Almond Flour Vanilla Cake
This almond flour cake has a rich vanilla flavor, moist texture and is both gluten free and grain free. It can easily be made refined sugar free, dairy free and is topped with a simple vanilla frosting. Perfect for a healthy birthday cake!
This almond flour cake took so much trial and error, but it is truly the perfect healthy vanilla cake! It’s made in one bowl and so easy to make. It’s adapted from my almond flour chocolate cake, but with a few essential tweaks since we obviously aren’t using any cocoa powder.
You can give it a rich almond flavor by adding in some almond extract like my honey soaked almond cake, or keep it simple and just use the vanilla. You’ll notice this recipe calls for 1 1/2 tablespoons of vanilla, which is a lot, but it’s key to getting that rich flavor to shine through!
This recipe is completely gluten free, dairy free optional and even paleo and keto friendly which makes it a great baking option for diabetics. If you love this recipe, try my almond flour cupcakes, gluten free cheesecake or gluten free bundt cake next!
Tips before we bake!
- No xanthan gum is needed in this almond flour cake. That is an ingredient that is typically added to help bind gluten free recipes together, but I found that using enough eggs gets the job done. The tapioca starch also works as an effective binder as well.
- The key is to help an almond flour cake rise is to use enough eggs and baking powder to get that fluffy texture. This recipe calls for 6 eggs, which might seem like a lot, but it’s essential for a light and fluffy texture and binding everything together.
How to make vanilla almond flour cake
Whisk wet. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients until smooth.
Whisk dry. Whisk in the dry ingredients until a smooth batter forms. Be sure to spoon and level all flours, don’t scoop from the bag! Transfer evenly to your prepared pans. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Bake. Bake for 28-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. The tops of the cakes will brown much more than a traditional vanilla cake, don’t worry, this is just the nature of almond flour and is to be expected!
Cool. Let cool in the pans for 10-15 minutes, then slice around the edge of the cake to make sure nothing is stuck to the sides, then flip onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
Make frosting. Meanwhile, cream the butter for the frosting with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes. Beat in the powdered sugar, followed by the milk, vanilla and salt. Start with 4 cups of the sugar and add more if you need it thicker.
Frost & serve! When the cakes have cooled completely, add a layer of frosting to the top, then add an optional layer of jam, followed by the next cake layer and finish it off with more frosting. Top with berries or serve as is!
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter your email below & we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
Key ingredients
Eggs. You need six whole eggs for this almond flour cake, which provides a lot of the structure. The eggs will bind everything together, help the cake rise and add moisture.
Almond Flour. The key ingredient! Be sure to use almond flour from blanched almonds and not almond meal. Almond flour has a finer texture than almond meal and will give a lighter texture.
Tapioca & coconut flour. These both allow the cake to have a soft texture without the grittiness that almond flour can sometimes have.
Sugar & honey. I opted to use white sugar to keep the cake a more traditional color, but you can swap for coconut sugar or a keto granulated sugar instead. I do not recommend any substitutes for the honey.
Butter. You only need 1/3 cup of melted butter since the almond flour adds so much fat and moisture on its own! Dairy free or regular butter will work!
Canned coconut milk. This helps add more moisture without the need for too much butter. You can sub for whole milk if you are not dairy free. We use this in my gluten free coconut cake as well!
Decorating tips
There are so many ways to decorate a vanilla cake, I opted for a basic buttercream frosting with berries on top! You can add sprinkles, swirl some jam on the frosting, use a chocolate frosting, or just some simple whipped cream and berries between layers for a lighter option that’s perfect for summer. My strawberry buttercream or orange buttercream would also be delicious here!
Can I make it vegan?
Unfortunately, no. The eggs are such an important ingredient for both binding and rising, and omitting or subbing for an egg substitute will not go over well! You can, however, make this cake dairy free. Just use dairy free butter for both the cake itself and the frosting.
Can you substitute almond flour for regular flour?
Generally, no, which is why I suggest making a recipe that already calls for almond flour.
A small portion of all purpose flour can sometimes be replaced with almond flour, but it depends on the recipe. This recipe calls for almond, tapioca and coconut flours and no all purpose flour.
More almond flour recipes you’ll love!
- Almond Flour Blueberry Muffins
- Fluffy Almond Flour Waffles
- Gluten Free Almond Flour Pancakes
- Almond Flour Sugar Cookies
If you want more recipes straight to your inbox, be sure to subscribe to my email list! As always, be sure to tag me on instagram so I can see your creation. Leave a comment and rating below if you try this recipe!
Almond Flour Vanilla Cake
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Wet
- 6 large eggs
- ⅓ cup butter melted
- 1 cup white sugar see notes
- ½ cup honey
- ⅓ cup full fat coconut milk
- 1 ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract optional
Dry
- 2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
- 1 cup tapioca starch
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Frosting
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- ¼ cup full fat canned coconut milk
- 4-5 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grease and line two 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper. Be sure to grease AND line because the cake will stick otherwise!
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients. Be sure to shake up the can of coconut milk before measuring so it’s not lumpy and pours out smooth. If you have a hard time with this (certain brands can be tricky) blitz it in the blender for a few seconds!
- Whisk until smooth.
