Honey Almond Cake with Raspberries, Orange and Pistachios
Super simple, moist and delicious almond meal and honey cake with no refined sugar! Feel free to change up the flavors—I added raspberries and orange zest.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
My friends and I are going glamping this weekend. That is to say, glam camping. The guys initially wanted to rough it in the woods, but us ladies slowly turned it into a comfortable cabin-at-the-lake-with-a-full-kitchen-and-a-clean-toilet situation.
We almost cancelled yesterday due to a rainy weather forecast, but concluded a silly seven-person conference call (iPhones can do that?!) by deciding to go for it. I could care less if we sit inside while it rains tomorrow. I’m giddy at the prospect of leaving all work-related materials behind and goofing around with friends all weekend long.
On my list to pack: sunscreen, swimsuit, Scrabble, magazines, at least three bottles of Champagne (bubbly is the new beer, you heard it here first) and this glorious, gluten-free almond meal and honey cake. The cake is made with almond meal, a few eggs and olive oil. It’s sweetened with honey and topped with an optional, light sprinkle of powdered sugar. Add to that a few additional layers of fragrant flavors: heavenly orange zest, a hint of floral cardamom, ripe raspberries and raw pistachios. Three of my friends are gluten-free eaters and this is a cake that we can all share.
The cake comes from my friend Kimberley’s gorgeous new cookbook, Vibrant Food. If you’ve visited Kimberley’s blog, The Year in Food, you may already be familiar with her produce-focused recipes. Kimberley treated me to a review copy, which sent me into an inspired tizzy when I flipped through the first few pages. The seasonal organization is brilliant and the vibrant photos capture the essence of each dish. I’m not gushing about this book because Kimberley is a blogger pal—this book is truly stunning.
Let’s see, what should you know about this cookbook? The recipes are simple, elegant and clean. Every recipe has a photo. Kimberley doesn’t mention it much, but she avoids gluten herself. As a result, there isn’t much flour in the recipes and when there is, she provides a gluten-free alternative. Several recipes contain meat and fish, but produce is always the focus.
A few of the recipes call for more unusual types of produce—like this cake is topped with quince, which I’ve never seen around here but never looked for, either—but those recipes feature an adaptable base. It’s my new favorite cookbook. If you’d like a copy, you can get it on Amazon here. Signing off to glamp!
Gluten-Free Honey Almond Cake with Raspberries, Orange and Pistachios
This almond flour and honey cake it super simple, moist and delicious! This cake is gluten-free and paleo-friendly. Feel free to change up the flavors (see notes on how to do so). I think a lemon blueberry version would be delicious.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (8 ounces) almond flour or almond meal, firmly packed into measuring cups
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 4 eggs, beaten*
- ⅔ cup + 1 teaspoon honey, divided
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- One orange, zested
- 6 ounces raspberries
Garnish
- Sprinkle of powdered sugar (optional)
- ½ cup chopped raw pistachios
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9-inch springform pan** with butter and dust it with almond flour.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, ginger and sea salt.
- In another bowl, combine the beaten eggs, honey, olive oil and the zest of your orange. Use a whisk to mix well. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Stir just until there are a few clumps remaining, then gently fold in the raspberries. Pour the mixture into your prepared pan.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and the center is firm to the touch. Place the cake on a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
- Once the cake is out of the oven, slice your orange in half and squeeze out ¼ cup juice. Combine the juice with 1 teaspoon honey in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat, while stirring, just until the honey is blended into the juice. Brush the orange-honey glaze over the warm cake. It should soak right in.
- Once the cake is cool, use a sharp knife to slice into 8 pieces. Transfer each piece to a plate, sprinkle with powdered sugar (optional) and finish with a sprinkle of chopped pistachios.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Vibrant Food: Celebrating the Ingredients, Recipes, and Colors of Each Season by Kimberly Hasselbrink.
*Egg update: The original recipe called for 3 eggs. After more experience baking almond flour-based cakes with this formula, I recommend using 4 eggs for a more consistent rise through the center, and an easier time slicing the cake.
**Springform note: You’ll have a much easier time removing the cake from 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 and serve.
Why buy organic? Conventionally grown raspberries and the zest of conventionally grown oranges are typically pretty high in pesticides.
Storage suggestions: Store this cake in the refrigerator, covered, for longevity. Those juicy berries make this cake liable to spoil at room temperature.
