious moisture and flavour, syrupy texture, and it really complements the almond and lemon. Do not use any other type of oil in this recipe.
- Sugar - This must be cane sugar or white sugar because it needs to be light in colour and mellow in flavour. Sugar is what gives this cake all of its structure. It cannot be reduced in this recipe and artificial sweeteners will not work.
- Lemons - For flavour, acidity, and moisture. You could use orange, grapefruit or lime instead. Use the lemon juice and the lemon zest too if you want even more lemon flavour.
- Cornstarch - This is essential for binding. Without this additional starch, your cake will fall apart.
- Dairy-free milk - Any variety such as almond milk, cashew milk, soy milk or oat milk. I recommend using plain, unsweetened, and unflavoured milk.
- Baking powder - For fluffiness and rise.
- Baking soda and apple cider vinegar - Because this is an eggless almond cake recipe, a blend of both is used to replace the leavening that would otherwise be provided by eggs.
- Almond extract - For concentrated almond flavour. You can use vanilla extract instead. I highly recommend you use "extract" and not flavouring. It gives far superior results. I love Nielsen-Massey almond extract.
+ (OPTIONAL) Powdered sugar - For dusting over the cake once it is baked and cooled. I didn't use it in the photos or video because I wanted you to see the gorgeous golden colour and texture of the cake clearly.
No mixer or special equipment is required to make this vegan almond cake, but you will need a 9-inch metal cake pan. It must be metal. Do not use a silicone pan. This cake needs good structure as it is delicate.
You will also need some good non-stick parchment paper or a silicone liner. This is a soft, sticky cake, and no matter how good your pan is, you won't get the cake out in one piece if you don't line the pan.
I purchased a couple of these Silpat liners a while ago, and they are so handy. No having to cut rounds of paper anymore, and you can reuse them for years. Nothing sticks to them.
How To Make Vegan Almond Cake
Can't wait to make it? The full printable recipe is below, but first, let me walk you through the steps to set you up for success in your kitchen. I recommend watching my recipe video if you're more of a visual learner:
- Whisk up the dry ingredients.
- Whisk up the wet ingredients.
- Combine the two to make a thick batter.
- Pour the batter into a lined pan, level the top, then bake. Be quick to get the cake in the oven once you've mixed the wet and the dry ingredients together. We need to take full advantage of the baking soda/acid reaction. The cake must be left to cool in the pan. DO not try to remove it when hot/warm.
Because it needs to cool in the pan and can't be removed until completely cool, it's best to make this cake the day before you need it.
For decoration, I like to either brush the cake with a little maple syrup to give it a really nice shine or dust it with some powdered sugar. No buttercream, frosting, or glaze is required. It's more than good enough just as it is. Additions like that would detract unnecessarily from the beautifully moist and flavourful vegan cake.
Success Tips
- I highly recommend using a digital scale when baking. Cups are not accurate enough to give the best and consistent results.
- Whisking the wet and the dry ingredients separately helps to ensure that the leavening agents and flavours are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- The pan you use to bake this cake must be a metal one. Do not use a silicone cake pan. The cake needs structure as it bakes, and silicone does not provide that.
- You must use blanched almond flour. Its soft, light texture is essential. Almond meal will not work.
- Grease and line your pan really well. This is a delicate, sticky cake.
- Don't over-bake. This cake is supposed to be damp/very moist.
- Wait until the cake is completely cool before removing it from the pan or it will break.
- I don't recommend using this recipe for a layer cake because it is too moist and delicate to stack.
Serving Suggestions
This fragrant vegan almond flour cake is amazing served by the slice, just as it is, but can also be transformed into an amazing dessert. Try it served with:
- Vegan whipped cream, coconut cream, or vegan ricotta.
- Summer berries (it's particularly good with fresh raspberries).
- Roasted strawberries, roasted figs, poached pears, or fruit compote.
- vegan custard or ice cream.
Recipe FAQs
No. This recipe requires almond flour. Because it is made entirely from almond flour with no wheat flour, the light and fine texture is crucial.
Almond flour is made from blanched, skinless almonds, which are ground very finely until flour-like, while almond meal is made from unblanched, skin-on almonds, which are ground more coarsely.
I don't recommend making a layer cake. The sponge is very moist and delicate, and not sturdy enough to stack.
Recipe
Vegan Almond Cake
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 3¾ packed cups (420 grams) almond flour , blanched almond flour not almond meal
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch (cornflour in the UK)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda in the UK)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt , not table salt
- ¾ cup (180 mls) dairy-free milk , unsweetened & unflavoured
- ¾ cup (180 mls) extra virgin olive oil , use regular olive oil if you don't enjoy the deep, grassy flavour of extra virgin, but make sure it's a good quality one with good flavour (DO NOT USE ANY OTHER TYPE OF OIL).
