This 4-Ingredient Almond Flour Cake is so soft, light and fluffy with a moist crumb. It is gluten-free, dairy-free, low-carb, and made with no butter or oil! It is also protein-rich, with about 8 grams of protein per slice.
If you love baking with almond flour, then try my almond flour chocolate cake or the almond flour chocolate chip cookies recipe next!
Don’t be fooled by its simplicity—this almond flour cake looks elegant with sliced almonds and only needs fresh berries and a light dusting of powdered sugar. It’s perfect with coffee or as a simple dessert with whipped cream and berries.
🍰 Love simple cakes to enjoy with coffee? Try our orange walnut cake or the strawberry yogurt cake recipe!
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🤩 Why Our Recipe?
- Protein-rich: It has about 8 grams of protein per slice
- Diet friendly: Gluten-free, dairy-free, low carb and flourless.
- Only 4 ingredients: Although the recipe includes vanilla, it is optional.
- Texture: It's moist with pillowy soft crumb.
- Easy: No separating eggs or creaming butter. It’s simple, and straightforward!
Featured comments
From Neela F: "Tried this recipe tonight on a whim since I had all of the ingredients and I’ve been wanting to experiment with this flour since I have never used it before. It came out so delicious!!! The cake texture is so good it reminds me of these guava cake bars at my local grocery story. I’m going to try it again but with a fruit/homemade jam filling in between a layer. I can already tell this one is a keeper my husband loved it too!!! ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️
From Annelies: "I really loved this cake and so did my kids. Will add lemon zest and almond slices next time. Almond cakes have usually been dry for me but the texture of this one was amazing. This will be my new go to for cakes from now on. Added keto fluff on top as frosting" ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️
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Ingredients you'll need
Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.
- Almond flour- Like in all almond flour recipes, make sure to use blanched variety to help guarantee a softer, lighter cake crumb. Almond meal is almonds ground with skin and is much coarser in texture which is not best suited for this recipe.
- Eggs- You need 4 whole eggs for this almond flour cake recipe. The egg whites create an airy texture and the yolks are excellent for adding moisture and richness. Eggs also provide a lot of the structure, bind everything together and help the cake rise.
- Brown sugar- You'll need light or golden brown sugar for this recipe. As I mention in the round up post of brown sugar desserts, dark brown tends to impart more caramel notes, which over shadows the lovely almond flavor.
- Baking powder- It gives a much needed lift.
Variations
- Spread a layer sweetened whipped cream and top with fresh berries.
- You can use almond extract, lemon or orange zest instead of vanilla.
How to make almond flour cake?
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
1 & 2: Add 4 eggs and brown sugar into a large bowl and begin beating with an electric beater for about 4 minutes. The egg mixture will have increased in volume and look pale in color.
👉 Make sure to leave your eggs at room temperature for several hours before baking.
3 & 4: Add almond flour, baking powder, salt and vanilla extract. Continue beating, beginning on low speed and gradually increasing to high.
5 & 6: The batter will have have thickened after about 1 minute. Remove beater and gently stir using a rubber spatula to mix any dry mixture attached to the sides of the bowl.
7: Grease a 8-inch round baking pan with cooking spray or melted butter and line the bottom with parchment paper. Transfer batter into the prepared baking pan and gently smooth the top so the batter is spread evenly.
8: We like to sprinkle the top with some sliced almonds which not only adds texture but also makes it visually appealing. Bake in a pre heated 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes or a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes clean.
Serving suggestions
Lightly dust with confectioners' sugar and enjoy with a cup of coffee or as a quick snack. For a simple yet elegant dessert, top with a dollop of whipped cream and a handful of fresh berries.
To make a layer cake, double the recipe and bake in two cake pans and make a two layer cake.
Storage
- To store: Store leftovers in an air tight container at room temperature, for up to 1 week. You can store the cake in the refrigerator if you’d like to keep longer but make sure to leave at room temperature for a couple of hours before serving.
