Soft and moist vegan almond cake with a crunchy sliced almond topping. This cake comes together in one bowl and can be made gluten-free! Or check out my crunchy vegan almond cookies.
What to expect
TASTE/TEXTURE: More moist and denser than a regular vegan cake. Fluffier and has more 'body' than marzipan or the almond filling for a croissant!
DIFFICULTY: Easy to make. You don't need a food processor, blender, hand mixer or any special equipment!
Simple ingredients you'll need
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the gray recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Notes about the ingredients
Almond flour adds moisture and flavor. I recommend using almond flour rather than almond meal (with the almond skin still on) for a lighter vegan almond cake.
All-purpose plain flour for structure and to bind the almond flour. You cannot only use almond flour as the cake will deflate and crumble. Flax eggs, aquafaba and other common egg replacers do not work for this recipe.
Oil doesn't only add moisture but makes the cake fluffier. For alternatives, see the section 'Customizing this recipe'.
Dairy-free milk. I recommend choosing a higher protein plant milk, such as soy milk as it makes a more tender cake. However any milk will work, such as almond milk or oat milk.
Almond extract and lemon zest to complement the nuttiness of the almond flour.
How to make a vegan almond cake
This almond cake is easy to make as you just stir the dry ingredients in a large bowl, add the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
For the fluffiest and most flavorful vegan almond cake, here are some tips:
- Rub the lemon zest with the sugar. This releases the oil in the lemon zest and brings out more lemon flavor.
- Mix the cake batter until there are no large lumps, but not too much otherwise the final cake will be dense and stodgy.
- The final batter is meant to be quite thick! This recipe works best with a thicker batter as a thinner batter is more likely to sink when baked.
Tips for baking the cake
For extra crunch and almond flavor, I love decorating this cake with sliced almonds!
In most ovens, the almond topping will not burn. However, if your oven has a strong top heating element, your almonds may brown too quickly. If you know your oven tends to burn cakes on top, I recommend covering your cake pan with aluminum foil at the beginning of baking.
With the exception of a burning cake, I strongly recommend avoiding opening the oven door in the first 45 minutes of baking. Almond flour is a delicate gluten-free flour so inconsistent oven heat will more likely make your cake sink.
Adding other ingredients to this cake
This cake is lovely by itself! However, the following ingredients will complement the cake:
- Chocolate chips
- Dried fruit such as cranberries
- Dried coconut
- Fresh raspberries
For an apple almond cake, make the gluten-free version of my vegan apple crumble cake. It uses a combination of almond flour and gluten-free all-purpose flour!
Customizing the recipe
Yes, I tested this cake replacing all-purpose flour with all-purpose gluten-free flour and it worked well! However, some brands of gluten-free flour are more absorbent so, if your batter is very thick, I suggest adding a dash of dairy-free milk.
It depends on what kind of cake you're after. I tested this cake with as little as ½ cup all-purpose flour (and more almond flour) but it resulted in an overly moist cake that sunk and had a wet marzipan texture.
If you want a 100% almond flour recipe, see my vegan almond flour shortbread.
I tested this recipe in a regular 12-cup muffin tin and the muffins spread and deflated. Instead, I recommend checking out my vegan almond muffins recipe.
You may also like my vegan almond cookies, and almond croissant cookie bars.
You can experiment by replacing it with applesauce or mashed banana. In my tests, replacing the oil with other ingredients made the cake denser.
Alternatively, check out my other vegan cakes that use almond flour and don't have added oil:
- Whole Orange Cake
- Whole Lemon Cake
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Strawberry Cake
More vegan cakes using almond flour
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Vegan Almond Cake
Ingredients
Dry ingredients for almond cake
- 2 cups (200g) almond flour / blanched almond meal
- 1 ½ cup (190g) all-purpose plain flour, or gluten-free all-purpose flour (use grams, note 1)
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, (note 2)
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest, or orange zest, optional
- Pinch of salt
Wet ingredients for almond cake
- 1 cup (250g) dairy-free milk
- ⅓ cup (85g) neutral flavored oil, light olive oil or melted vegan butter
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice, optional (note 3)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
To decorate (optional)
- ½ cup (45g) sliced almonds
- powdered sugar / icing sugar
Instructions
- For the best results, I recommend using a digital scale to weigh the ingredients for this recipe. It's difficult to accurately measure the key ingredients using cups and this recipe has been tested using grams (except the smaller ingredients).
