Delicious and ready in no time, this flourless almond cake has a moist and chewy inside and crispy outside. Topped with golden sliced almonds, this is a perfect quick recipe that is also absolutely yummy!
How something so simple to prepare can be so elegant and irresistibly tasty?
This easy recipe for the almond cake is also called ''Amandier'' in French which means almond tree. If you are a lover of anything almond, this is absolutely a dessert for you.
CALLING THE ALMOND LOVERS! If you click around on my blog, you'll notice I'm an all-time 'almond anything' lover! You should also give a try to the chocolate almond cake.
Listen. This is serious.
If you love marzipan, French macarons, almond cream, you'll be obsessed with this almond cake. It is too good for words and you will have to trust me and bake it. Also, it is quite simple...
Look at my pear tart with French almond cream, my red currant and almond mini pies or my cutest strawberry pies.
How To Make An Almond Cake From Scratch?
Not only this recipe is simple, but it also requires 5 ingredients that you probably have at home or should add to your grocery list asap!
There are only a few steps and if you wish and if you have kids, this is a kid-friendly recipe. Easy as 1, 2, 3, literally. Check my steps, I don't lie :).
Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Grease your pan, I used an 8-inch one.
- #1: Whisk the eggs and the sugar until the color lightens and the mix is fluffy.
- #2: Add the almond meal and the vanilla extract.
- #3: Melt the butter and pour it into your mixture! Combine.
Butter your oven dish if necessary and bake for 20 minutes! DONE!
Are Almond Flour And Almond Meal The Same?
Yes! It is for both finely ground almonds. You can say either, I even say ground almonds sometimes. There are all valid. It can be blanched which means the skin of the almonds has been removed before or turned into flour with the skin on (unblanched).
TIP: If you bake a lot and particularly with almond meals, I suggest buying it in bulk or at Costco. This will be the best bang for your buck! I really love this one because it is super fine and if you want to make French macarons, this is the perfect one!
What Are Some Tasty Ways To Use Almond Flour?
As an almond lover, I have you covered when it comes to recipes including it.
Red Currants and Almond Mini Pies
Mini Strawberry Pies with Almond Cream
Berry Crumble (using almond flour)
More Almond Flour Recipes
Best Flourless Almond Cake
Equipment
- 8-inch pan, greased.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs medium
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 2 cups almond meal
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup butter
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 handfull sliced almond
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven at 350F.
- In a bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until fluffy and it whitens. Add the vanilla.
- Add the almond meal and mix some more.
- Melt the butter. Add it to the mixture with the pinch of salt.
- Butter your baking dish if necessary and pour in the mixture. Sprinkle the almond slices.
- Bake for 20 min.
- Allow to cool before serving. Enjoy!
Alexis says
Unfortunately 450F for 20 minutes was far too hot and too long to bake this cake. I ended up taking it out at 13 minutes after seeing it was burning, and what little I could taste around the very burnt edges was overly sweet. The recipe did not indicate what type of baking dish to use so maybe it was because I used a metal dish rather than glass or ceramic?
Mélanie says
Hi Alexis, I'm sorry to hear that your cake was overcooked. I tested this recipe a few times and this temperature worked. Maybe my oven is not as strong as yours? I put less than a cup of sugar so it is not too sweet.
Lastly, you are right, I just added the size of the pan I used! Thank you for pointing it out :)
Alexis, I hope you give another try to this recipe as it is an absolute favorite!
Cathy says
The same thing happened to me! I watched it like a hawk and it still burned, but I managed to take it out and lower the temperature to 350 to cook it a bit more since the middle was raw. I use an oven thermometer so I’m fairly sure the temperature was 450 because the thermometer read that consistently. I had to take it out after 10 minutes.
Mélanie says
Hi Cathy,
You are absolutely right. There was an error in the typing of my recipe, I must have written it down wrong! I feel awful!
The right temperature should be 405 and not 450F. It has been corrected.
Hope you will give the recipe another try as it is so worth it!
Best,
Melanie
Karen J Jaquish says
What would happen if I used almond extract instead of vanilla extract? Too much of a good thing? Or what can it hurt?
Mélanie says
Totally agree, I'm a HUGE almond lover so I would not mind. :)
Brittany Brown says
Hey I have a question! I need to make this recipe as a 9x13 sheet cake. How should I adjust the ratios? I want it to be as thick and fluffy as possible because I have to decorate it for a client.
Thank you!
Mélanie says
Hi Brittany, mhhh that's a good question. I have never done it so big. I guess I would make this recipe x3 or x4. What did you have in mind? Make sure the borders of your baking sheet is high enough.
Ting-Li says
It was so simple to make and super delicious. My baking pan was a little bigger so it didn’t rise as much as the picture. While baking, the whole kitchen smells so good. Yum!
Mélanie says
Hi Ting-Li, thank you for trying this recipe! It is so delicious and a go-to recipe in our house as it is quick to put together!
Alejandro says
Un postre delicioso y una receta fácil. Lo disfrutamos mucho durante las vacaciones de diciembre. Los ingredientes fueron fáciles de encontrar en la casa y la tienda. Excelente introducción a la cocina con harina de almendras.