- To freeze: This 4 ingredient cake using almond flour freezes well. Wrap the cooled cake tightly in plastic wrap, and store it in a freezer safe zip lock bag for up to 2 months.
Tips to whip the eggs to full volume
To get the best volume when whipping eggs for the almond flour cake, there are a few simple (but important!) steps to follow:
- Use room-temperature eggs. Cold eggs just don’t whip up as well. Let them sit out for about an hour before you start—this makes a big difference!
- Check your beater position. Make sure your beaters are at least halfway, ideally two-thirds, submerged in the eggs while mixing. If you're using a big bowl and the beaters are barely touching the eggs, you won’t get much volume. In that case, try tilting the bowl slightly so the beaters are more immersed.
- Don’t rush the mixing. Beat the eggs for at least 4 minutes—underbeating won’t give you the light, airy texture you want.
- Use them right away. Once whipped, use the eggs immediately. They’ll start to deflate if they sit too long.
Little tweaks like these go a long way in giving your cake that perfect lift!
Recipe tips
- Make sure to cool the cake completely before removing from the pan or else you risk the cake falling apart.
- Beat the eggs for at least 4 minutes which provides the necessary aeration and guarantees a light cake.
- Don't over-bake this cake.
- Lining the pan with parchment paper guarantees seamless removal from the pan, especially for a gluten-free cake recipe.
Other cake pans
I don’t recommend using a 9-Inch pan for this cake, as it will turn out too short—this isn’t a tall cake to begin with. For the best results, stick with the recommended 8-inch round pan.
You can also turn this recipe into muffins or cupcakes using a standard muffin tin. If making cupcakes, start checking for doneness around the 20-minute mark.
Recipe FAQs
Coconut flour has a tendency to be drier and requires more liquid, therefore will not work in this almond flour cake recipe which does have any liquid.
No. Eggs are essential in gluten free baking to help with binding and rise. Flax eggs can sometimes not offer that much needed structure.
Place your pan on a large sheet of parchment paper. Trace the bottom of the pan with a pencil or pen and cut on the traced line to make a circle. Grease the bottom and sides of your pan with cooking spray and place the parchment round on the bottom.
More dessert recipes using almond flour
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4 ingredient Almond Flour Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- ½ cup light brown sugar firmly packed
- 2 cups almond flour super fine
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds optional
Instructions
- Tip - It is important to have room temperature eggs for this recipe. So, leave the eggs at room temperature for several hours or preferably overnight.
- Pre heat oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 8-inch round baking pan with parchment paper and grease the bottom and sides with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- Place eggs and brown sugar in a large bowl and beat with a hand held electric beater, on high, for about 4 minutes, until pale in color and thickened.
- Add almond flour, vanilla extract, baking powder and salt. Continue beating for an additional one minute (start on low speed and build to high).
- Using a rubber spatula, scrape the sides of the bowl and gently stir couple of times.
- Transfer batter to prepared pan, spread evenly and sprinkle sliced almonds on top (if using).
- Bake for 26 to 32 minutes, until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes clean. Place pan on a wire rack to cool completely.
- To serve, lightly dust the top with confectioners' sugar, if desired, and enjoy it plain or with a dollop of whipped cream.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
Did you make this recipe? I’d love your feedback! Please let me know by leaving a comment, a star rating or review below.
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Neela F
Tried this recipe tonight on a whim since I had all of the ingredients and I’ve been wanting to experiment with almond flour since I have never used it before. It came out so delicious!!! The cake texture is so good it reminds me of these guava cake bars at my local grocery story. I’m going to try it again but with a fruit/homemade jam filling in between a layer. I can already tell this one is a keeper my husband loved it too!!!
Maria Doss
Hi Neela, Glad you loved it, Maria
Chris Champagne
Delicious and lightly sweet, as stated. Will enjoy this again in the future. Thank you!
