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You are here: Home / Desserts / Lemon Almond Flour Cake

Lemon Almond Flour Cake

August 19, 2021 Updated: September 22, 2022 By Leanne 14 Comments

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Pinterest image for almond flour cake.

You’ll love this Lemon Almond Flour Cake for a quick, easy and crowd pleasing dessert. It has a tender crumb with fresh lemon flavour. Serve this lemon cake with almond flour on its own or with the toppings of your choice!

When I need a simple dessert and I’m short on time, this lemon almond flour cake is one of my go-to recipes.

It’s an easy, no-fuss flourless cake with basic ingredients. You can serve it as a simple snack cake, pile it high with whipped cream and fresh berries, or top it with chocolate avocado frosting for a decadent dessert.

If you haven’t baked with almond flour yet, I highly recommend giving it a try. While it’s more expensive than all-purpose flour, it creates a moist and tender texture in baked goods. It also adds a chewy texture to cookies like these almond flour blondies, almond flour peanut butter cookies and ginger molasses cookies.

Side view of almond flour cake with strawberries and cream on top.

Why you’ll love this lemon almond cake

  • You need just 7 ingredients and 10 minutes prep time to whip this lemon cake together.
  • Unlike some other almond flour cake recipes, you don’t need to separate your eggs or whip together the egg whites for this recipe.
  • There’s no need to break out the electric mixer. The cake batter comes together with just a whisk and a spatula.
  • The cake is tasty enough to enjoy on its own, but also works with whipped cream, a dusting of powder sugar or even chocolate frosting.

Details on the ingredients

Ingredients for almond flour cake arranged individually and labelled.

Almond flour – You’ll need 2 cups of almond flour for this cake. Make sure you use almond flour instead of almond meal, and ensure that the almond flour has been measured using the spoon and level method. (Using a measuring cup to scoop the flour out of the bag will just pack the almond flour into the measuring cup and result in too much flour for the cake).

Sugar – This cake has been tested with both cane sugar and granulated sugar, so you can use either one. Cane sugar is usually found in the organic section of grocery stores and has a slightly coarser texture and golden colour compared to granulated sugar.

Eggs – Three large eggs will help this flourless cake rise. You’ll also want them at room temperature so they easily incorporate with the other ingredients.

Lemon zest – For the burst of lemony flavour in this lemon cake, you’ll need the zest from one medium-sized lemon (or about 1 tablespoon). You can use a zester (like a microplane) or the smallest holes on a box (cheese) grater to finely grate the zest.

Oil – I used extra virgin olive oil but you can use the oil of your choice.

Baking powder – For leavening, you’ll need one teaspoon of baking powder.

Salt – Just 1/2 a teaspoon to enhance the flavour of the other ingredients. You can use kosher or table salt.

Difference between almond flour and almond meal

Both almond flour and almond meal are made from raw ground almonds. Almond flour, however, is more finely ground and made with blanched almonds that have the skins removed.

Almond meal is made from almonds with the skins on, and therefore, has a coarser grind and a darker colour.

For the best texture in this cake, I recommend using almond flour. The recipe hasn’t been tested with almond meal.

How to make almond flour lemon cake

In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. You may need to sift these ingredients together if your almond flour is lumpy (which can sometimes happen if you store it in the refrigerator).

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil and lemon zest.

Overhead of dry ingredients whisked together in a glass bowl.
Wet ingredients whisked together in a glass bowl.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients, and use a spatula to gently fold the ingredients together. Be careful not to over mix.

Pour the batter into a greased 8-inch round cake pan and use a spatula to spread it out evenly.

Overhead of cake batter in a glass bowl stirred together with a spatula.
Overhead view of cake batter in a round cake pan.

Bake on 350F for 26-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. The cake will have golden brown edges that pull away from the sides of the pan.

Overhead of almond flour cake cooling in a pan on a wire rack.

Frequently asked questions

Can you substitute another type of flour for the almond flour in this cake?

