This is the cake for almond lovers! This single-layer almond cake is moist and tender and packed with almond flavor from a combination of almond paste, almond extract, and sliced almonds.
This cake can be served anytime of day. It’s delicious plain alongside a cup of coffee or tea, or add a little something extra by serving each slice with berries and whipped cream. Prefer a bite-sized almond treat? Try our almond croissant bites.
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What I love about this recipe
Flavor: Lots of sweet and buttery almond flavor in every bite!
Ease: This cake batter comes together in a food processor in minutes. And since this cake doesn’t have any frosting it’s easier than most cake recipes.
Texture: This cake has a moist crumb and manages to be both dense and light.
Versatility: This cake can be served for breakfast, snack, or dessert. Serve it plain or top with whipped cream and berries.
Ingredients needed
Almond paste: You’ll need 4 ounces of almond paste. See more on this ingredient below.
Almond extract: For extra almond flavor.
Granulated sugar: For sweetening the cake batter and topping the cake.
Butter: One stick/half cup of unsalted butter.
Eggs: Three large eggs for binding and texture.
Dry ingredients: A combination of all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
Sliced almonds: For the sugared almond topping.
Recipe overview
*Full recipe below in recipe card*
This cake batter is assembled in the food processor. It comes together in minutes! Here’s how to make it:
- Almond paste and sugar are pulsed in a food processor until finely ground.
- Add softened butter and process until combined.
- Add eggs and almond extract and process until combined.
- Sprinkle in flour, baking powder and salt. Give it a whirl until combined.
Pour the batter into a greased and lined 8-inch cake pan. Sprinkle sliced almonds and sugar over the top and bake.
Ingredient overview: almond paste
Almond paste is a mixture of ground almonds and sugar or sugar syrup. You can purchase it in tubes or cans in the baking aisle of well-stocked grocery stores. It should be soft, moist, and easy to break apart. The almond paste gets processed into the cake batter and adds texture and a sweet almond flavor to every bite of this cake. I do not recommend trying to substitute the almond paste with another ingredient.
Leftover almond paste? Make a batch of Almond Cherry Bars OR tightly wrap it and freeze it for up to 6 months.
Optional topping
This cake is absolutely delicious as-is. If you want to add a little something extra it pairs wonderfully with whipped cream and berries.
To serve: Warm berry jam to thin it out. Spoon some jam and whipped cream over the top of each slice of cake and top with fresh berries.
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Recipe
Almond Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 4 ounces almond paste
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Topping:
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- 1-2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- optional toppings (to serve): powdered sugar, whipped cream, fresh berries
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle of the oven. Line the bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper and grease the pan.
- Crumble almond paste into food processor bowl. Add granulated sugar and pulse until almond paste is finely ground. Add butter and process until smooth (it will turn into a ball; just keep processing until it smooths out). Add eggs and almond extract and process until combined, occasionally stopping the processor and scraping sides and bottom of bowl. Sprinkle in flour, baking powder, and salt, and process until blended.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Tap the pan on the countertop a few times to remove air bubbles. Top the cake batter with sliced almonds and 1-2 tablespoons sugar (I like to add half the almonds, sprinkle over half the sugar, then repeat with remaining almonds and sugar).
- Bake for 23-26 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place the pan on a wire rack. Cool for 30 minutes, then carefully remove it from the pan and place the cake back on the rack to cool. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. If desired, you can dust the cake with powdered sugar or serve with the toppings mentioned below.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!Recipe adapted from Good Housekeeping.
Myra
I’ve made the recipe twice. It ends up looking like a pancake, not a layer. I top it with jam, whipped cream, and berries so it looks taller. It’s absolutely delicious. Why doesn’t it rise?
Allison
It’s not a really thick and puffy cake, but it definitely should be thicker than a pancake. Is your baking powder fresh?
Ann
My grandson is graduating high school this June and I would love to make this cake. He loves the Italian 7 layer cookies that I make for him and I’m thinking this would be a nice treat. Can the recipe be doubled or do I have to make it in two batches?
Allison
I’ve only made it as written, so I’d recommend just making two batches. Enjoy!
Lynn
Hi Allison – love this cake! Do you have any experience with freezing for a later use?
Thanks!
Allison
Hi, Lynn. I have never frozen it, so I can’t say for sure. The cake itself *should* be fine, not sure if the sliced almonds will stay crunchy. Thanks for stopping by!
SM
My family loves almond-flavored desserts so I made this last night and everyone loved it! I served it with the whipped cream/mixed berry combo (without the jam) and it was a hit. I will definitely make this recipe again. My only regret is that there are no leftovers!
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
wilhelmina
Almond is one of my very favorite flavors and this cake show it off to perfection! It’s everything I wanted in an almond dessert. I am adding it to our Easter menu!
Ashley
Such a beautiful and delicious cake. Simple flavors but so so tasty and delicious!
Teresa Burns
Can this recipe be made with almond flour ?
Allison
Hi, Teresa. I’ve only made the recipe as written. You need the all purpose flour for structure so I wouldn’t swap it for almond flour.
Meghann Koffi
This is the best almond dessert I have ever had! I love almond croissants and almond cookies, but it’s hard to find almond cake. The closest I’ve found is a marzipan cake from an international grocer, but this recipe is much better. It’s so light and fluffy, but so moist and incredibly flavorful.
I used honey roasted sliced almonds instead of plain almonds and skipped the sugar for the topping. When it cooled, I just dusted it with powdered sugar and served as is. We only have a mini food processor, so I ground the almond paste and sugar in it, then transferred it to my stand mixer with the paddle attachment to complete the rest of the batter.
It came out perfect! I was surprised how quick and easy it came together. This will be one of my staple dessert recipes for sure! Absolutely perfect with some berries and and a cup of coffee or tea!
Allison
Thanks for sharing your experience! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Monica
Can you make this into cupcakes? If do any changes?
Allison
I’m not sure I haven’t tried it. This cake is moist and dense and cupcakes are usually light and fluffy, so I’m not sure if it will give you what you’re looking for.
Liz
I just made this cake for the birthday party of an Almond Dessert Lover last night, and it was a hit!! I actually made the recipe twice – once with regular flour, and once with Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose 1-to-1 gluten-free flour – so there could be a gluten-free option for those who needed it. Both cakes rose well and had a wonderful texture (densely packed and moist, yet lightweight), even with the gluten-free flour substitution. I also made the cakes ahead of time froze them. I baked them on Sunday, waited until they were fully cooled, wrapped twice with plastic wrap, wrapped again with foil, put them in the freezer, and then took them out Friday morning to defrost (covered) on the counter for that evening (I unwrapped the cakes while still frozen so the golden top of the cakes didn’t get ripped off by the plastic wrap when it was defrosted).
I served each slice with warmed lingonberry jam (the tartness balanced the sweetness of the cake very nicely!), a dollop of homemade whipped cream, and a spinkle of toasted sliced almonds. For extra festive decoration, I dusted each slice with powdered sugar and stuck a mint leaf into the whipped cream. The colors and flavors were lovely! Great recipe!
Allison
Thanks for sharing your experience. I’m glad you enjoyed it!