Change it up: Substitute an equal amount of other berries or fresh fruit for the raspberries and/or trade lemon or lime zest for the orange zest and/or garnish with fruit instead of powdered sugar and pistachios. If you omit the fruit completely, the cake will be done somewhere around 35-40 minutes. If you add additional fruit, you’ll need to bake it longer.
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 make this cake every single week we love it so much. Thank you so much xx
That’s wonderful to hear! Thanks, Irene!
I rarely comment on anything via the internet but I had to make an exception once I made this gluten-free honey almond cake. Being new to trying gluten free baking I was unsure what this would taste like. Well, it is wonderful! I used lemon in place of the orange otherwise made it as noted. Will make again.
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I’m not gluten free, either, but I love this cake!
If the cake tastes half as good as the batter, there won’t be any left for dessert!
Hope it turned out great, Meg!
I made this today for a wedding shower for someone extremely gluten sensitive. I did it with lemon and orange blossom honey and upped the ginger a bit.
Made it as cupcakes with no fruit in the mix so it would bake a bit more evenly. The recipe made 2 dozen and took about 20 min to bake. Piled raspberries on top after and it was excellent.
Really tasty and came together quickly. Just what I was looking for, thank you!
So glad this cake turned out well in cupcake form! Thank you for sharing your results, Katie!
Kate,
WE LOVE THIS CAKE!
I’ve said it before, your instructions and tips are right on the money. Since I discovered your blog a couple of months ago I have tried a lot of your recipes and not one has disappointed, not one.
Thank you for your gift and passion for creating great recipes with wholesome ingredients. I’m a fan (and so is my husband)!
Jane
P.S. When will you publish a cookbook? ; )
Hi Jane! So glad you are enjoying my recipes! I love this cake, too. :) P.s. Spring 2017! (!!!!!)
Made this cake and it was so yummy, thanks for a great recipe!
Just wondering if you think it would work with banana instead of orange and maybe some dark chocolate pieces? Thanks x
Thanks, Kate! Glad you enjoyed it! I love the idea of a banana chocolate chip version. I think you would need to reduce the amount of liquid elsewhere if you’re adding mashed banana—maybe you could use a little less honey and replace it with banana? Please let me know if you try!
Thank You so much Kate for this recipe. I made this cake and everybody liked it at my home. It is so light to eat (no sugar and no bleached flour), could enjoy big piece of it. I can eat only gluten free, because of this, I didn’t eat cake for several years. Now I can eat whenever I feel like. Now in my mind I am thinking other mixing to this, like grated carrots, nuts etc and almond meal as base. So many thanks.
Thank you! I’m so glad to hear that. :)
Hi Kate, made it twice in a week and absolutely loved it! It’s my family favorite now.
One question though, my cake sunk in the middle which never happened with any of my cakes before. Would you know what could have caused it?
Forgot to mention that I made it without the berries.
I made this cake for my husband’s birthday. I knew it was a risk, making it for the first time.
It turned out good. My husband loved the cake, it was lovely and moist.
So thank you for posting such a lovely cake recipe.
I made this without fruit and just lime zest and lime juice. I also used maple syrup because I ran out of honey. It’s absolutely delicious, I couldn’t stop at one piece!
looks delicious! Might try this for my birthday! First, is there any way this could be made nut-free? also, could I use strawberries instead? Thanks!
I made this but changed it a bit as I was after a almond cake so left out the spices and added 2 tsps. almond extract skipped the orange & raspberries. to the garnish I added 1/2 tsp of almond extract. It turned out just great, loved it and so did the friend I served it to. I topped it with a rhubarb/strawberry sauce & dollop of whipped cream, yummy! It is also great for breakfast without any toppings. Will certainly make it again. Thanks for a great recipe.
Opps, I added the 1/2 tsp of almond extract to the orange-honey glaze not the garnish as I said in the previous comment.
Hi! Would it be possible to substitute the eggs for chia eggs to make this cake vegan?
No, I’m sorry, this cake really needs eggs for loft. I tried with flax eggs and ended up with a gooey mess.
Question: how would peace work here? Blackberries? A combination? What citrus would you use? What nuts on top? I want a really summery cake for this! Let me know :)
Hi Kate. Can I use the leftover pulp from almond milk?
Thank you for the honey cake recipe. I left out the fruit since not everyone in my family can agree on a fav. However, it was still delicious – and kept us grain and refined sugar free! We used it for our Jewish celebration dinner of Rosh Hoshannah, which we are currently learning about in school. My 11 year old helped make the cake – and all 6 of us really enjoyed it. The cake had the taste of gingersnaps!
