This light, fluffy Almond Flour Lemon Cake recipe is perfect with fresh berries and whipped coconut cream. It’s gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, paleo perfection!
I *may* or may not have THREE lemon cake recipes on my blog at this very moment.
I regret nothing.
A bright, sunny lemon cake recipe is exactly what spring and summer call for. You KNOW I love a good, dense chocolate flourless cake, or a rich chocolate tart, or a mind-blowing brownie any time. I’m a chocolate lover forever. But there is nothing like the light, citrusy goodness of a lemon cake. They’re sweet and tangy and feel so light and fresh.
I love that this lemon almond flour cake doesn’t weigh you down. It’s the perfect blend of soft and fluffy while still being substantial enough to hold up to whipped coconut cream and berries. Michael was just one bite in before announcing “I’m pretty sure I want this for my birthday.”
I don’t blame him. This fluffy, super moist almond flour lemon cake is perfection.
Gather Your Ingredients
One of the things that has made this naturally sweetened lemon cake recipe so popular over the years is the simple ingredients list. It’s kind of mind-blowing you can get this kind of fluffy texture and bright lemon flavor with such simple ingredients! Let’s take a look at our key ingredients:
- Eggs. You’ll separate the egg yolks and whites, so you can whip air into the whites before folding them into the cake.
- Cream Of Tartar. This ingredient helps the whipped egg whites hold their shape.
- Honey. This adds sweetness to the cake, and also comes into play in the lemon-honey syrup you brush the fluffy cake with after baking.
- Lemon Zest. Using fresh lemon zest adds the most fresh lemon flavor into the cake, since the peel is where those lemon essential oils are. (Meyer lemons also work, but I usually prefer regular lemons here.)
- Fresh Lemon Juice. We won’t waste any of that lemon goodness! You’ll use the juice in our lemon-honey syrup.
- Vanilla Extract. This makes the cake taste sweeter without any extra sugar.
- Blanched Almond Flour. For the best texture, use finely ground almond flour (not almond meal!) for this cake. It has the lightest texture & works best for a tender, moist crumb. Do not use other gluten-free flours in this recipe, since they won’t work the same.
- Baking Powder. To help the cake puff. If you’re paleo, don’t miss our notes below on paleo baking powder!
- Salt. A little kosher salt helps balance the flavor beautifully.
- A Few Goodies On Top. Then, you’ll finish the cake with whipped coconut cream and some fresh berries. I love a mix of fresh strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.
How To Make This Almond Flour Cake Recipe, Step By Step
As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions & tips in the recipe card below.
Start By Mixing Up The Cake
- Preheat The Oven & Prep The Pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8-inch or 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray.
- Separate egg yolks and whites and place in two separate, VERY clean metal or glass bowls. (Egg whites will not whip if there is any grease in your bowl and they need the friction of metal or glass to whip well).
- Mix Up The Yolks Mixture. To the yolks mixture, add honey, lemon zest, and vanilla. Stir well until smooth. Set aside.
- Combine Dry Ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together almond flour and baking powder. Stir into yolks mixture. (Mixture will be quite thick).
- Whip Egg Whites To Stiff Peaks. Using a hand mixer (or a whisk and a lot of elbow grease!), whip egg whites on medium speed until just frothy. Pause and add a pinch of salt and the cream of tartar. Continue to whip, now on high speed, until they reach the soft peaks stage. There should be no more liquid egg whites on the bottom of the bowl, and when the beaters are lifted out of the egg whites, the peaks should flop over slightly (instead of standing straight up).
- Gradually Fold In The Egg Whites. Working in 3-4 batches, gently fold the whipped egg whites into the cake batter. At first, this will seem like it might not work. Just keep going, gently using a spatula to fold the mixture together (don’t stir quickly or you’ll deflate the batter). Repeat with remaining whipped egg whites until all are incorporated into the batter. Batter will be lighter in color and very fluffy.
- Pour batter into your prepared pan and gently shake to even out the surface.
