Gluten-Free Almond Cake with Berries on Top
This delicious gluten-free almond cake recipe is easy to make and naturally sweetened. Top with yogurt and fresh berries for a party-worthy cake!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
Would you look at that red, white and blue showstopper? I’ve been dreaming of this almond cake concept for months, and I’m sharing it just in time for your Fourth of July festivities. It’s my abstract, gluten-free version of a flag sheet cake.
This gluten-free almond cake is lightly sweetened with maple syrup (or honey), infused with fresh lemon flavor, and topped with creamy Greek yogurt and fresh strawberries and blueberries. It’s a winner!
The cake itself is tender and possesses an almost graham cracker-like flavor, thanks to the combination of almond meal and maple syrup. It’s not overtly sweet like boxed cake mixes, but it definitely tastes like a treat.
This beauty would be a dessert for any occasion (use any variety of seasonal fruit). It’s also wholesome enough to pass for breakfast or a mid-afternoon snack.
The best part? It’s very easy to make! No mixer required.
This cake’s nutrition profile begs a mention, too. While it’s not a low calorie cake, it does offer a good amount of fiber and protein, thanks to the almond meal base.
It’s made with olive oil instead of butter, so most of the fat is the heart-healthy monounsaturated variety. Not many cakes can make these claims, and this one does it with style.
Almond Cake Notes & Tips
A springform pan (most often used for cheesecake) is best for this recipe. It looks like a round cake pan but you can remove the sides when the cake is done baking. I bought my springform at TJ Maxx forever ago, but here is my favorite bakeware brand’s springform (affiliate link).
Don’t over-bake this cake! It’s done when it’s firm to the touch in the middle. When it’s properly baked, it’s tender, moist (sorry) and you can appreciate the almond-maple-lemon flavors in all of their nuanced glory.
This simple cake recipe is versatile. It’s delicious even without toppings, and a slice would go well with a scoop of ice cream or dollop of fruit compote or yogurt.
You can change the citrus (orange is delicious) and fruit topping, too—think sliced ripe peaches later this summer, homemade applesauce in the fall, and raspberries and strawberries for Valentine’s Day.
Please let me know how you like this cake in the comments! I hope it’s a smashing success at your Independence Day get-together.
Looking for more simple, festive desserts? Don’t miss Ali’s no-bake Greek yogurt tart, my blueberry almond crisp, and creamy roasted berry popsicles.
Gluten-Free Almond Cake with Berries on Top
This delicious gluten-free almond cake recipe is easy to make and naturally sweetened. Top with yogurt and fresh berries for a party-worthy cake! Recipe yields one 9-inch cake, enough for 8 slices.
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups firmly packed almond meal or almond flour (8 ounces), plus extra for dusting the pan
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 eggs
- ⅔ cup maple syrup or honey
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons grated lemon zest (from 2 medium lemons, preferably organic), plus more for garnish
Glaze and topping
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt or whipped cream
- ½ pound ripe strawberries, thinly sliced
- 1 cup fresh blueberries (6 ounces)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Generously grease a 9-inch springform pan* and dust it with almond meal to prevent sticking.
- To make the cake: In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of the almond meal, the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk to blend.
- Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and beat with a whisk until the yolks and egg whites have blended together. Add the maple syrup, olive oil, and lemon zest and whisk to blend. Pour the wet ingredients into the almond meal mixture and stir until there are just a few clumps remaining.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan (it will be runny; don’t worry). Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and the center is firm to the touch.
- Meanwhile, to make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon maple syrup until blended. (If you’re using honey instead and having a hard time blending it into the lemon juice, place the bowl on top of your stove to warm it up while the cake bakes, or warm it briefly in the microwave until you can whisk them together.)
- Once the cake is out of the oven, place the cake, pan and all, on a cooling rack. While the cake is warm, use a pastry brush to brush the glaze over the top of the cake. It should soak right in.
- Let the cake cool for at least 30 minutes. Carefully remove the outer piece from your springform pan.
- Spread yogurt evenly on top, then place strawberries and blueberries on top. Sprinkle with some additional lemon zest, then slice the cake with a sharp knife and serve! Store any remaining cake in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 4 days.
Notes
Recipe adapted from the lemony almond-blueberry cake in my cookbook, and my almond cake with roasted strawberries and rhubarb on top.
*Springform note: You are going to have a much easier time getting the cake out of a springform pan, so I recommend using one. That said, you might be able to make this work in a 9-inch cake pan. Generously grease the pan (bottom and sides), and then cut a round of parchment paper to neatly fit inside the bottom. Place it inside, pour the batter on top, and bake/glaze/cool as directed. Use a knife to loosen the outer edges of the cake before carefully inverting it onto a plate. Remove the paper, top with yogurt and berries, and serve.