Making the vegan almond cake:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease or line an 8-inch (20 cm) springform or loose bottom cake pan that's at least 2-inch or 5cm tall with parchment paper.
- Add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk until the mixture is well combined. Add all the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix until just combined. The batter should be quite thick.
- Scoop the cake batter into your cake tin. Smooth the top of the cake with a spoon or spatula. Generously sprinkle the sliced almonds on top.
Baking the cake:
- Bake the cake for 50-60 minutes. The cake is ready when you can insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out with no wet batter (a few moist crumbs are fine). For a cake with a slightly fudgy marzipan-like center, underbake the cake by 5 minutes. Allow the cake to cool in the cake pan for 30 minutes then cool on a wire rack.
- To serve, dust the cake with powdered sugar. Serve with fresh berries, yogurt or as desired. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day, in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Notes
- I recommend using grams because not all brands of gluten-free all-purpose flour have the same volume measurements as regular all-purpose flour. Some brands will also make the cake batter much thicker than pictured. If so, add a dash of dairy-free milk to ensure the cake isn't dry.
- This amount of sugar creates a mildly sweet cake. You can decrease the sugar to ¾ cup (150g) but your cake will be denser and you may be able to taste the baking powder.
- The vinegar or lemon juice reacts with the dairy-free milk to make vegan buttermilk and makes a cake more tender. You will not be able to taste the vinegar or lemon juice in the final cake.
Nutrition
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Made this at the start of the week as I was desperate for cake after a long-day at work and the fact that it all came together in no time, in a single bowl and was fuss-free was a bonus. Didn't realise just how YUM it was going to be! Added some dried cranberries and dessicated coconut as per your suggestion and it was just delightful! So light, moist and heavenly. The cake barely lasted a couple days when we usually are slow-eaters with cake. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Hi Maya, I'm so glad that you found this cake tasty, easy to make and that you enjoyed it with the added ingredients! Reading your comment makes me want to make the cake again haha. And I love that your cake disappeared quicker than normal! Thanks for your wonderful feedback 🙂
The gluten free version is perfect! I added frozen cherries & a bit of extra almond essence.. gives me frangipane vibes without all the fussing, and vegan! Amazing recipe.
Hi Christie, that sounds sooo delicious and I'm thrilled that you enjoyed the gluten-free version!! Thanks soo much for your feedback!
I made this tonight for our cousins who are vegan and it was so delicious and easy to make! I did replace the lemon zest and lemon juice with orange zest and orange juice and it worked out great.Thank you for this recipe.
Hi Teja, I'm so happy that you and your cousins enjoyed this cake! Your slight substitutions sound delicious and it's great that they worked well. Thanks for the review!
Delicious and moist cake! It turned out beautifully. I added more almond extract than the recipe called for but otherwise followed the recipe. Glad I measured ingredients as you suggested, or I think it would have been dry. It was a hit at the party I took it to, and didn't have a single piece left to bring home. People said "You MADE that???" They thought I bought it at a fancy bakery because it's so pretty, lol. I will definitely make this again. Thank you!
Hi Nicole, aw I love that your cake looked like it was from a bakery!!! Good tip about the almond extract and I'm so glad that you enjoyed this cake. Thanks so much for the feedback and happy new year!
What if I want to change it to non bean and add eggs , how many eggs can I add
Thanks 🙏
Hi Nala, there are no beans or aquafaba in this recipe. I don't cook or test with eggs so I can't say unfortunately. The cake is wonderful without the eggs but you're welcome to do your own experimentation.
This recipe came out great! I steeped green cardamom pods in the almond milk and omitted the almond extract for a more subtle almond flavour and it was delicious. The texture was also wonderful and more fluffy than other almond cakes I’ve tried, cheers 🙂
I'm so thrilled that you enjoyed this cake, Abby! I love how you infused cardamom in the milk too. Thanks so much for your feedback 🙂
Turned this recipe into muffins and it was absolutely delicious!
A quarter of the recipe yielded 5 muffins.
Some adjustments I did:
1. Swapped sugar for erythritol sweetener. Worked great.
2. Used an airfryer. Baked at 180 for 10min, then at 160 for 10min.
3. Next time will reduce baking powder. Muffins seem to need less than a cake.
4. Didn't have any lemons or almond extract. Still delicious!
If I was making a full cake, I would make sure to let it cool completely before removing from the pan. Otherwise, it may fall apart.
