Vegan Almond Cake

Super moist, fragrant and delicate Vegan Almond Cake with a pop of lemon flavor. Made with almond flour it is naturally gluten-free and vegan, and quite possibly the easiest cake you'll ever make. Excellent served on its own but also great dressed up for dessert with fresh berries, fruit compote or poached pears, and some dairy-free cream, custard or whipped vegan ricotta!

Hello, cake! And this Vegan Almond Cake is such a favorite of mine for many reasons. First, it's fragrant and vibrant and amazing in a cake meets dessert kind of way. We're talking packed with almond and lemon flavor and light and delicate, yet moist and almost syrupy in texture. You know like a drizzle cake you drench with syrup after baking? Only you don't have to with this recipe.

Recipe video

And did I mention it's easy? Like ridiculously easy to make. And even better, it doesn't taste easy. Everyone will be so impressed with your baking skills when you present this delicate, golden deliciousness. Convenient too because it keeps well for ages. You can easily make it a few days ahead if you need to and the flavor just gets better and better.

Jump to:

• Recipe video
• Ingredient & equipment notes
• How to make Vegan Almond Cake
• Success Tips
• Storage and freezing
• Serving suggestions
• Recipe FAQs
• More recipes that use almond flour
• 📖 Recipe
• Comments

Ingredient & equipment notes

(For detailed measurements and instructions, see the printable recipe card).

No mixer or special equipment is required to make vegan almond cake but you will need a 9-inch cake tin and some parchment paper or a silicone liner to line it. This is a sticky cake and no matter how good your pan is, you won't get the cake out in one piece if you don't line the pan.

I purchased a couple of these Silpat liners a while ago now and they are so handy. No having to cut rounds of paper anymore and you can reuse them for years.

Important: The pan you use to bake this cake must be metal. Do not use a silicone pan. This cake needs good structure as it is delicate.

Here's what we've got going on in this eggless almond cake recipe:

And some notes on each of them:

• Almond flour– This is a naturally gluten-free vegan almond cake. Because it is made entirely from almond flour which is a completely gluten-free flour, and contains no wheat flour at all, the light, soft and fine texture of the almond flour is crucial to the structure and texture of the cake. This means that to make this vegan almond flour cake you must use blanched superfine almond flour. Almond meal will not work well. Bob's Red Mill is a commonly found brand to look for while shopping. Amazon also carry many varieties. I get mine from Costco. They sell a great big bag that's great value for money. If you are in the UK you can pick it up from Holland & Barrett. The flour should look pale yellow and very, very fine like flour. Not coarse with brown bits of skin in it, like almond meal which is made from unblanched almonds.
• Olive oil - I like to use extra virgin olive oil for it's deep flavor, but regular olive oil is fine too. The olive oil is used as the fat in the cake, but also for its moisture and flavor which complements the almond and lemon. It is the best choice for this recipe and I don't recommend using any other type of oil.
• Sugar - Cane sugar or white sugar for their mellow flavor and light colour. Don't use any other type as it will affect the look and taste of the cake.
• Lemons - For flavor, acidity and moisture. You could use orange, grapefruit or lime instead. Use the lemon juice and the lemon zest too if you want even more lemon flavor.
• Cornstarch - For binding. Without this additional starch your cake will fall apart. It is essential in this recipe.
• Plant milk - Any variety such as almond milk, cashew milk, soy milk or oat milk. I recommend using plain unsweetened and unflavored milk.
• Baking powder - For fluffiness and rise.
• Baking soda and apple cider vinegar - Because this is an eggless almond cake recipe, a blend of both are used to replace the leavening that would otherwise be provided by eggs.
• Almond extract - For concentrated almond flavor. You could use vanilla extract instead. I highly recommend you use "extract" and not flavoring. It gives far superior results. I love Nielsen-Massey almond extract.

+ (OPTIONAL) Powdered sugar - For dusting over the cake once it is baked and cooled. I use it sometimes. Other times, like in my photos here, I just leave the cake naked.

How to make Vegan Almond Cake

Wondering how to make almond cake without eggs? Here's how it's done:

1. Whisk up the dry ingredients.
2. Whisk up the wet ingredients.
3. Mix the two together and because this is a gluten-free vegan almond cake made only with almond flour, you don't need to worry about over-mixing like you would with a standard wheat flour cake.
4. Pour the batter mixture into a pan and bake in the oven. Check it with a toothpick/skewer/sharp knife and you're done.

That's it. Then leave it to cool in the pan on a wire rack and you have perfect cake. No buttercream, frosting, or glaze is required. It's more than good enough just as it is. Additions like that would detract unnecessarily from the beautifully moist and flavorful vegan cake.

For decoration purposes I like to either brush the cake with a little maple syrup to give it a really nice shine, or dust it with some powdered sugar.

Success Tips

For the very best results when making this recipe follow these tips:

• I highly recommend using a digital scale. Cups are an extremely inaccurate way to measure flour-like substances. A scale will give you the best and most consistent results every single time. Pop the bowl right on the scale and weigh your ingredients as you add them. Not only is it more accurate it also cuts down on washing up!
• Whisking the wet and the dry ingredients separately helps to ensure that the leavening agents and flavors are evenly distributed throughout the batter. 
• Be quick to get the cake in the oven once you've mixed the wet and the dry ingredients together. We want to take full advantage of the baking soda/acid reaction for the best textured cake. 
• The pan you use to bake this cake must be a metal one. Do not use a silicone cake pan. The cake needs structure as it bakes and silicone does not provide that.
• You must use blanched almond flour. Its soft, light texture is essential. Almond meal will not give good results in this cake.
• Grease and line your pan really well. This is a delicate, sticky cake.
• Don't over-bake. This cake is supposed to be damp/very moist.
• Wait until the cake is completely cool before removing it from the tin or it will break.
• I don't recommend using this recipe for a layer cake because it is too moist and delicate to stack.

Storage and freezing

The great thing about this cake is that it doesn't dry out over time like most cakes do.

• To store: Leftover cake can be covered well and stored at room temperature for 5 to 6 days. If you want to keep it any longer store covered very well in the fridge where it will be fine for up to 10 days.
• To freeze: Allow to cool completely in the tin. The best way is to freeze the cake in the tin. Just be sure to wrap the whole thing really, really well. Or once turned out, place the cake very gently in a shallow and airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge. Take note before attempting to freeze, that this cake is very moist and delicate and doesn't transfer easily, so once turned out onto a plate or cake stand, it will be next to impossible to remove it and place it on something else, unless you're doing it by the slice.

Serving suggestions

This fragrant vegan almond flour cake is amazing served by the slice just as it is, but can also be transformed into an amazing dessert. Try it served with:

• vegan whipped cream or coconut cream
• summer berries (it's particularly good with fresh raspberries)
• poached pears
• vegan lemon curd
• roasted figs
• vegan ricotta
• fruit compote
• vegan custard
• ice cream

Recipe FAQs

More recipes that use almond flour

Put your leftover almond flour to good use with my:

• Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Healthy Pie Crust
• Vegan Butter
• Vegan Ricotta

This recipe was very loosely inspired by Nigella Lawson's Clementine Cake as featured in her book How To Eat. Although the ingredients I've used are different, the texture and appearance of the finished cake are very similar.

📖 Recipe