Change it up: Top this cake with any fresh fruit you’d like! You can also change the flavor by choosing honey instead of maple syrup, or using a different citrus fruit for the zest and glaze (orange is very nice). See additional topping options below.
Make it dairy free: Use coconut whipped cream or almond butter instead of Greek yogurt. Or, you can make a simple glaze by whisking lemon juice into powdered sugar until it has a drizzly consistency. Generously drizzle it over the cake, then top with berries and generously drizzle over the berries to help keep them in place.
Egg note (for vegans/allergies): I’m sorry, the eggs are absolutely essential to this cake. Do not attempt with flax eggs, unless you want gross almond pudding!
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I was looking for a cake recipe for the whole family and I stumbled on this article. I read and followed the instructions carefully and I made it deliciously! Every member of my family is so happy! Thanks for this
I’m happy you found it, Kate!
I had to double the recipe so I doubled everything and I think it was too sweet. Maybe 1C of honey instead of 1 1/3 cups for the double batch. Also I used 3 Cups of Almond Meal and 1 Cup of ground Roasted Hazelnuts. Loved the combo. And I poured a can of coconut cream (from Trader Joe’s) on top to keep it dairy free. Thanks for a great recipe!
Thanks for sharing, Gaili! I’m sorry you didn’t love it as written. But, I’m glad you were able to make it work for you.
Would you think it is possible to sub out the almond flour for cup for cup GF flour and add almond extract? Also maybe try lactose free yogurt rather than Greek? Any thoughts?
I haven’t tried it, but if you do, let me know what you think!
I made this cake but at 24 minutes my cake was burned to a crisp. I checked and my oven temp was between 325-350*. Not sure why it got so burned. If i make it again I would check it a lot sooner.
This cake made it the best 4th of July ever! It was so simple. My family was VERY skeptical of the yogurt but they loved it! I want to make this again tomorrow! One question, are you supposed to take the cake off of the base before you serve it? Thanks!
Hi Olivia! I like to serve this on a cake platter, but you can serve however you like to.
Simply the best! I turned this recipe into cupcakes and baked them for about 18 minutes and it made 16 cupcakes. I loved these for 4th of July and made stars with strawberries and a blueberry center. Everyone loved them and they were a great treat for our gluten-free friend. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
That sounds delicious and festive, Emme!
I’ve just made this cake and it’s delicious!!! I used only 1/3 cup of agave syrup + 1tbsp of honey and coconut yogurt on top. I love this recipe!
Thanks Kate.
You’re welcome!
I love this cake! It’s great with the topping and without it! I’ll try with orange zest.
Thank you for your review, Jimena!
I’ve made this twice this summer – once just for me and my boyfriend and once to a housewarming party. Both times it received rave reviews! It is incredibly moist for a gluten-free cake and the yogurt icing is delicious and healthy! It looks gorgeous too.
Thanks for commenting, Jacqueline!
This was delicious and so healthy and easy to make. In fact, I love all of your cakes and muffins, especially the maple sweetened banana muffins which I make nearly every week! My family loves them. I haven’t found a set of recipes this healthy and delicious anywhere on the web. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Emily! I’m happy this was a hit.
Thanks for this awesome recipe Kate!
I followed it to a T and It turned out exceptionally good!! The Greek yogurt frosting goes so well with the cake
Absolutely delicious! It was easy to make and a hit all round. I will definitely be baking this again!
Hi Kate!
I’m trying to make the cake and top it with firm frosting.
Any recommendations from your frosting recipes that would go well with this cake?
Hi Helen! My cream cheese frosting could be nice.
I tried another almond cake recipe tonight after having tried yours previously. There was no comparison. Your recipe was so much better!
Tried and love it! Yummy
This was the absolutely most perfect cake for my baby’s first birthday. Delish but not too sweet and the perfect way to introduce a little bit of sweet + special for a birthday. And how beautiful is it that I ate your lactation cookies throughout my newborn days and now baked one of your cakes for my babe’s first birthday?!?!! Thank you!
Also I’ll definitely be making this cake for future occasions. Love it so much.
I am so happy to hear it, Charlotte! Happy birthday to your babe. :)
Fantastic! Made it last night. I wouldn’t change a thing. A keeper.
This was a great cake whether you are gluten free or not. I made the cake with honey since my daughter has honeybees in her back yard that produce lovely honey. I used avocado oil in my cake. I put on the lemon honey glaze and then topped the cake with Organic Valley vanilla yogurt and fresh raspberries and blueberries. Delicious! I took half of the cake over to the honey producer who said she thought it was great plain and then another night served it with strawberry/applesauce on top.
your recipes sound amazing! I just printed off a bunch and can’t wait to try them! I have 3 small children so hopefully they’ll like it!
