Super moist, fragrant and delicate Vegan Almond Cake with a pop of lemon flavor. Made with almond flour it is naturally gluten-free and vegan, and quite possibly the easiest cake you'll ever make. 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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Hello, cake! And this Vegan Almond Cake is such a favorite 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 and lemon flavor and light and delicate, yet moist and almost syrupy in texture. You know like a drizzle cake you drench with syrup after baking? Only you don't have to with this recipe.
And did I mention it's easy? Like ridiculously easy to make. 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 flavor just gets better and better.
Ingredient & equipment notes
(For detailed measurements and instructions, see the printable recipe card).
No mixer or special equipment is required to make vegan almond cake but you will need a 9-inch cake tin and some parchment paper or a silicone liner to line it. This is a 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 now and they are so handy. No having to cut rounds of paper anymore and you can reuse them for years.
Important: The pan you use to bake this cake must be metal. Do not use a silicone pan. This cake needs good structure as it is delicate.
Here's what we've got going on in this eggless almond cake recipe:
And some notes on each of them:
- 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 well. 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 very, very fine like flour. Not coarse with brown bits of skin in it, like almond meal which is made from unblanched almonds. Looking for more ways to use almond flour? Check out my other vegan almond flour recipes.
- Olive oil - I like to use extra virgin olive oil for it's deep flavor, but regular olive oil is fine too. The olive oil is used as the fat in the cake, but also for its moisture and flavor which complements the almond and lemon. It is the best choice for this recipe and I don't recommend using any other type of oil.
- Sugar - Cane sugar or white sugar for their mellow flavor and light colour. Don't use any other type as it will affect the look and taste of the cake.
- Lemons - For flavor, 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 flavor.
- Cornstarch - For binding. Without this additional starch your cake will fall apart. It is essential in this recipe.
- Plant milk - Any variety such as almond milk, cashew milk, soy milk or oat milk. I recommend using plain unsweetened and unflavored 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 are used to replace the leavening that would otherwise be provided by eggs.
- Almond extract - For concentrated almond flavor. You could use vanilla extract instead. I highly recommend you use "extract" and not flavoring. 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 use it sometimes. Other times, like in my photos here, I just leave the cake naked.
How to make Vegan Almond Cake
Wondering how to make almond cake without eggs? Here's how it's done:
- Whisk up the dry ingredients.
- Whisk up the wet ingredients.
- Mix the two together and because this is a gluten-free vegan almond cake made only with almond flour, you don't need to worry about over-mixing like you would with a standard wheat flour cake.
- Pour the batter mixture into a pan and bake in the oven. Check it with a toothpick/skewer/sharp knife and you're done.
That's it. Then leave it to cool in the pan on a wire rack and you have perfect cake. 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 flavorful vegan cake.
For decoration purposes 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.
Success Tips
For the very best results when making this recipe follow these tips:
- I highly recommend using a digital scale. Cups are an extremely inaccurate way to measure flour-like substances. A scale will give you the best and most consistent results every single time. Pop the bowl right on the scale and weigh your ingredients as you add them. Not only is it more accurate it also cuts down on washing up!
- Whisking the wet and the dry ingredients separately helps to ensure that the leavening agents and flavors are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Be quick to get the cake in the oven once you've mixed the wet and the dry ingredients together. We want to take full advantage of the baking soda/acid reaction for the best textured cake.
- 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 give good results in this cake.
- 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 tin or it will break.
- I don't recommend using this recipe for a layer cake because it is too moist and delicate to stack.
Storage and freezing
The great thing about this cake is that it doesn't dry out over time like most cakes do.
- To store: Leftover cake can be covered and stored at room temperature for 5 to 6 days. If you want to keep it any longer store covered very well in the fridge where it will be fine for up to 10 days.
- To freeze: Allow to cool completely in the tin. The best way is to freeze the cake in the tin. Just be sure to wrap the whole thing really, really well. Or once turned out, place the cake very gently in a shallow and airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge. Take note before attempting to freeze, that this cake is very moist and delicate and doesn't transfer easily, so once turned out onto a plate or cake stand, it will be next to impossible to remove it and place it on something else, unless you're doing it by the slice.