I haven’t tested this cake with any other type of flour. As almond flour is gluten-free with a high fat and moisture content, a 1:1 substitution with other flours is not usually possible. If you’re looking for cakes made with other flours, you can try this peach cake (made with spelt flour), this blueberry cake (made with all-purpose white flour), or this easy chocolate sheet cake (made with whole wheat flour).

What size cake pan is best for this recipe?

This cake is best made in an 8-inch round cake pan. As the recipe doesn’t make a large amount of batter, if you go with a larger cake pan, the batter will spread too thin and not bake up very high.

Can you use almond meal instead of almond flour?

I prefer the finer texture and lighter colour of almond flour when baking cakes, so I haven’t tested this recipe with almond meal. If you can’t find almond flour, you can make your own by blending raw blanched almonds until they rich the consistency of a fine flour.

Can you use this almond flour lemon cake recipe to make cupcakes?

I haven’t used the batter for this cake to make cupcakes, but if you’re looking for an almond flour cupcake recipe, try these vanilla almond flour cupcakes!

Storage instructions

If the almond flour cake is unfrosted, you can store it in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days or in the refrigerator for a week or more.

Frosted cakes should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoyed within 3-4 days.

You can store pieces of the unfrosted cake in a single layer in a freezer safe container. Or you can wrap the unfrosted cake in plastic wrap, place it in a resealable bag and store it in the freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature before frosting and serving.

Slice of almond flour cake on a white plate and topped with strawberries and whipped cream.

Recipe variations

  • Double the recipe and make two 8-inch round cakes for a layer cake.
  • Instead of lemon zest use orange zest.
  • To keep the cake dairy-free, instead of topping it with whipped cream (as pictured in this post), top it with coconut whipped cream.
  • Instead of strawberries, top the cake with blueberries, raspberries, cherries or peaches.
  • Top it with your favourite chocolate or vanilla frosting.
  • Serve it warm with a scoop of s’mores ice cream.

Additional recipe tips

  • To ensure the cake doesn’t stick to the pan, grease it well. You can even line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper for easy release.
  • Make sure you measure your almond flour correctly (spoon and level). Otherwise, you may end up with too much flour for the recipe.
  • The batter will be thick so make sure you use a spatula to smooth out the top once the batter is in the cake pan. This will help it bake up level.
  • To ensure the batter mixes together evenly, use room temperature ingredients. (For this recipe, that also means the almond flour, if you store it in the refrigerator like we do).

More desserts using almond flour

  • Lemon Raspberry Almond Crumb Cake
  • Peanut Butter Banana Protein Donuts
  • Blueberry Skillet Cookie
  • Avocado Banana Cookies

If you make this lemon cake with almond flour, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below!

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Slice of lemon almond flour cake on a white plate and topped with whipped cream and strawberries.

Lemon Almond Flour Cake

★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Leanne
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 28 minutes
  • Total Time: 38 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Gluten Free
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Description

You’ll love this Lemon Almond Flour Cake for a quick and easy dessert. It has a tender crumb with fresh lemon flavour. Serve it on its own or with the toppings of your choice!


Ingredients

  • 2 cups fine almond flour, spooned and levelled (or 208 grams)
  • 1/2 cup cane sugar 
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 large eggs (room temperature)
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium-sized lemon, zested (about 1 tablespoon)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease an 8-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk or sift together the almond flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil and lemon zest.
  4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and use a spatula to gently fold together until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Be careful not to over mix.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and use a spatula to spread it out evenly.
  6. Bake for 26-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
  7. Let cool for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  8. Serve on its own or topped with whipped cream or coconut cream and berries.
  9. Store the unfrosted cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days. If frosted, store in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days.


Notes

  1. Make sure you use almond flour and not almond meal.
  2. Use the spoon and level method to measure the almond flour. 
  3. You can substitute granulated sugar for the cane sugar.
  4. The batter will be thick so make sure you use a spatula to smooth out the top once the batter is in the cake pan. This will help it bake up level.
  5. To ensure the batter mixes together evenly, use room temperature ingredients. 
  6. Be sure to check out the other sections above the recipe card for more detailed advice and suggestions for making this recipe.