Maria Doss
Happy to hear, have a wonderful day - Maria
Suchi
Hi , can we replace apple puree or banana puree instead of brown sugar
Maria Doss
Hi Suchi, Hmm... I think those might add way too much moisture, affect the flavor drastically and also make the cake more pudding like. Hope it helps - Maria
Joseph
Just made a test cake as a stand alone before I use the other batch of batter for my upside down cake. I substituted cinnamon honey for the vanilla to compliment the almond and used a rectangular loaf pan. Still cooked through in 1/2 an hour and just tasted it, nice and moist. It got me wondering if the batter could be used for pancakes, waffles, or muffins.
Maria Doss
Hi Joseph, Happy to hear, Maria
Margo Gribble
Followed instructions but the cake was a little dry husband likes moist cake. What can be used to moisten it.
Maria Doss
Hi Margo, We are so sorry that the cake turned out dry for you. Our guess is that the measurement of almond flour was a little more than needed or the eggs might have been medium sized and not large as the recipe called for. However, to salvage this cake we will recommend a few options that you can try:
1. Brush a warm simple syrup on top and let it soak for about 1/2 hour.
2. Top with softly whipped cream and store in the fridge for about 1/2 a day. The cream tends to moisten the cake a touch.
3. Brush diluted jam or jelly on top.
4. Make into a tres leches cake - Place cake in the baked pan, pour a mix of sweetened condensed milk, almond milk/ whole milk and vanilla over the cake and let it rest in the fridge allowing the cake to soak up the milk for a few hours.
5. Stir sliced strawberries and sugar, leave aside for about 30 minutes for it to get syrupy. Spoon the mixture along with juices on top of the cake and let it absorb for a few minutes.
Hope you find one of the above tip helpful - Maria
Samia
Can I use swerve brown sugar ? For my low carb/no sugar diet ?
Maria Doss
Hi Samia, I'm sorry that we are not familiar with that type of brown sugar and not sure if the cake will work with that. So sorry that we are not able to assist you at this time - Maria
Annelies
I really loved this cake and so did my kids. Will add lemon zest and almond slices next time. Almond cakes have usually been dry for me but the texture of this one was amazing. This will be my new go to for cakes from now on. Added keto fluff on top as frosting.
Maria Doss
Happy to hear hun - Maria❤️
Abhigna
Lovely cake.
The best I've eaten without guilt!
I have one question though, can I substitute the sugar with white sugar if I don't have the brown one?
Maria Doss
Hi Abhigna, Few differences when using white sugar instead of brown -
1. The texture will not be quite as soft, since brown sugar adds additional moisture.
2. The taste will be more like a plain sponge cake.
3. You might be to adjust the quantity of white sugar because the sweetness differs from brown sugar.
Hope it helps, Maria
Chrissy
Wondering if I made it in a 1/2 size bundt pan if it would be too short? The pan is a 6cup pan instead of the normal 12 cup size....thought?
Maria Doss
Hi Chrissy, You could but the only difficulty might be getting it out without breaking. This cake super tender for a bundt pan, since it is made using almond flour. However, make sure to liberally grease the bundt pan and also let the cake cool completely before attempting to remove. Hope it helps - Maria
Jeannette Browne
Hi Maria,
Could coconut sugar be substituted for the brown sugar? Thank you.
Maria Doss
Hi Jeannette, Coconut sugar is much drier than brown sugar and will potentially not result in a soft cake. Hope it helps - Maria ♡
Jane
I used almond meal and it was great.
Maria Doss
That’s so great to hear! So glad you love it – Maria ♡
Amira
I think I got a new addiction! this recipe wins ! I just tried it and it is perfect. Thank you so much .
Maria Doss
That’s so great to hear! So glad you love it – Maria ♡
Marsha
This cake is delicious and I’d like to point out it has more than 5 ingredients. Why do people find it necessary to misstate this? I made as written and it is decadent. The only substitution I made was almond extract for the vanilla. Thanks for sharing this 6 ingredient cake.
Maria Doss
That’s so great to hear, glad you loved it and appreciate the honest feedback - Maria