Almond Flour Lemon Cake (Gluten Free & Paleo!)
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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 almond flour lemon cake is perfection.
This paleo lemon cake Recipe, At A Glance:
Simple Ingredients For Almond Flour Lemon Cake
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 texture and flavor with such simple ingredients! Let’s take a look:
- 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 cake with after baking.
- Lemon Zest. Using lemon zest adds the most fresh lemon flavor into the cake, since the peel is where those lemon essential oils are.
- 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. Use finely ground almond flour (not almond meal!) for this cake. It has the lightest texture & works best.
- 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:
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 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 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!
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 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.
Craving More Yummy Desserts? Try…
- Keto Red Velvet Cake from Cassidy’s Craveable Creations. Great for low carb folks!
- No Bake Chocolate Berry Tart (Vegan & Gluten Free)
- Triple Berry Crumble Pie (Vegan & GF)
- The PERFECT Gluten Free Brownies (Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Paleo)
- Peach Berry Crisp (Gluten Free, Vegan, Paleo-Friendly)
p.s. My other two lemon cake recipes are this Lemon Cream Cake, and this Gluten Free Lemon Cake
⭐ Don’t forget to leave a star review and comment below when you make our Gluten-Free Almond Flour Lemon Cake recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Print
Almond Flour Lemon Cake
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 Slices 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
A gorgeous, bright lemon cake that’s perfect for any occasion! Don’t skip the whipped coconut cream and fresh berries!
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 4 eggs, yolks and whites separated
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 Tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- pinch salt
- 1 1/2 cups finely ground blanched almond flour
- 1 tsp baking powder*
For the Lemon-Honey Glaze:
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 2 Tbsp 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
*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.
**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.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
(Adapted from Simply Recipes) Originally shared March 2018. Updated with updated instructions, new video & photos March 2023. See some of our original photos below!
Hi Emily, is there any substitute for the creme of tartar? I dont have it at home.
Paula – it’s primarily just to add stabilization to the egg whites. It’s not strictly required, so you could probably skip it if you don’t want to pick some up. Hope that helps!
Where do I get the coconut cream? Is it something special, or just the stuff in the can in the international foods section?
You can buy pre-whipped coconut cream (called CoCoWhip) from places like Sprouts or Whole Foods–find it near you here, or you can use this tutorial to whip your own. To make your own, you use the canned stuff 🙂
CocoWhip is so dang good!! I’m going to make this recipe today for my father-in-law who is gluten intolerant.
YAY! I hope it’s a HUGE hit! (And totally agree about CocoWhip!)
If I was to make 4 of these cakes and layer them do you think that would work? Thinking of making it for s Birthday.
Mari – It would be a very, very tall cake. (This one is at least 2-3 inches tall, so quadrupling it would make for a very high, thick cake.) I’ve never tried slicing layers in half or dividing it among different pans to bake thinner individual layers, but if I wanted to make a layer cake out of it, I’d go that route first.
Can you give me (complete novice) some guidance on cooking times and temperatures for thinner layers please.
Rob – I haven’t ever cooked this cake in thinner layers, so I’m afraid I don’t have any tested time estimates for you.
If I were doing my best guess (dividing the batter between two pans), I’d start by preparing two pans as directed (sprayed or greased and lined with parchment paper). Then, if possible, I’d use a measuring cup to measure equal amounts of batter into the pans. If you have a kitchen scale, you can make them exactly equal by weighing them. If not, just do your best to make them equal.
If you’re baking both layers in the oven at the same time, you’ll want to rotate the pans halfway through for even baking. Otherwise, just bake one layer, then repeat with the other layer.
As for timing, I’d estimate roughly half the baking time, since the layers would be half as thick. I always recommend checking a few minutes before you think you’ll need to, to prevent over-baking. So, for this recipe, if you’re making 2 thinner layers, I’d start checking the layers at about the 10-12 minute mark, and would guess they’d be completely done by about 12-15 minutes. Again, those are estimates, and the baking times will vary based on the pans you use, and the accuracy of your oven temperature. I’d recommend staying close to the oven so you can keep an eye on them.
I HOPE that helps! I wish you the best of luck!!!
I just made the cake, and it didn’t rise very much. Will it still taste good? And what did I do wrong?
Tenille – Oh dear! I’m sorry that happened…Hmmm… There are several things I’m wondering about, which might help me see where you ran into trouble:
1. Did you use baking powder or a substitution?
2. Did you use the cream of tartar?
3. Did you whip your egg whites to the soft peak stage?
4. Did you gently fold in the egg whites to the batter, or stir it all in?
Sometimes if you beat in or stir in the egg whites mixture instead of folding it, you can squish out all the air bubbles you create when you whip the egg whites.
I don’t think I whipped the egg whites long enough. I did fold them gently into the batter though. I made it for my mom for her birthday. It is a flatter cake, but do you think it will taste ok? I can’t cut into it try? Thank you for responding!!
I do think it’ll taste just fine! The texture might just be a little less light. 🙂 I hope you all love it!
Hi baked yesterday…unfortunately my cake was like Emily’s too…didn’t rise at all and feels very dense. I thought I followed all your instructions – very careful with the egg white folding, etc., The only thing was that I had to use 1/4 of the flour component (almond) with coconut flour. (I ran out of almond flour). Maybe that was it? Who knows. I’m scared to serve at party so off to the bakery I go.