Thank you so much:) I’ll subscribe for sure
Absolutely the recipe. My first attempt in baking Almond cake and it turned out delicious. Love the fact that it’s super healthy.
I’m happy you like it! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
could you please post more healthy bake recipes. Would love to make desserts without any guilt.
Hello Katie,
I have been trying your recipes since few weeks. :) I have been struggeling a bit with the termination “a cup”. Cups mights be of such a different sizesand it might influence the consistency of the tough. Could you please tell me how big are cups you are using. Im not big fan of weighting the stuff so glad u use this termination :) but it would be helpful to know the size of the cup :). Cheers :). Thank you. PS. the cake is in the oven :)
Hi there- two quick questions:
For the dairy free instructions, are you saying to make a lemon/powdered sugar glaze in addition to the lemon/maple syrup glaze you have in the main instructions? Or choose one?
Also, have you tried adding any additions to this like chocolate chips? Do you think it would work well or do the flavors not match?
Thanks!
Hi Jenna! I’m sorry, I can see how my suggestion is confusing and I’ll try to reword it. You could honestly do both or just the powdered sugar glaze (though I haven’t actually tried the powdered sugar glaze on this exact cake). The lemon/maple syrup mixture soaks into the cake and makes it more moist, fresh and decadent-tasting. The powdered sugar idea is a layover from a similar one-layer round lemon cake that my husband made once—we were able to successfully sort of “glue” blueberries in place with it. I haven’t tried adding chocolate chips! I wouldn’t mix chocolate chips and lemon, but you could use the almond cake as a base recipe, add up to 1/2 cup chocolate chips and skip the lemon zest/juice. I’m probably just making this more confusing, sorry! This cake is fun to play around with. :)
I cannot believe how good this was, simple to make(my 5 year old measured and mixed ingredients while I made dinner), moist, flavourful and on the healthy side of cakes?! Wow! This will be a go to recipe for me. Thank you so much!!
(I only had limes so used that for zest, also topped with vanilla Greek yogurt, strawberries and blueberries)
I’m excited you loved them, Nadia! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Kate.. Thanks for the amazing recipe.. I made it for my parent’s 40th anniversary and everyone loved it.. I always loved gluten free cakes but never thought i could make one on my own that too so easily and quickly as I am not a baker… Thanks for making the recipe so simple.. I wish there was an option of sharing the photo.. It looks amazing !!
What a great idea! Happy anniversary to your parents. Thanks for sharing, Kanika!
Made this for a Memorial Day Zoom picnic. So good! So moist and yummy. I wasn’t sure we would like the Greek yogurt (and almost used whipped cream i stead), but the yogurt meshed perfectly with the sweet cane. Fun to decorate for the holiday, too. I think this is my first almond flour cake — thanks for such a great recipe! This will definitely make a reappearance for July 4th!
Can I use the same recipe for muffins or cupcakes? I am thinking of making a more ‘finger food’ rather than getting a whole slice. If yes, will the time in the oven then be around 20 minutes as well like your usual cupcake recipe?
Hi Kris, I have tried it. But I would be interested! I’m not sure the time adjustment. I would start on the lower end, maybe 15 minutes and adjust accordingly. Since this entire cake can bake in 30 minutes. Keep an eye on it, too. The time may be less. Let me know how it turns out for you!
Hi Kate,
Thanks for your recipes! I have made this cake three times, I love it!
I made a small change last time: I used 1/3 cup of unsweetened apple sauce instead of olive oil. I have used apple sauce instead of oil before, but I wasn’t sure it would work with almond flour. Well, it did! The cake was moist and delicious as usual.
Thanks again!
My new favorite dessert! Focus is on the flavors, and easy on the sweet. I used Trader Joe’s coconut whole milk yogurt and it was super tasty.
Yum! The whole family loved this that I wish I made double batch as it’s quite small-ish sized light cake using almond meal. So good!
Hi Kate, what can you substitue for almond flour to make it nut-free? Gluten is ok for us
Honestly, I haven’t tried this one with another flour, sorry!
Hi
Is this cake firm enough to decorate with fondant icing?
Anna
Fondant can be quite heavy, but it may be ok as long as it’s completely cooled. Although, I haven’t tried it. Let me know!
I would like to try this with whipped cream on top. Do you think this would be a good idea??
Yes, whipped cream would be delicious!
Made this cake today for hubby’s birthday. It was deliscious!