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 or coconut cream
- summer berries (it's particularly good with fresh raspberries)
- roasted strawberries
- poached pears
- vegan lemon curd
- roasted figs
- vegan ricotta
- fruit compote
- vegan custard
- 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 with this recipe. The sponge is very moist and delicate and not sturdy enough to stack.
More recipes that use almond flour
Put your leftover almond flour to good use with my:
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) plant milk , unsweetened & unflavored
- ¾ cup (180 mls) olive oil , extra virgin olive oil if you enjoy the deep flavor, regular olive oil if you don't
- 6 tablespoons (90 mls) freshly squeezed lemon juice , add the very finely grated zest of 1 lemon too for a more pronounced lemon flavor
- 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
- 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 with parchment paper. The grease helps the paper to stay in place. Sit your cake pan on the parchment paper and draw around the outside of the pan then cut out the circle. Place that in the bottom of the pan. 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. Trim it so it's the same height as the sides of the pan. With this cake (because it's really sticky and delicate) I then like to lightly grease the parchment paper too. Use a pastry brush to carefully brush a light layer of oil over it. Set the pan aside while you prepare the cake batter.
- To a large bowl add the almond flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk them together well.
- To another medium sized bowl add the plant 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 50 minutes, or until 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 to not open the oven door while the cake is cooking (until at least 40 minutes into the cook time) and it's also important to not overcook it. This cake is supposed to be damp/very moist inside.
- Place the cake, still in its pan (don't remove it) on a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
- 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. If it's a springform pan removing it is easy. 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. Alternatively you can brush it very gently all over with maple syrup to get a shiny appearance like the cake on my photos. Or just serve it as it is.
NOTES
- To store: Leftover cake can be covered well and stored at room temperature for 5 to 6 days. If you want to keep it any longer store covered very well in the fridge where it will be fine for up to 10 days.
- To freeze: Allow to cool completely in the tin. The best way is to freeze the cake in the tin. Just be sure to wrap the whole thing really, really well. Or once turned out, place the cake very gently in a shallow and airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge. Take note before attempting to freeze, that this cake is very moist and delicate and doesn't transfer easily, so once turned out onto a plate or cake stand, it will be next to impossible to remove it and place it on something else, unless you're doing it by the slice.
Nutritional information does not include the optional powdered sugar
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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.
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.
Mark says
When you say "perhaps increase the tapioca flour," you didn't notice that there is not tapioca flour in this recipe. So, rather than increase, could you say how much tapioca flour to add?
Melanie McDonald says
I'm not sure what you're referring to but you're correct that there is no tapioca flour in the recipe. For best results I recommend following it as written.
Wendy Buttery says
Absolutely amazing cake. I made it for someone's birthday today and everyone was blown away.
Melanie McDonald says
I'm so pleased you all enjoyed it, Wendy!
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.
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!
Sophie says
Amazing recipe, texture is great, flavor is great and super easy to make! Even though at first the amount of olive oil did scare me 😅 divided the sugar by 2 for my liking And I am very Curious to try it with a little bit of rice protein inside ☺️
Zara says
This cake is probably the BEST vegan almond flour cake I've stumbled across. SO fluffy and moist. I baked it for around 30 minutes and it was golden brown on top, so did not need the full 50. I substituted cornstarch for tapioca flour and that worked out well.
Winnie says
I followed the recipe except how it is written. Unfortunately, the middle fell apart. I do not recommend this recipe. It’s also too sweet and oily.
I’m very disappointed
Dora says
The taste is wonderful.
A note for those wondering about possibly reducing the sugar: I tried halving the sugar weight. The sugar is intended to help with structure; as it melts, the crystals caramelize around the granular ingredients and when it cools, it helps it adhere.
With half the sugar, it results in a wetness similar to marzipan dough, which is really nice in its own way, but if you intend to reduce sugar, perhaps increase the tapioca flour to make up for the loss of structural ingredients.