- 6 tablespoons (90 mls) freshly squeezed lemon juice , add the very finely grated zest of 1 lemon too for a more pronounced lemon flavour
- ¾ cup (150 grams) white or cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract , or vanilla extract
OPTIONAL
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar , for dusting the cake once cool
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
This cake needs to cool completely in the pan before it can be removed, so it's best to make it the day before you need it.
- Place a shelf in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 ° F (175 °C).
- Grease a 9-inch cake pan with olive oil, then line the bottom with parchment paper. The oil helps the paper to stay in place. If you have a great cake pan that never sticks, you can probably get away without lining the sides as well, but if you have any doubts at all, cut a rectangular strip of parchment paper and line the sides too. I also like to carefully brush a light layer of oil over the parchment paper because this is a really sticky and delicate cake. Set the pan aside while you prepare the cake batter.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the almond flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk them together well.
- To another medium sized bowl or jug add the dairy-free milk, olive oil, lemon juice (and zest if using), sugar, apple cider vinegar and almond extract. Stir together really well.
- Now make sure everything is ready. i.e The oven is preheated to temperature and the cake pan is lined and ready. You need to be as quick as you can to get the cake in the oven once the batter is mixed together.
- Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and fold together until you can't see any dry flour. Be sure to scrape right into the bottom of the bowl so you don't miss any.
- Spoon the cake batter into the prepared pan, give the pan a little shake to level the top then get it right in the oven on the middle shelf.
- Bake for about 50 minutes, or until deeply golden, starting to come away from the edges of the pan, and a skewer, toothpick or thin knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. It's important not to open the oven door while the cake is cooking (until at least 40 minutes into the cook time), and it's also important not to overcook it. This cake is supposed to be puddingy and very moist inside.
- Place the cake, still in its pan, on a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Do not try to remove it while it's hot/warm.
- When fully cooled, remove from the pan. If the sides of the pan aren't lined, first loosen the edges with a thin spatula or knife. Place a large plate upside down over the cake pan and very carefully invert the cake onto the plate. To get the cake the right way up, gently place another plate on top of the cake, then flip it over. If not, place a large plate upside down over the cake pan and very carefully invert the cake onto the plate. To get the cake the right way up, gently place another plate on top of the cake, then flip it over.
- Dust the cake with powdered sugar before serving if desired.
NOTES
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NUTRITION
This recipe was very loosely inspired by Nigella Lawson's Clementine Cake as featured in her book How To Eat. Although the ingredients I've used are different, the texture and appearance of the finished cake are very similar.
Ines says
Cake sounds and looks delicious! Could something be substituted for the cornstarch? I have problems with all corn products and have arrowroot, potato, and tapioca starches I could use instead. If I can substitute, please tell the amount because often it is not the same as the cornstarch amount. Thank you.
Melanie McDonald says
This recipe has only been tested with cornstarch and the action of that particular ingredient is crucial to its success. I can’t guarantee results if anything else is used instead.
This is a pretty expensive cake to make so you’ll need to decide if you’re willing to take the risk of of substituting something else. Hope that helps and good luck!
Ines says
Thanks for the advice.
Wendy Buttery says
Absolutely amazing cake. I made it for someone's birthday today and everyone was blown away.
Ish says
Same here, came to check the comments to see if I am the only one to find it so oily. I'm extremely sad for having wasted so many ingredients & my time. I cut one piece of the cake but no one want to even taste it seeing how oily it is.
Melanie McDonald says
I'm so pleased you all enjoyed it, Wendy!
Anushya Jeyakumar says
Waste of time & money
Kristin Graham says
The flavor was great and the cake itself looked beautiful! I will say that the cake was far too oily though. I'm going to try again subbing half of the oil for applesauce.
Sally Jones-Rooy says
This cake is my go to dessert recipe for when we have company or when I we just need a piece of cake! It is very easy to make and comes together quickly. No fancy equipment is required; all you need is two bowls and a whisk. I've served this cake with berries, with Mel's vegan custard as well as with her lemon curd. I just made one a few hours ago - not sure how I'll serve this one!
The cake is very moist and quite delicate. The first time I made it I thought I had undercooked it, but, no, that's its natural state! My fam and I love this cake - I'm sure you will, too!
Mary says
Cake was too oily and dense for my tastes. I made it for my daughters’s birthday as she is vegan. I would not make it again.
Margee says
I would love to turn this into a chocolate almond cake. Any thoughts? Thanks!
Melanie McDonald says
Sorry, it's not something I've ever tried, but it would definitely need some pretty significant changes and testing to get it right.
ANNA LAG says
Thank you for having the Imperial measurements!!! I might make this elegant cake but with orange flavor
Melanie McDonald says
I can confirm that it's really great with orange zest/juice instead of the lemon!