- Whisk in the dry ingredients until a smooth batter forms. Be sure to spoon and level all flours, don’t scoop from the bag!
- Transfer evenly to your prepared pans. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Bake for 28-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- The tops of the cakes will brown much more than a traditional vanilla cake, don’t worry, this is just the nature of almond flour and is to be expected!
- Let cool in the pans for 10-15 minutes, then slice around the edge of the cake to make sure nothing is stuck to the sides, then flip onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Meanwhile, cream the butter for the frosting with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes.
- Beat in the powdered sugar, followed by the milk, vanilla and salt. Start with 4 cups of the sugar and add more if you need it thicker.
- When the cakes have cooled completely, add a layer of frosting to the top, then add an optional layer of jam, followed by the next cake layer and finish it off with more frosting.
- Top with berries or serve as is!
Notes
Comments
-
Can I substitute tapioca flour for the tapioca starch?
-
That should be fine!
-
-
Also-how much does this cake rise? Would you say it is tall like a traditional cake?
-
Yes, it rises very well!
-
Thank you! I’ve made recipes almond flour cakes that use only a liquid sweetener such as maple syrup or honey, and while it is tasty, it does not have that tall cake look and were more dense. So my question is if the use of coconut sugar in this cake makes it taller and fluffy or is it something else?
-
Yes, the granulated sugar definitely does that (I used white sugar for the photos, but you can use coconut though the cake will be darker). Any cake that is sweetened with all liquid sweetener is naturally going to be much more dense.
-
-
-
-
Could I reduce the sugar to 1/2 or 3/4 cup? Thank you
-
3/4 cup of sugar will be fine, but I don’t recommend going lower than that!
-
-
Hi, can I use cream cheese frosting instead?
-
Yes, totally just depends on your preference!
-
-
can i use a bundt pan for this recipe?
-
Yes, that should work! Bake time will be a bit longer most likely, I’d add probably 10-20 minutes.
-
This is my second year baking this for my celiac (diagnosed only two years ago) son’s birthday and it’s divine! I have to round my baking powder as I live at 4500′ but otherwise I cook it exactly as written and it’s really excellent! I’m a good cook but am no excuse for a baker and I rely on recipes like this that work perfectly. Thanks!
-
So glad you love this recipe! Thank you, Rebecca!
-
-
-
-
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I’m going to try it – wondering if it’s a good cake to make a day or two in advance then frost/assemble on the day? Thank you!-
Yes, you can definitely do that! Just be sure to let the cake layers cool completely, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap, place in a ziplock bag and store in the fridge until you’re ready to frost.
-
-
I made it! It’s absolutely delicious. I used 3/4 cup of coconut sugar instead of the one cup of white sugar. It was plenty sweet. Thank you for the great recipe.
-
So glad it worked with that sub! Thanks, Denise!
-
-
This is the best gluten free cake which I ever made.
If you are not even gluten free eater, it’s worth to try!
I baked it for the birthday cake.-
Makes me so happy to hear! Thank you 🙂
-
-
Could I use arrowroot instead of tapioca?
Also As there’s severe egg allergy,can you please suggest the best egg replacer.And instead of honey what’s the best alternative .-
Unfortunately, I don’t recommend this recipe if you can’t use eggs! The structure will not hold up well.
-
-
Could I use coconut oil instead of butter? And leave the coconut sugar out?
-
Coconut oil will work, but butter works best for the best flavor. Definitely don’t leave out the granulated sugar or the cake will have virtually no flavor!
-
-
Hi there
Can I use more honey instead of sugar and if so, how much honey will be needed
Thanks
Jen-
Unfortunately, no, that will completely change the wet/dry proportions and throw the whole recipe off.
-
-
Can I substitute corn starch instead of the tapioca starch and is there something I can substitute for the coconut flour? Thanks 😊
-
You can try corn instead of tapioca, but I don’t recommend any subs for the coconut flour. This recipe can be tricky so I recommend following it as closely as possible for best results!
-
-
I made this cake last night for the first time and while the texture is beautiful, the cake is too sweet for my taste. I typically reduce the amount of sugar in cake recipes but I decided to use the full amount in this cake as not to alter the texture. I will probably only add 1/2 cup sugar next time, especially since the honey adds a nice flavor. I used only 2 cups of confectioners sugar for the frosting and it was also still too sweet. Easy to make though and I will try again!
-
Totally understand! Everyone has different preferences but hopefully those adjustments will make it perfect for you.
-
-
Hi!
I have an ingredient question! I was wondering for the full fat coconut milk- I noticed in the frosting ingredients you specifically mentioned canned full fat coconut milk. In the the wet ingredients , you mention full fat coconut milk. Should these both be canned full fat coconut milk?
I am going to get ingredients at the store tomorrow so I just wanted to make sure I have the right ones!!
Thank you and can’t wait to make it!!
-
Yes! For both the cake and frosting, you’ll need the canned full fat coconut milk.
-
-
This was one of the best cakes I have made. It was so moist light and fluffy. Everybody loved it. But the best part was no one could tell it was gluten and dairy free! Thanks for sharing!
-
Hi! So glad to hear that, miss you guys 🙂
-
leave a comment and rating