Keywords: flourless lemon cake, almond flour cake

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Filed Under: All Recipes, Dairy-Free, Desserts, Gluten-Free

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Comments

  1. FHPerkins says

    October 21, 2022 at 2:29 pm

    I did make this recipe and as I said I was going to do I substituted the cane sugar with Lakanta Monkfruit baking sweetener with Erythritol (65 grams). that is a one to one ratio recommended on the Lakanta package. It lacks the depth of flavor and the moisture of regular cane sugar but my type 2 diabetic husband likes it. In the future, I will continue my research on baking with erythritol as I find something lacking every time I use it. Structure, moisture, depth of flavor. But most importantly its not bad for diabetics or any one else for that matter. Thank You, tis is a really good recipe.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Leanne says

      October 22, 2022 at 10:22 am

      Thank you for letting me know how the substitution worked out. I’m glad you liked the recipe!

      Reply
  2. Cathleen says

    September 16, 2022 at 9:48 am

    Can I double the recipe and make it in a larger pan or will it be too dense?

    Reply
    • Leanne says

      September 17, 2022 at 12:34 am

      Hi Cathleen. I’ve never tried baking the doubled recipe in a larger pan. I would be concerned about it baking unevenly. If you decide to double it, I recommend baking it in two 8-inch pans.

      Reply
  3. Maria says

    July 14, 2022 at 2:45 pm

    Can you add a little lemon juice to this cake to boost the lemon flavor?

    Reply
    • Leanne says

      July 14, 2022 at 8:46 pm

      Hi Maria! I haven’t tried adding lemon juice to the recipe, so I’m not sure how the extra liquid and the acidity from the lemon juice would affect the batter. If you would like more lemon flavor, I would try adding more lemon zest. Hope that helps!

      Reply
      • Maria says

        July 15, 2022 at 3:54 pm

        Thanks. I purchased some lemon extract and I’m testing out the recipe this weekend (I’m adapting the recipe to make it more low carb for ny friend and nut free for me) so if I feel like it needs a smidge more I’ll probably use that.

        Reply
  4. Denella says

    June 26, 2022 at 4:25 pm

    Can you use monk fruit instead of sugar?

    Reply
    • Leanne says

      June 26, 2022 at 9:44 pm

      Hi Denella. I’ve never baked with monk fruit so I’m not sure if it will work in this cake recipe.

      Reply
      • FHPERKINS says

        October 21, 2022 at 12:22 pm

        Hello, I am about to make this and I will be substituting the cane sugar with Lakanto “Monkfruit baking sweetener with erythritol” . It says it “bakes and browns like sugar.” I’m putting it to the test and will let you know. My husband is type two diabetes and it’s his birthday. He is Italian and loves almond flour everything. I’ll let you know how it bakes up. Warning this sweetener is expensive… but gets good reviews from the very strict guidelines of vegan purists.

        Reply
  5. Ben | Havocinthekitchen says

    August 23, 2021 at 10:28 pm

    Yes, I love using almond flour for baking. As you noted, it adds a lovely texture, fluffy and chewy at the same time.
    This cake looks terrific – beautiful texture, and I bet it tastes awesome!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Leanne says

      September 1, 2021 at 7:17 am

      Thanks Ben!

      Reply
  6. Terry says

    August 19, 2021 at 11:15 am

    Another awesome recipe! I have never used almond flour for baking before, so thanks for all the tips on using it. Will definitely have to try this. Great pics!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Leanne says

      September 1, 2021 at 7:17 am

      Thanks Terry! I hope you give almond flour a try!

      Reply

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Meet Leanne

Hey there! I'm Leanne and welcome to Crumb Top Baking. I'm a self-taught baker, home cook and food photographer, and I'm passionate about sharing recipes that help people eat a little healthier and find balance in the recipes they prepare for themselves and their families. Learn more about me and what you'll find on Crumb Top Baking....

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