- Bake at 325 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Finish & Decorate The Cake
- Mix Up The Lemon-Honey Syrup. In a small bowl or saucepan, whisk together honey and lemon juice until very smooth and well blended.
- Brush & Cool The Cake. When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and place on a wire rack. Remove the outer ring of the springform cake pan, and while the cake still quite warm, brush the top of the cake with the lemon-honey glaze. Allow cake to completely cool before slicing, or topping with any garnishes.
- Top The Cake. Serve with whipped cream or whipped coconut cream and fresh berries, candied lemon peel, lemon curd, or ice cream!
- Serve & Store. Enjoy the decorated cake right away, or store in an airtight container 2-3 days in the fridge. (Note that the cake will keep best WITHOUT the toppings on top, so if you don’t plan to serve the whole thing, it’s best to decorate individual slices right before serving.)
Tips for The Best Almond Flour Lemon Cake
Tricks For Whipping Egg Whites
Whipping the egg whites is KEY here to creating the structure you’re looking for in the cake. The most common error when making this cake is not whipping the whites carefully.
- Separate The Eggs Properly! In order for the egg whites to whip, you cannot have even a single drop of egg yolk in the whites, or any grease on the bowl or beaters. Make sure to clean everything thoroughly before using and use these techniques for separating egg yolks and whites to make sure you’re ready to go!
- How To Whip Egg Whites. This tutorial walks you through everything you need to know about getting the egg whites to stiff peaks.
- Use Cream Of Tartar. The the original recipe, Elise used vinegar and sugar to help stabilize her egg whites. Since I’m using honey instead of sugar in my version, I used cream of tartar. It’s gluten free, dairy free, grain free, etc. and only contains tartaric acid. It’s excellent for adding stabilization to egg whites, and many paleo bakers use it in tandem with baking soda as a substitute for baking powder.
- Fold Them In Gently. After doing all that hard work to whip the whites, be sure to follow the instructions to GENTLY fold them in, a bit at a time to gently lighten the batter. Don’t whisk or stir quickly, or you’ll deflate all the air out of the whites.
Use The Right Kind Of Almond Flour!
It wouldn’t be almond flour lemon cake without almond flour! I use blanched almond flour for this recipe, which is a finely ground almond flour made from almonds with their skins removed. This is visually and texturally important, so please don’t try to substitute almond meal (which keeps skins on and is coarser).
Different brands vary a bit, but I look for “finely ground, blanched almond flour.” I’ve had good luck with Honeyville, Blue Diamond, Hughson Nut, Bob’s Red Mill, and Kirkland brand, all of which I’ve been able to find at Costco at different times, where it’s 3 pounds for $10-12 instead of 1 pound at the grocery store for $8-9. Use what you like, and what you can find! NOTE: You CANNOT substitute ANY other flours for almond flour in this recipe, especially coconut flour. The ratios aren’t the same.
Toppings For Lemon Cake
Coconut Whipped Cream. If you’re not strictly paleo, I highly recommend buying SoDelicious CocoWhip (I get it at Sprouts or Natural Grocers). It’s basically coconut milk Cool Whip. It’s more stable than anything I’ve made myself, but does have added sweetener. I think it’s so lovely with the subtly-sweet cake. If you can’t find it or don’t want to use it, I recommend using this method or this method for making your own. Follow the directions to the letter, and keep the whipped cream in the fridge until the last possible moment before serving. (And, obviously, if dairy doesn’t hate you, you can totally go with classic dairy-rific whipped cream!)