Thank you, Rachel! I’m so glad you all enjoyed it. I know what you means about the gingersnap flavor!
Wow, flippin marvellous! I’m so happy to now have this cake in my life, definitely a successful bake cheers for the recipe!
Ali
I realize this recipe is over 2 years old, but I just found it in time for Rosh Hashana 2016. It was a hit! I used more fall-ish flavors and folded in some craisins and chopped walnuts. It was done in exactly 45 minutes, and done *perfectly*. So delicious! Thank you for the recipe; I love how adaptable it is!
Thank you, Lynn! I’m so glad you found this cake at the right time. Your version sounds delicious!
This looks delicious! I want to try it right away- especially the combination of pistachios and raspberries sounds so good…
It’s a fun, uncommon combination that works so well!
how could I adapt this recipe to use regular whole wheat flour? I absolutely loved this cake, but almond flour is so expensive! also, I would like to make it for my birthday party, but one of my close friends has a nut allergy!
Just made this wonderful cake for Rosh Hashona subbing blueberries & lemon for raspberries and orange. added a t of almond extract to amp the almond flavor. syrup was juice of 1 & 1/2 lemons with about a T of honey. Topped the whole cake with chopped pistachios and confex sugar (very nice presentation). Delicious and moist. Will definitely make again and again.
Hi
Can I use coconut oil or butter instead of olive oil?
Thanks
I think either of those should work, I just haven’t tried to be 100% sure!
I tried it with coconut oil and it worked! Yay!
Hi Kate, I am thinking to make this cake for my daughter’s birthday. What frosting and filling would you recommend? Can I use a thin fondant? If so, should I use any jam before it?
Hi Rose, I’m afraid I don’t have enough experience with fondant to advise. I’m sorry! The glaze I used here is delicious, if you want to keep it simple.
Could you use coconut flour instead of almond flour? I can’t get almond flour in my supermarket
No, I’m sorry, coconut flour is not a suitable substitution for any other flour since it absorbs a massive amount of moisture. I’m afraid you’ll end up with a hockey puck if you try it here. You can actually make almond flour out of almonds—here’s how.
i’ve made this recipe many times, usually with a large scoop of some sort of fruit jam or canned pumpkin or mashed banana or applesauce and it’s always come out wonderfully. it seems to be an extremely forgiving recipe and makes great muffins/cupcakes too. i’m trying it this week for christmas, with extra spices and a sauce that i’m hoping to light on fire :)
Sounds wonderful! Thank you for your review, Nicole.
Delicious as a simple cake without the raspberries! I enjoyed the four eggs too. Thanks!
You are welcome, Katie!
This recipe turned out really excellent. Couldn’t find a 9 inch pan anywhere besides a bundt pan of all things.. but it was so moist and perfect! A true hit. Will make again.
Thank you, Nina!
This looks delicious! Should I wait to sprinkle the powdered sugar and pistachios until right before serving, or can I do it ahead of time? Taking this to a “Galentine’s” party about an hour car ride away.
Thanks for the great recipes!!
You can do it ahead of time! Have a great “Galentine’s.” Sounds fun!
Hi.. tried your recipe today.My first ever time with baking a gluten freecake. It was super delicious. But the cake sank in the centre. I want to ask if we hve to beat eggs separetely till fluffy and then add honey and oil
or just beat well with a whisk and other ingredients then. Kindly help. The cake was delicious though! Thanks.
Your cake is oven as I write. And I don’t expect anything but goodness as all your recipes are a hit. I did separate my eggs (used 4) and beat up separately. I always find that torte style cakes, cheesecake and even tapioca are flyffier and more moist. Guess I’ll see and report back later!
This cake turned out AMAZING. Separating the eggs and adding the beaten egg whites was successful. Moist to the max! The next time I’ll try blueberries and lemon … but this is a keeper. Wish I could post a picture.
I made this cake the other day and it was amazingly good. I only used the originally suggested 3 eggs and I used fresh rasberries… decadent and delicious. Will be making it again for sure!! Thank you!
Wonderful, Kate! Thanks so much for your feedback.
Lovely moist flavoursome cake.
I used a sprinkle of cumin and strawberry’s
Looks fab will taste just as good I think.
Cheers
Cook shirley
Thank you, Shirley!
