Vegan Almond Cake
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 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 1/2 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 desserts 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 3/4 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.
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I love this cake!
We’re so glad to hear that, thank you ☺️ It’s one of our favourites too!
Hello! I made a version of this cake recipe and it turned out perfect! I actually needed a vegan pistachio cake so I subbed in homemade pistachio flour for the almond flour and used pistachio oil for the neutral oil. Using the weight measurements, I ended up with a really nice cake. I topped the cake with with vegan chocolate ganache for a riff on the Dubai chocolate bar. How fun to discover that you can use one base recipe to make all sorts of “nut flour” cakes!
Hi Holly, that sounds incredible and I’m soo happy to hear that it worked with pistachios! Excellent choice with the chocolate ganache too – I’m getting hungry thinking about it! You’ve now inspired me to make a pistachio cake based on this recipe. Thank you so much for letting me know!
Delicious!!! I made a GF version using Doves flour and opted for orange zest. It was a big hit with the family. My brother actually said, “this is the best non-frosted cake you have ever baked”. Thank you for sharing a lovely, easy to follow recipe that can be adapted to GF. This cake is definitely going to be baked frequently.
Thank you so much for your lovely comment ☺️ So happy to hear the cake was a big hit with your family, especially your brother haha! And thank you for sharing the brand of gluten-free flour you used, that’s super helpful for others!
Hi Anthea,
Can I bake this cake as a bundt cake, and if so, do I need to adjust the baking time?
Thank you!
Hi Lara, yes I imagine this will work well in a bundt pan! I haven’t tested it myself so I can’t say for certain how long it’ll take to bake. However, I’d say it’d take 50-55 minutes to bake. Hope that helps and let me know how you go!
I made this cake for my husbands birthday and wow it was probably one of the best cakes I have made! The recipe was so easy to follow and cake came out nice and moist! Our whole family enjoyed it! I opted for the orange zest and loved this combination with the almond flavor! Thank you Anthea!
Hi Nikita, aw this is the most lovely feedback! I’m absolutely thrilled that you and your family enjoyed this cake and I’m honored that you chose to make it for your husband’s birthday! Thank you sooo much for taking the time to leave a comment here 🥰
Good morning….? the recipe calls for 1/3 cup or 85grams of oil. 85 grams is almost 2/3 cup….could you clarify which one it is?
Thank you
Hi Sherry, there are a few sources on the internet which say that 1 US cup of oil is around 200-250g, so the measurements will still be 1/3 cup (85g) oil. For the best results, use the gram measurements for all the ingredients. Hope that helps!
Absolutely beautiful cake, easy to make. I used coconut sugar, gave a darker result. One of the nicest cakes I’ve eaten. Thank-you for sharing.
Hi Ann-Marie, I’m so happy you enjoyed this cake!! Thanks so much for letting me know 🥰
Amazing cake. I’ve made it three times & definitely recommend adding Orange zest. -Orange & almond are a lovely combo.
Hi Nikki, aw that’s amazing!! I’m so glad you’ve made this cake a few times and I agree about the orange zest. Thanks for your feedback!
my daughter loves chai spice – would adding some spices in work? Cinnamon, cardamon
Thank you soo much
Hi Minal, yes that would be a lovely touch! I probably wouldn’t add as much almond extract or omit it because the flavors might clash. Hope that helps!
Absolutely delicious! I made this for my sister’s birthday, and she and the rest of my non-vegan family loved it. I had never heard the tip about rubbing the lemon zest with the sugar, and it definitely made a difference. I’m saving this recipe and can’t wait to make it again!
Hi Ramy, I’m thrilled you and your family loved this cake, even though they aren’t vegan! Glad you liked the lemon zest tip too. Thanks so much for letting me know, and I hope you enjoy this cake next time too!
Instead of all purpose flour can any other flour be substituted
It depends on the flour as all flours act differently. For example, spelt or wholewheat flour will work similarly (with an extra dash of milk), but coconut flour or extra almond flour won’t work.
Made this today, my first ever vegan cake! It was easy to make. Mine had sunk slightly and was a little overdone but tasted delicious! I’ve read the tips for next time👍 We’ve both had 2 slices already, it won’t last long😜😂
Hi Jonathan, I’m so glad you enjoyed this cake, even though it sunk a little :). And I’m honored that you chose this as your very first vegan cake! Thanks soo much for taking the time to leave a comment here 🙂
I made this for a church lunch and did not have any left over! This is a easy recipe and I will be making this again today.
Hi Sheila, aw that’s wonderful!! I’m so glad that you and everyone loved it 🙂
Curious if this could be reduced to fit in a 6″ pan. I have a deep 6″ removable bottom pan I would love to adapt this to…
Yes you can! I would halve the quantities and bake the cake for around 5-10 mins less.
✨Thank you, that’s what I thought 😊
Trying it tonight!