About this Recipe
Technically, this gluten-free lemon cake is more like a sponge cake. The base is a light and airy egg mixture, much like a Viennese sponge cake, but with the addition of melted butter. This makes the almond cake simple to prepare and gives it an incredible texture.
For this recipe, I drew inspiration from two classic cakes: the Mallorcan almond cake and a low-carb apple cake.
Taste and Occasion
This natural and moist gluten-free lemon cake is like a taste of springtime, much like lemon curd or tarte au citron. It has a subtle lemon flavor, not overwhelming but just right.
If you prefer a more intense lemon taste, feel free to double the amount of zest. It's important to use blanched ground almonds for this recipe, as it results in the best texture and a cleaner appearance.
Ingredients
Lemon and almonds are the key ingredients that define this cake's flavor. As you may know, there's no flour involved. Instead, the flour is replaced with a blend of eggs, butter, sugar, and almonds.
Both lemon juice and zest are used to achieve a bright, fresh taste. If you want a more intense flavor, simply add extra zest to the batter.
How to Make the Gluten-Free Lemon Cake
Start by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C) with top and bottom heat.
Prepare the dough next. Grease a small springform pan and sprinkle it with ground almonds. Separate the eggs. In a large bowl, beat 100 grams of sugar with the egg yolks until the mixture is very light and frothy.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the remaining sugar until stiff peaks form.
Fold the melted butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice into the egg yolk mixture. Combine the ground almonds with the baking powder, and gently fold them in. Finally, carefully fold in the beaten egg whites.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out. Sprinkle with almond flakes.
Bake the cake for about 35 minutes. If it begins to brown too quickly, cover it with foil halfway through. Once baked, dust the cake with powdered sugar if desired.
Top Tip
This cake keeps well, making it a great option to bake a day or two in advance. In practice, though, it's hard to resist eating it warm straight from the oven. I had to restrain myself from devouring it all when it was still slightly warm 😉
Recipe Card
Gluten-Free Lemon Cake with Almonds
Ingredients
For the dough
- 4 eggs, medium sized
- 120 grams (0.6 cups) sugar
- 90 grams (0.4 cups) butter, melted
- 220 grams (2 cups) ground almonds, blanched
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 lemon, of which juice and grated
For sprinkling
- 60 grams (0.4 cups) almonds, sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 175 degrees top and bottom heat. Grease a small springform pan and sprinkle with almonds. Separate the eggs. Beat 100 grams of the sugar with the egg yolks until very frothy. Beat the beaten egg whites with the remaining sugar until stiff.
- Stir the liquid butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice into the egg mixture. Mix the almonds with the baking powder and also carefully stir in; finally fold in the beaten egg white.
- Fill the dough into the prepared form and smooth it down. Spread almond flakes on the dough. Bake the cake for about 35 minutes, if necessary cover with foil after half of the time so that it does not get too dark. Dust the finished cake with icing sugar as desired.
Notes
- The cake tastes rather discreetly of lemon. If you like it more intensely, you can use double the amount of abrasive.
- The almond sponge cake is also delicious with additional fruit like cherries or apples.
- For a low carb almond and lemon cake, it is easy to replace the sugar with erythritol or xylitol.
Ingredient substitutions
Variations
This almond-based cake is wonderfully versatile. It pairs beautifully with fresh fruit like cherries or apples.
For a low-carb option, you can substitute the sugar with erythritol or xylitol.
If you're a fan of other lemon-flavored cakes that don’t necessarily have to be gluten-free, check out my ultra-moist Lemon Poppy Seed Cake or the classic Lemon Sheet Cake. And if you're into healthy baking, why not try my Low-Fat Sugar-Free Lemon Cake?
About Kathrin & Jan
It's like a little miracle to me every time. Seemingly simple ingredients are made into something that can brighten up your life. Butter, sugar, eggs, and flour melt into an airy biscuit, a fine tart, a juicy cake, or a crispy biscuit. Baking simply makes you happy. Welcome and enjoy our blog!
Kathrin & Jan
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