Just made this with lemon and blueberries and it turned out perfect! A new afternoon tea favourite – thank you xx
Great! If you would like to leave a star review, I would appreciate it.
This looks so good, Thank You Kate
Thank you!
I made this last night, then had it for breakfast this morning: lightly toasted a slice, topped with plain Greek yogurt and fresh berries. Delish!
Thanks for sharing, Lena! I appreciate your review.
I made this in a 9 inch square pan and cut it into 16 squares to take to a function. It was fabulous and received rave reviews. As someone who is both dairy and gluten free it was fantastic to find such an awesome recipe.
I am now thinking about making it again for another occasion, where a couple of the attendants are vegan. Do you think this recipe would work using flax eggs instead of regular aggs?
I haven’t tried it with this one. Flax eggs do typically work as a good substitute, but almond flour-based cakes can vary some as to why I actually increase the number of eggs. You could see if others have tired it. Let me know what you think! Thanks so much for your comment and review, Karen.
can I use frozen berries? I imagine it would work best if I folded them in while frozen thought it could inc the cooking time?
Hi Amy, I think you could. Don’t defrost beforehand. Not sure if your cake will need any longer in the oven, but bake “until the cake is golden brown and the center is firm to the touch.” Hope that helps!
Hi Kate,
Would maple syrup be okay instead of honey for this recipe?
That should work! I typically use them interchangeably. Let me know what you think!
Such a delicious cake! This is the second time making this cake in a month. This time around I didn’t have cardamom so I added cinnamon instead. The first time I didn’t have raspberries and it was still a crowd pleaser. Thanks for so many wonderful recipes.
Wonderful to hear, Noelle! Thanks so much for your review.
Hi Kate,
I made this for Thanksgiving, and we all loved it! The combination of flavors, and mild sweetness was perfect. My middle daughter has a dairy and cane sugar allergy, and she really wanted a cake. I’m so glad I came across this one – thank you! I’d like to make it again for a party, and am wondering if it could be frozen? Thanks!
I’m glad you loved it, Rachel! I’m not sure on freezing it, as I haven’t tried it. But it might be worth a try! Let me know if you try it.
Have been looking for the perfect almond flour / olive oil cake for a long time. This was moist & delicious & not too sweet & not too heavy. Only had a spice mix so added cinnamon & allspice to the cardamom & Ginger. 35 minutes was right time no raspberries. Will make this over and over – looking forward to trying different flavors.
I’m glad you found just what you were looking for, Sophie. Thanks so much for sharing!
This was so simple and delicious! I needed a desert that was both gluten-free and not sweetened with cane sugar. That’s why I chose to make it. Now I would make it for the taste not because of it’s lack of gluten or sugar! Can also be made ahead a day or two.
I’m really excited you loved it!
I loved how moist this cake was and also that it wasn’t too sweet. If I make it again, I will leave out the cardamom- I think I am realizing that I just don’t love that flavor and it definitely comes through in the cake. Maybe I could substitute cinnamon…..
Cinnamon sounds like it would be a good substitute, especially if you don’t like cardamom.
Kate, I made the blueberry lemon version of this cake last night, put in in the freezer this morning and look forward to serving it during Passover. Should I have used the entire quarter cup of citrus juice on top of the cake of just enough to brush the glaze completely over the top?
Hi Susan! Use all of the orange honey glaze, as directed over the cake. Unless, you want less based on your tastes. See step 5.
I’m gluten free and was searching for an almond based cake to make for my Moroccan fiancé for Eid tomorrow. I just made this cake and snuck a slice to try it! I’m so proud to serve it to him tomorrow! Thank you!!
You’re welcome! Thanks for your review, Linds.
This was delicious! Cardamom is such a magical ingredient. I used this cake batter as the base for a plum upside-down cake, and it was so good! Saving this recipe for sure.
Shea – how did it turn out? I’m also thinking of making it for Rosh Hashanah, but I have to make it a day ahead. Do you think it will hold well? I work at the shul, so have to make it Saturday, for Sunday night. L’shana tova!
This looks delicious! Do you have any suggestions on substituting the honey for artificial sweetener (except for the glaze part)? I’d like to make this for my diabetic father-in-law.
Sorry, I don’t have great direction for you as I would have to try it out since baking can be tricky sometimes!
I ended up making a simple syrup with artificial sweetener and it turned out amazing! Everyone loved it.
Planning to make it again soon, this time with the honey, to satisfy my own sweet cravings. :)