I'll be making this again and again!
Ah, I'm so glad this cake worked as muffins for you, Vai! Thanks so much for the info on how you adapted the recipe - I know other readers will find it helpful. I can't wait to try this recipe as muffins! x
Hello,
Can I bake it in a 26.6* 36.4 cm 12 cavity mini loaf pan OR an 8 cavity mini load pan ?
I truly enjoy your recipes and my kids too 😊
Thanks
Hi Kim, yes this cake should work well in a mini loaf pan. I haven't tested it so I'm not sure how many loaves the recipe yields, but try baking them for around 20 minutes. I'm so happy that you and your kids have been enjoying my recipes! Thanks so much :).
Made this recipe for the first time today and oh my god… this recipe is amazing. I am all for simple, quick and one bowl recipes and this of course fits the bill to the T.
I baked it for a good 50 mins and loved how the slightly crusty edges, but still a soft and most interior. I might just reduce the sugar quantity next time and maybe add fresh raspberries. This recipe is a keeper for me. Will be trying the flourless chocolate cake next.
Hi Neha, I'm so happy that you loved this cake! Reading your comment makes me want to bake it again :). Thanks so much for your lovely feedback!
I used a 9" spring form pan and cut the sugar down to about 125g. We don't like things too sweet. After 20 minutes I put on the sliced almonds so that they wouldn't burn and noticed the cake was already set and the almonds would be just on top - oh well. I set the timer for another 20 but something in me told me to check before the 20 minutes expired. Cake was already done!
It was very good. My wife preferred this one over the non vegan one I made two weeks ago.
Next is the chocolate flour-less cake!
Hi Michel, I'm so happy that you enjoyed this cake with reduced sugar! Thanks so much for letting me know how the cake worked for you and for taking the time to leave a review :).
Hello,if I don't have weighing scale but only cups how can I make it work?
Hi Anu, if you only have cups, I suggest using the 'spoon & level' method where you don't scoop the flour using your measuring cup but use a spoon to place flour into the cup etc. You can read more about it in the link above. I hope that helps!
Oh my god this cake turned out perfect. Delicious and beautiful. Next time I might try to reduce the sugar to 170g-180g hoping I won’t taste the baking powder. Has anyone tried?
Aw, that's music to my ears, Alessia! When I was recipe testing, I reduced the sugar for one version and couldn't taste the baking powder. I hope that helps!
Hello, can I use a 28cm cake mold instead of 20cm? Thank you
Hi Anu, a 28cm cake pan has almost twice the volume of a 20cm cake pan so you'll have a very thin cake (or you can double the recipe for a 28cm pan). Hope that helps!
This recipe is a keeper. I made this for company today and it was amazing. Along with the almond flour I used oat flour. I didn't have sliced almonds but had fresh raspberries, so I pushed some of them into the batter before baking. Delicious.
Aw, that's wonderful news! A raspberry almond cake would be so delicious as well. Thanks Julia!
This cake was amazing!!! It was so light and fluffy and the lemon zest was perfection!
I'm so happy that you loved this cake Christie! And thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment here 🙂
10/10 It’s delicious! I omitted the lemon zest (didn’t have) but otherwise weighed my ingredients exactly as written! My husband said it’s his favorite cake now 🙂
Oh I feel so honored that this is now your husband's favorite cake! Thanks so so much for the wonderful feedback Beatrice 🙂
I just made this, and it came out beautifully! I followed the recipe and instructions to a T, and the cake rose perfectly and was fluffy and moist. I do love marzipan, so I opted to take it out of the oven after 50 minutes, and it was just delicious. (I've added pictures on Instagram to show just how perfect it looked!) Thanks, Anthea, for such a thorough description of how to bake it. And I saw all your stories on IG about the testing process, so I really appreciate all your efforts.
Aw, thank you so much Sara! I'm soo happy that you enjoyed this cake and reading your comment makes me want to bake the cake again! Thank you for watching my stories on IG and for your kindness and support :).
Hi! I want to omit the lemon zest and replace it with almond and vanilla extracts. How much would you recommend total as to not interfere with the amount of liquid?
Thanks!
Hi Caroline! I used 1/2 teaspoon almond extract and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and it was perfect in the cake. It's a very small amount and won't interfere with the ratios. Hope that helps!