I’m sure it was just me…hope you don’t mind me posting
Sherri – Not at all! I would definitely think in this case it’s the coconut flour. Coconut flour is NOT a direct substitute for almond flour (or any other kind of flour). It absorbs several times its own volume in liquid, and unless you compensate by reducing the amount of coconut flour and increasing the number of eggs and amount of liquid, the results will not be the same. In this case, it almost certainly absorbed the liquid from the whipped egg whites, etc. and that’s why it ended up dry and dense. Coconut flour cannot be directly substituted for almond flour in any baking recipe without adjusting other ingredients.
Hello! Any substitutions for the eggs/whites? We are vegan & typically use flax or chia but not sure if in this cake what you would suggest? Thank you!
Faina – The whipped egg whites provide the entire structure of the cake, so you definitely can’t substitute chia or flax eggs in this recipe. (It’ll be far too dense, chewy, and flat).
I haven’t tested this myself, but the best suggestion I have would be to use aquafaba, since it’ll provide that whipped, light texture. Two great tutorials I’d recommend for aquafaba:This one from Minimalist Baker and this one from America’s Test Kitchen.
I hope that helps!
I would love to bake this with blueberries within the mixture, though I know ingredient proportions would change. Guess I’ll just have to top with blueberries instead 😁
Thank you much for the recipe 💕
Cassandra – My only concern is that the blueberries will add moisture to the cake and might sink to the bottom since the batter is so light. Otherwise, blueberries on top (and maybe even some blueberry syrup!) might be a delicious way to go!
Hi Emily, I would like to try this as a double layer cake with lemon curd center, can this recipe be doubled for 2 9” cakes?
Tracey – That sounds delicious! I haven’t tried doubling it, but I’d think it’d work! Worst case scenario, you could simply make the recipe twice (so you don’t have to over-beat the batter and accidentally deflate the whipped egg whites).
If you give it a try, I’d LOVE to hear how it goes! That lemon curd center sounds like a dream!
Hi! This was so good! I really wanted cake tonight and I’m so lucky I found this recipe first. I didn’t have everything on hand so I made 3 substitutions. I used orange zest instead of lemon, 1/4 cup sugar plus 1 Tbsp. water instead of honey, and 1 tsp lemon juice instead of cream of tarter. It didn’t rise as much probably due to the substitutions, but it was moist and delicious. One question: there was a very slight crunch, could it be that my flour wasn’t finely ground? Maybe I can run it through the food processor next time. Thanks for a great GF recipe!
Wanted to add…the cake itself was about 1 inch high but still light and fluffy.
Lisa – I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake! I’m curious what kind of almond flour did you use?
Hi Emily, the carb count looks high is it all from the honey? Could it be substituted with maple syrup?
Thx 🙂
Daniel – I haven’t tried it with maple syrup yet. I think the flavor would conflict a bit with the lemon and it may not go as golden in the oven. If you give it a go, I’d love to know how it goes!
Hi Emily,
Do you think I could do cupcakes? Also i would like to make them the night before because Im bringing them to work
I’ve never made them as cupcakes. I don’t think they’d get the “dome” effect you typically look for in cupcakes and since it’s such a moist cake, they might stick to the cupcake liners. If you do give it a try, I’d love to know how they turn out!
This sounds so yummy!! I am going to make it this weekend for my mom’s bday dinner!
I am allergic to honey, however.
Do you know what I sub for the glaze??
Nickie – You can try agave! 🙂
Great idea!! Thank you!!
My pleasure! 🙂
Hi- Will this still be a really good tasting cake without any whipped cream? The commercial brand has tons of icky ingredients and the homemade stuff still requires a sweeter other than honey so we would like to skip the whip. Don’t want to bother if the whipped topping is what makes the cake great. Thanks and thanks for having a site that has comments from people who actually made the recipe versus people who feel they need to contribute ‘nummy sounding’ to every recipe generated, as we see on many other sites.
Angie – I know what you mean! And YES, this cake will still taste awesome without whipped cream. We like it on its own a lot! I’ve also done it with raspberry puree (just pureed and strained raspberries) and with just fresh berries on top. Hope you love it if you give it a try!
Made this cake yesterday for my sister’s birthday. It was delicious and enjoyed by over 15 people. The first one I made exactly as the recipe follows, then I made a second, doubled the recipe and lined a 9×13 and it was fluffy and wonderful. Our family loves finding recipes that are gluten and dairy free (and sugar…so honey was key here too). Thank you for making my sister’s birthday special with this winner of a recipe.
Sarah, you completely made my day! I’m SO happy to hear this!!!
How did you do the lemons on the top of the cake? Just thinly sliced and twisted or did you candy them?
For these photos, I just added thinly sliced, twisted fresh lemon slices right before serving/taking photos. Candied lemon slices work much better if you’re planning to make it well ahead of time, since fresh slices can seep lemon juice. But for 1-2 hours ahead of time, thin slices of fresh lemon work great!
This is the best dessert I have ever made for my son who has to be on a paleo diet! The whole family loved it. I really liked that it has no butter in it, which my son can’t tolerate. He was thrilled which made me so happy. I will make it again!
I’m SO HAPPY to hear that! That’s wonderful!