This was so good! I don’t have a springform pan so I lined the bottom of my cake pan with parchment and had no problem removing the cake from the pan. Thank you so much, this was a yummy way to use the almond meal I’ve been making from my almond pulp. One note: I didn’t have any citrus fruit so I added a bit more cinnamon and a bit of vanilla extract- delicious!
Most delicious cake ever!!! Can we freeze this cake?
I haven’t tried it, but I would think you could freeze it!
Hi I’m Lachy and I made the cake and it went terribly wrong. I forgot to set a timer and it is now it a big cookie. But I LOVE the recipe.
Thank you for your time Kate.
Bye.♥️
I made this cake yesterday in celebration of CANADA DAY! Served with whipped cream and freshly picked raspberries. Does there need to be any other cake recipe? I’m inclined to think not. This cake has got it all. You mention it’s versatility – I’m already looking forward to upcoming seasons and the variations that come with them!
(I couldn’t help myself and added cardamom as well, a move I rarely regret!)
We had the last of the cake for breakfast :)
Thank you for this amazing addition to my life!
Loved this recipe! I haven’t done much gluten free baking so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I used honey in the cake and added a little powdered sugar because my yogurt was very tart. I topped with raspberries and blueberries and it was very festive for July 4th. Thanks for the recipe!
I made this today and it was delicious!!! Even my husband who says hates almonds and everything with almonds, loved it. He said he loved the texture of the cake and so did I. My daughters also loved it. I used honey instead of maple syrup. The only ingredient I was missing was lemons, so I used limes, and it worked just fine. I set the timer to 40 minutes, but took it out of the oven at around 36-37 minutes because it was getting too dark, and it was done. I added vanilla to the yogurt for more flavor. I will definitely make this cake again :-)
My16 year old daughter made this for my belated birthday dinner tonight. She added vanilla and powdered sugar to the whipping cream and made extra. It was absolutely delish!
This cake is fantastic! I made it exactly as given, using the whipped cream option. The cake is super moist and not too sweet. I added a few springs of mint to the top, but it would have been just as pretty without.
Just made this today and it is amazing!!! Didn’t use the Greek yogurt—instead topped it with berry compote made from your recipe!!! My family devoured it!!! A million thanks!
Great recipe! Made this for my hubby’s birthday today. I followed the original recipe and it was very tasty. The cake was moist and not overly sweet. Felt like I was eating something ‘healthy’, so it’s definitely worth the calories. Will be making it again.
Hi
Can I replace eggs in this recipe ? What can I replace it with ?
Hi V! I’m sorry, the eggs are absolutely essential to this cake. Do not attempt with flax eggs, unless you want gross almond pudding!
Excellent cake, with just the right amount of sweetness and moisture and a nice hint of lemon! I didn’t have any toppings to put on, but it’s still great. A keeper!
I have never ever left a comment for any of the online recipes I’ve followed. However, after making this cake THREE times in the last 1.5 weeks, I felt compelled to come back and leave a comment. This cake is AMAZING! Delicious, nutritious, and soooo moist! Kate, your recipes are generally great (have your cookbook too!), but this cake really knocks it out of the park. My toddlers love it, husband loves it, and I’m sure it will be a hit at my sister’s shindig this Saturday. Thank you for sharing, and I look fwd to trying more of your online recipes.
OMG – this cake is delicious! We made this for my mother in law’s birthday, who doesn’t like to eat sugar normally. We didn’t do the glaze or the topping, just sliced some peaches on top of the bare cake. We didn’t have any lemons, so used vanilla extract (2 tsp). It was amazing!! So fluffy, perfect texture, not too sweet. We made your oat flour waffles this morning, so have literally used two recipes in one day. Thanks – we will repeat this cake!
I have found very few gluten free recipes as easy and tasty as this cake. No substitutions or changes—I made it as shown above with honey. I used blueberries and peaches and Two Good yogurt. Served to guests last night and everyone loved it. YUM! ❤️
What do you use to grease your pan?
Hi! You can use butter or coconut oil works well.
Do you think this cake would freeze OK. I just made it for book club and now it’s raining. Going to move book club to next week as don’t want to be inside. Should we eat it and make another for next week, or freeze it? I didn’t top it yet with the yogurt and fruit. Thanks!
Hi! Without the topping, I would think it should freeze ok. Let me know!
Absolutely delicious cake! Love the yogurt/berry topping—looks beautiful and the taste goes perfectly with the slightly sweet and nutty tasting cake.
This cake is delicious and super easy! I used a regular 9″ cake pan and it came out easily. I also used the C+K cream cheese frosting(which is also fantastic I might add) for the topping and a lot of berries on top. Turned out perfect and really moist. Will be making this many times in the future.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Misty!