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.
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.
Luciane says
The taste is nice but unfortunately mine ended up very very moist inside, maybe due to too much olive oil. I followed the recipe exactly and left in the oven for a bit over 50 minutes 😔
Melanie McDonald says
As per the description, it is supposed to be very moist inside. Almost like sponge soaked in syrup kind of texture.
Chris says
Wow this was delicious. I only had oranges on hand so I used orange zest and orange juice instead of lemon. I also added a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg just because I love the combination of orange + almond + cinnamon. First slice after it cooled to room temp was good but I let the whole cake sit in the fridge for a few hours and I personally love it even more when it's chilled. Thank you for this recipe!
L says
6 Tablespoons of lemon juice? This cake tasted like sour olive oil. Not a very great Easter dessert.
Ilene says
The cake is delicious. However, it totally fell apart. I baked it in a spring form pan, let it cool for awhile in the pan, but during cooling the center started to disappear. I have cut it up (the outer part) and will serve it with a blueberry sauce, but this could not be taken to an occasion or served for a party--it is too delicate.
Marta says
Hi! Thanks for all your recipes. Much appreciated!
Any chance I can use maple syrup instead of sugar? If so, how much? Thanks!
Melanie McDonald says
No. It's important sugar is used in this recipe for structure.
Nicola says
Followed the recipe exactly as written using a springform pan. The cake sort of fell apart. Seemed to be too dense in the middle. Toothpick came out clean but maybe it needed to cook longer. It’s very tasty but didn’t really stay together very well when it was cut.
Jessica says
Hi there, I tried baking this cake and the outside came out wonderfully. However the instead isn’t cooking… I even let it bake for an extra 30 minutes. Am I doing something wrong? Thank you!
Melanie McDonald says
That’s strange. Sorry that happened. Unfortunately though it’s impossible to say what might have gone wrong without having been there. It could be that your oven runs a bit cool (most ovens aren’t accurate unless you calibrate them), did you perhaps bake in glass or silicone and not metal? Did you weigh the almond flour and measure the liquids accurately? As much as everyone loves measuring cups they are not an accurate way of measuring for flour-like substances. Did you substitute/change any ingredients?
My best guess if the middle of the cake was still liquid after all of that time though was something ( probably the liquids) was mis-measured because the recipe has been thoroughly tested and generally gets great feedback.
I hope that helps a bit!
Gail Holm says
Made this for the first time today to bring to a friend's house. Everybody loved it. Nobody knew that it was vegan and they were oohing and aahing.
You are right - it is very crumbly but I followed what you said about serving it and it worked perfectly.
Juliana says
I’m so grateful for this recipe! It saved me on my husband’s birthday after a failure when I tried to veganize a keto box recipe! This cake looked beautiful and everyone loved it, especially hubby! It did sink a little but it could be because I wasn’t fast enough getting it into the oven. Not sure. I’m not complaining. The box cake was flat as a pancake! 🤣 I definitely agree that it is very fragile. When I moved it off parchment to serving plate it cracked but I pushed it back together and you could barely tell. Thank you!!! I will be baking this again!
Karen says
Excellent! I used almond meal cause that's what I had. Still it is quite light. Love the flavor. I subbed applesauce for 1/2 cup of the oil. I added some cardamom and rose water. The lemony flavor mixes well with those flavors. I'd definitely make this again! But really - does it have to be almost 400 calories per slice? Darn!
Karen Hatt says
Glad you tried subbing some of the oil for applesauce and commented. Now I will make this too.
Kim says
I typically measure internal temp of my bakes for oneness. What temperature should this cake be baked to?
Sam says
I'm excited to try this. For fluffy wheat-based cakes, I typically adjust for high altitude (I live at 5000ft). I usually dont have to adjust denser bakes like banana bread. Would I need to adjust this cake for altitude?
Melanie McDonald says
I have absolutely no experience of baking at high altitudes so I can't advise on that. Sorry!
Laura says
If you were to use aquafaba how would this change the recipe, would I cut out the apple cider vinegar, raising agents, and cornflour, or would this mess with the recipe too much?
Melanie McDonald says
For the recipe to turn out at its best I recommend following it as written. If you use aquafaba instead of all of those ingredients you will end up with a totally different recipe.
Maria @ Maria Runs says
It sounds amazing- I love almond cake.
In the UK we have ground almonds- is this the same as almond flour or is that something different? Thanks.
Melanie McDonald says
The ground almonds that Tesco/Sainsbury etc sell aren't blanched so they aren't almond flour. Almond flour is made with blanched almonds. However, if I remember correctly there is no almond skin in it and it is very, very fine? It's been a long time since I used it though so I might be remembering wrong. If that's right, and if it's fine and dusty like flour then I'm sure it will be fine. Holland and Barrett do sell proepr almond flour though. I link to it in the post where I talk about the ingredients. Hope that helps!
Yt says
Hi there do u think I can make this into small cupcake. If yes what’s the baking time here? Many thanks
Melanie McDonald says
I've only tested this recipe at it's current size so I can't say how long it will take made in differnt sizes. Sorry!
Candice Smithson says
Incredible recipe. It disappeared very quickly and I’ll be making this regularly form now on.