Almond Flour Vanilla Cake (So Sweet!)

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This Almond Flour Vanilla Cake is a fantastic gluten-free treat! Celebrate a birthday, anniversary, or any day with this delicious cake!

This Almond Flour Vanilla Cake is…

Soft
Egg-Free
Gluten-Free
Vegan-Friendly
A delicious dessert!

A Gluten-Free Treat

Almond flour is naturally gluten-free! It has a sweet nutty flavor and is a perfect match with the floral, caramel notes of vanilla. This Almond Vanilla Cake is a fantastic dessert to celebrate a special occasion or any day you want a gluten-free treat!

A slice of cake on a plate. Strawberries are on top of the slice and on the lower portion of the plate, along with a gold fork.

Almond flour can be a tricky ingredient. It is much more dense than all-purpose flour and also lacks a binding ability because of it has no gluten. Due to this, almond flour requires additional ingredients to bind, rise, and improve the texture of the batter. In this cake recipe, we use a combination of coconut flour and tapioca starch as binders and thickeners. Baking powder and baking soda both act as leavening agents to give rise to the batter as it bakes in the oven.

This Almond Flour Vanilla Cake can easily be made vegan! Since there aren’t any eggs already, the only swaps needed are for the dairy milk and butter. Any non-dairy milk will work, but if you’d like to boost the almond notes of the cake, use almond milk. Then just choose your favorite plant-based butter. Now you’re ready to bake up a delish gluten-free, vegan treat!

Ingredients for Almond Flour Vanilla Cake

Almond Flour – Almond flour is a popular choice for gluten-free baking. It makes tender, mildly nutty baked goods and is a great combo with vanilla.

Coconut Flour – Coconut flour improves the texture and flavor of this cake. Made from ground coconut meat, its sweet tropical flavor blends wonderfully with the almond flour.

Tapioca Starch – Tapioca starch is used as a binder in this recipe. Since this cake is egg-free, a different binding ingredient is needed to ensure the ingredients hold together as they bake.

Sugar – Granulated sugar is the sweetener of choice for this recipe. Another type of sugar, such as brown sugar or coconut sugar, will yield similar results. Liquid sweeteners will change the texture of the cake and increase the baking time.

Baking Powder – Baking powder is one of the leavening agents used to help the cake rise in the oven.

Baking Soda – Baking soda gives additional rising power because almond flour is so heavy.

Salt – Himalayan pink salt is a good choice for baked goods because it doesn’t have as sharp of a flavor as table salt.

Milk – As stated above, use your choice of dairy-free milk and butter to make this Almond Vanilla Cake completely vegan!

Butter – Butter adds a rich flavor to the cake, as well as providing additional moisture to the batter.

Vanilla Bean Paste or Extract – Vanilla bean paste will have a stronger vanilla flavor than extract. The tiny black vanilla seeds are also visible in the paste, which adds a beautiful touch to the cake and frosting.

A close up of vanilla bean frosting. Two strawberries are in the upper left corner.

Apple Cider Vinegar – Apple cider vinegar is the activating agent for the leavening ingredients to allow the cake to rise in the oven.

Powdered Sugar – A combination of butter, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla whips up into a sweet, luscious frosting!

Diet Compatibility and Allergens

Diet	Recipe compatible as written?	Recommended substitutions
Keto	No.	N/A
Paleo	No.	N/A
Whole30	No.	N/A
Gluten-free	Yes.	N/A
Vegetarian	Yes.	N/A
Vegan	No.	Use dairy-free milk & butter.
Low sodium	No.	Eliminate salt.
Dairy-free	No.	Use dairy-free milk & butter.
Mediterranean	No.	N/A
Low FODMAP	No.	Swap coconut flour for other Low FODMAP gluten-free flour.
Atkins	No.	N/A

Allergen	Present in recipe?	Recommended substitutions
Milk	Yes.	Use dairy-free milk & butter.
Eggs	No.	N/A
Fish	No.	N/A
Shellfish	No.	N/A
Tree nuts	Yes (according to FDA).	Swap coconut flour for other gluten-free flour.
Peanuts	No.	N/A
Wheat (Gluten)	No.	N/A
Soy	No.	N/A
Sesame	No.	N/A

How to Make Almond Flour Vanilla Cake

Step One: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a cake dish with oil or parchment paper.

Step Two: In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients.

Step Three: Add in wet ingredients and mix until the batter just comes together.

A hand holding a small jar of vanilla bean extract above a mixer bowl with ingredients. A spatula rests on the right side of the bowl.

A mixer bowl full of ingredients. A spatula rests on the right side of the bowl.

A close up of a mixer whipping ingredients together. A blue tea towel is underneath the mixer.

Step Four: Scoop batter into the prepared cake dish. Bake for 35 minutes until a knife in the center comes out clean.

Cake batter being pressed into a cake dish with a spatula. A blue tea towel lies underneath the dish and a bowl of strawberries is in the upper right corner.

Cake batter in a cake dish about to be baked. A blue tea towel lies underneath the dish and a spatula rests on the right hand side. A bowl of strawberries is in the upper right corner.

Step Five: While the cake is baking, sift powdered sugar into a bowl and whip together with the remaining frosting ingredients. Set aside.

Powdered sugar being sifted through a sifter into a bowl with a spatula.

Frosting ingredients in a mixer bowl about to be whipped.

A hand mixer whipping frosting ingredients in a silver bowl.

A whisk covered in frosting hovering above a bowl with the remaining frosting.

A spatula with a dollop of frosting hovering above a mixer bowl with the remaining frosting.

Step Six: Let cake cool to room temperature, frost, slice, & serve!

A freshly baked cake in a dish on top of a blue tea towel. A bowl of strawberries is in the top right.

A spatula frosting a cake in a cake dish. A blue tea towel lies underneath the dish and a bowl of strawberries is in the upper left corner.

A freshly frosted cake in a cake dish. A blue tea towel lies underneath the dish and a bowl of strawberries is in the upper left corner.

A frosted cake in a cake dish with two strawberries on its left side. A blue tea towel lies underneath the dish and a bowl of strawberries is in the upper left corner.

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FAQ

Is almond flour good for baking cakes?

Yes! Almond flour makes deliciously moist and tender cakes. It is an excellent choice for gluten-free baking.

Do vanilla and almond go together?

Vanilla and almond are a perfect match! The floral, caramel notes of vanilla pair very well with the nutty sweetness of almond.

What is the trick to baking with almond flour?

Almond flour is dense and highly absorbent, so needs a secondary ingredients to act as a binder and thickener to improve the texture. It also needs a longer baking time because its high fat content can cause it to brown too quickly.

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