Vegan Almond Cake

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.

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.

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:

1. Whisk up the dry ingredients.
2. Whisk up the wet ingredients.
3. Combine the two to make a thick batter.
4. 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.

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