Mélanie says
Thank you so much Alejandro, I'm so glad you tried and enjoyed the recipe during the holidays! Happy New Year!
Kimberly says
I love this recipe however a lot of ovens vary so could you please add to the recipe a way to know when the cake is done?? A toothpick in the middle coming out clean or with a few crumbs perhaps ??
Mélanie says
I would say yes some crumbs on the toothpick would be perfect. Not completely dry as the cake cooks a little more in its dish.
I redid the recipe recently and 405F is the perfect temperature for 20 minutes.
Kimberly says
Okay so I baked it at 400 for 15 min then lowered it to 350 for 10 more minutes (I did this because I added raspberries to the top so it was still very wet at 15 minutes), but I have to say..... WOW!!!! I literally searched through probably close to 40 almond cake recipes looking for something with this exact texture and taste. Its simply divine and so easy to throw together! I think I will try with brown butter next time. Would it also be possible to replace some of the almond flour with pistachio flour ?? Thank u for this recipe, it is definitely a new favorite!
Mélanie says
I'm so pleased you love it Kimberly! I have never tried with pistachio flour but I love the idea!
Andrea says
I'm not eating grains or sugar right now but I am eating honey and I do love almonds! I know honey has more moisture and I was thinking I'd like to make this and add in honey (in an amount that's less than the sugar that's called for because it's sweeter). Any idea how I can juggle around the ratio of wet and dry to substitute honey for sugar? Thanks for giving it some thought - I appreciate your input!:)
Gail says
Going to try this cake today.! Please note your instructions forget to say when to add the vanilla noted in the ingredients. Also... this is the first recipe I’ve ever seen asking for 405 vs the standard 400 degrees...I wonder if your oven is off or do you think the cake needs that extra tweak of heat?
Mélanie says
Hello Gail! So excited you are making this cake today!
Thank you for letting me know about the vanilla, I just added it in the instructions.
Also, I had put 405F because my oven was in Celcius but now I have changed it to Fahrenheit and re-tested the recipe since then so I can attest that 400F is fine (405 F would not be a major change!).
I have updated the recipe card!
Happy baking!
Nancy says
Almond cake was so easy and delicious!
Sammy says
Please advise the size of the baking pan as I do not see it in your recipe
Mélanie says
It's in the recipe card. 8-inch pan :)
Amanda says
Should the butter be salted or unsalted?
Mélanie says
I would say it is a personal preference. I use salted butter.
Mary Hamilton says
My daughter-in-law is allergic to flour, eggs, and anything from a cow (beef & all milk products). Do you know the best substitutes for the eggs and butter in this recipe?
Mélanie says
Hello Mary, you can maybe try vegan butter (I have not tried) but not familiar with a substitute for the eggs, I'm sorry!
Nancy Doetsch says
I used honey instead of sugar. I did 2/3 cup honey with 1/2 tsp baking soda info from a conversion chart. I also used a 9 inch baking circle. Baked 400 for 15 minutes, the cake was getting dark. Put aluminum sheet on top and cooked for another 5 minutes at 400 degrees. Middle of the cake still was not cooked. Reduced heat to 350 degrees for another 5 minutes. I let the cake rest for several minutes. I did not add any extra almonds to the mix. I wanted a cake to have strawberries and whip cream on. Did pie our slices for dessert. It was a big hit!
Mélanie says
So glad it was a hit. I guess the substitution played a role in the cooking time but so glad it turned out great! Thank you Nancy!
Nancy Doetach says
On the last five minutes I did still have a piece of aluminum foil on top of cake to prevent further browning 👍
B. Deneris says
There was a bakery in town that made a cake very similar to this but it was more dense and so fabulous. The only thing he told me about it before he retired was that he used real almond paste. Any idea how to replace some almond flour and use almond paste instead?
Mélanie says
I don't think you would get the same results.
Stacey says
I love this cake- so easy and elegant. I’ve seen other almond cake recipes that call for baking powder- have you ever tried it with bp?? Wondering if that would make it rise up a little bit…..(or has anyone else ever tried that?)
Thanks!
Carol says
Has anyone tried replacing butter with oil? As I have another recipe that calls for oil rather than butter.
Thank you
Carol
Mélanie says
Hi Carol, I have not tried that but if you do, use a little less oil than it calls for butter. Let me know how it turns out!
Maliha says
Hey, can I use almond flour instead of almond meal? Never cooked/baked with almond meal so not sure what the difference is…!? Thanks!
Mélanie says
Hi Maliha, it is the same, almond meal or almond flour. Happy baking!
Julie Nuristani says
Hi Mélanie, so the recipe says 350 and your recipe says 350..making it now at 350 but after 20 min still not firm. Just checking for future just keepin a close eye on it now. Thanks!!
Julie Nuristani says
I’m sorry what I meant was the recipe says 350 but your notes/responses say 400°F.
Mélanie says
Hi Julie, thank you for reaching out! I recently re-tested twice this recipe, 350F for 20-25 minutes was the best. 400F is too high, too quick.The cake is suppose to be moist and soft, not firm. There are no leavening agent. I hope you liked it!