Not into whipped cream? Try this! Two words: Raspberry Sauce. It makes everything better, from this gluten-free cake to your morning oatmeal. My favorite recipe (seen here) is about as easy as can be: frozen or fresh raspberries + lemon juice + honey or sugar. Puree, strain, and serve. Bam.
p.s. My other two lemon cake recipes are this Lemon Cream Cake (not gluten-free), and this Gluten Free Lemon Cake, made with gluten-free 1:1 flour.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tell me all about it! Leave a star rating below when you try our Gluten-Free Almond Flour Lemon Cake recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Almond Flour Lemon Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 4 eggs yolks and whites separated
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 Tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- pinch salt
- 1 1/2 cups finely ground blanched almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder*
For the Lemon-Honey Glaze:
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
To Top (Optional):
- Coconut whipped cream
- Fresh Berries strawberries, blueberries & raspberries
- Fresh mint
- Lemon slices or candied lemon peel
- Edible flowers
Instructions
Start By Making The Cake
- Preheat The Oven & Prep The Pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8-inch or 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray. (An 8-inch pan will give you a thicker cake)
- Separate egg yolks and whites and place in two separate, VERY clean metal or glass bowls. (Egg whites will not whip if there is any grease in your bowl and they need the friction of metal or glass to whip well).
- Mix Up The Yolks Mixture. To the yolks mixture, add honey, lemon zest, and vanilla. Stir well until smooth. Set aside.
- Combine Dry Ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together almond flour and baking powder. Stir into yolks mixture. (Mixture will be quite thick).
- Whip Egg Whites To Stiff Peaks. Using a hand mixer (or a whisk and a lot of elbow grease!), whip egg whites on medium speed until just frothy. Pause and add a pinch of salt and the cream of tartar. Continue to whip, now on high speed, until they reach the soft peaks stage. There should be no more liquid egg whites on the bottom of the bowl, and when the beaters are lifted out of the egg whites, the peaks should flop over slightly (instead of standing straight up).
- Gradually Fold In The Egg Whites. Working in 3-4 batches, gently fold the whipped egg whites into the cake batter. At first, this will seem like it might not work. Just keep going, gently using a spatula to fold the mixture together (don’t stir quickly or you’ll deflate the batter). Repeat with remaining whipped egg whites until all are incorporated into the batter. Batter will be lighter in color and very fluffy.
- Pour batter into your prepared pan and gently shake to even out the surface.
- Bake at 325 degrees F for 22-25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
WHILE THE CAKE IS BAKING, make your lemon-honey glaze
- Mix Up The Lemon-Honey Syrup. In a small bowl or saucepan, whisk together honey and lemon juice until very smooth and well blended.
- Brush & Cool The Cake. When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and place on a wire rack. Remove the outer ring of the springform cake pan, and while the cake still quite warm, brush with the lemon-honey glaze. Allow cake to completely cool before slicing, or topping with any garnishes.
- Top The Cake. Serve with whipped cream or whipped coconut cream and fresh berries, candied lemon peel, lemon curd, edible flowers, or ice cream!
Notes
- PALEO NOTES. If you are strictly paleo, you can substitute 2/3 tsp cream of tartar and 1/3 tsp baking soda for the 1 tsp of baking powder.
- MAKE AHEAD TIPS. If you’d like to make the cake in advance, follow all the steps until the cake is brushed with the syrup and cooled completely. Wrap with plastic wrap and place in an airtight bag. Freeze up to 1 month and thaw in the refrigerator before topping.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are an estimate only and will vary based on brands and amounts used.
Find it Online:
https://www.onelovelylife.com/almond-flour-lemon-cake/(Adapted from Simply Recipes) Originally shared March 2018. Updated with updated instructions, new video & photos March 2023.
I am on the SCD diet for Crohn’s and I am not allowed cream of tartar. Is there anything else I could use? I can use baking soda but not powder and no starches.
Thank you
Linda – Great question! The cream of tartar is meant to help stabilize the egg whites. It’s not absolutely critical and I don’t know of any non-starch options you could use as a substitute. I’d probably recommend leaving it out and being sure you get your egg whites to the soft peaks stage. I hope that helps!!
That’s great! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer.
Linda
My pleasure! I hope you love it!
Do you put the coconut cream and berries on just before serving, or can they be done a bit ahead?
Kathy – They can be done a bit ahead! It should work fine 🙂
made this wonderful cake yesterday. It was super soft with a great texture and flavour.
only one issue
it seemed slightly under done in the middle even though I baked it for 30 mins. the sides were nicely browned.
any tips??
thanks
Sharmila – Hmm…did you test the center with a toothpick, by chance? If it comes away mostly clean, then the cake is done. If there are still lots of moist crumbs or batter, it’s not quite done. The lemon glaze will help keep the cake moist, so if the edges get a bit more browned, it’s ok!
Can I put lemon frosting on TOP instead of cream? Will the frosting too “heavy” for the cake? As you mentioned the cake is very fluffy n soft, thanks
Connie – I think you could totally try it! You might like the lemon glaze in this post if you don’t have a paleo one you’re using.
Thanks for the advice but I can’t have powdered sugar, what other substitutes can I use? Thanks
What frosting recipe were you planning to make instead of the whipped cream? Some people like the Swerve powdered sugar sub (made from erythritol).
Could the cake be made a day or 2 in advance and kept in the fridge? Or would freezing be necessary?
Katherine – It can absolutely be made a day ahead and stored in the fridge. I probably wouldn’t make it 2 days ahead unless you put it in the freezer. That will help it stay as fresh as possible!
Thanks, I’m planning to try it for easter, since I’ve had to cut out dairy!
Could you make this in a regular cake pan?
Yep! For easy removal, I spray the pan with nonstick spray, place an “X” of long strips of parchment paper on the bottom (these will act as handles later), then a circle of parchment over those. Then, you can easily lift it out later. (This helps prevent breaking or sticking, though you could probably get away with flipping it out of the pan and onto a baking sheet if you feel confident doing it that way).
I’ve used almond flour before, and my family wasn’t crazy about the flavor. It could have been the recipe, but I’m not sure. Would you recommend using a mix of coconut flour and almond flour, or just sticking with the almond flour?
Jaime – Great question! I’d recommend sticking with the almond flour. In this recipe, the whipped egg whites make a huge difference in texture, and the lemon flavor really shines over any almond flavor from the almond (at least for my family).
Coconut flour is not a direct substitute for almond flour and requires significantly different proportions of ingredients. It absorbs several times its own volume in liquid, so usually coconut flour recipes require more eggs and more liquid ingredients. If you tried to substitute in some coconut flour without adjusting the other ingredients, your cake would likely come out very dry and crumbly. I haven’t tested this recipe using any other flour combination, so I don’t feel comfortable advising you about how you might go about experimenting with it.
I hope that helps! Have a great day!
It must have been the recipie, because even I cannot tell the difference in taste. If anything the almond flour cake has a richer taste, and it bakes to perfection. I was worried before I made it the first time about whether it would be moist and spongy like a successful real cake, which is sometimes hard to acheve in any cake. Using almond flour has made my cakes perfect every time! You should definitely give it another try, and this time use a good recipie like here! Looking forward to doing chocolate next time.
Thanks so much for your feedback Elizabeth! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
Can you tell me how many servings according to the calories listed for 1 piece?
Sure! It’s 1/8 th of the cake, so 8 servings. They’re nice, big portions! You can cut it into 12ths for smaller servings, if you like!
I want to make this for next weekend. Do you think I could make and bake, cool, and freeze? Then defrost in fridge and frost and top with berries when ready to serve? What’s your input, please. 🙂
I absolutely do! And I think that’s exactly what you should do. Bake, cool, freeze, then thaw in the fridge, frost and add berries! 🙂
This cake is so beautiful! You can never have too many lemon anything recipes. This will be so great to serve at Easter.
I TOTALLY agree. Lemon forever!
Your gluten free lemon cake recipe is the number 1 cake recipe in our house! So excited to see this new recipe! Can’t wait to try it!!
Oh happy day! That makes me SO happy!!!
i just make it was to thick came out like a coocki i dont know what i did wrong? Beatriz
Beatriz – Did you whip the egg whites until they hit the soft peaks stage? If you didn’t, your cake will not rise properly and it will be dense and heavy.
what happeng yolk got into the whites any way i will try it again ,still taste is good like a cookie mix it whit fruit is good,thanks Emily
Oh, I’m sorry. Hopefully it’s even better next time!