Looking for a truly light and fluffy almond flour cake? Then this is the recipe for you! With a mild sweetness and a fine crumb texture, no one will believe it’s sugar-free and keto-friendly.
I am delighted to re-introduce you to the cake recipe that started it all. This, right here, is the recipe that made me realize that I could create keto cakes that rival anything made with flour and sugar. In both taste AND texture!
This almond flour cake was a watershed moment in my keto baking career. Back in 2012, I came across a cookbook on coffee cakes and one called Almond Crusted Butter Cake caught my eye.
When I set about modifying the recipe to suit my low carb lifestyle, I had no idea it would turn out so spectacularly well. And that it would become the base recipe for so many of my other creations, like Keto Victoria Sponge Cake or my classic Keto Birthday Cake.
Then I let the poor thing languish in obscurity for more than a decade as I went on to create other keto treats. But it’s such a fabulous recipe that I figured the time was right to bring it back to your attention!
What’s so special about this recipe?
So what makes this almond flour cake recipe so incredible? To put it boldly, it has the perfect cake texture, with a fine crumb and a light, fluffy consistency. In my experimenting, I somehow hit upon the ideal ratio of almond flour to the other ingredients. It just works!
And it doesn’t require separating the eggs or beating the egg whites. It’s a straightforward process of beating softened butter with granulated sweetener, then adding eggs and dry ingredients.
The simplicity of the cake itself belies its utter deliciousness. It may not be as eye-catching something more decadent, like a keto chocolate cake with tons of creamy frosting. But it’s sweet and lovely, and really needs no other embellishment or garnish.
It’s also easy to make and looks so elegant with the sliced almonds baked right in. Have it as coffee cake with your morning coffee, or serve it with some whipped cream and berries for dessert. It’s always superb.
Readers love this almond flour cake!
“So yummy!!! I made this in a couple small loaf pans and cut it in small slices, I topped it with whipped cream and strawberry syrup…the cutest and most delicious strawberry shortcake ever! This was also amazing as is????” — Megan
“This is soooooo good! it’s definitely one of my two favorite keto desserts! I’m picky too. I’ve always loved almond cake so I was so happy to find a recipe that tasted like the real thing! Amazing!” — Laurie
“Thank you so much for this recipe, it is the first truly successful almond flour cake recipe I’ve followed! Really pleased with the results, such a tasty cake and the flaked almond crust really works well.” — Colin
Ingredients you need
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- Almond flour: Using good quality almond flour is extremely important for almond flour cake. Many brands say that they are finely ground but you can see the grainy texture when you bake with it. I always recommend Bob’s Red Mill for the finest almond flour.
- Protein powder: Please don’t skip this ingredient. Protein powder helps simulate the protein in gluten, helping baked goods rise properly and hold their shape. And it’s part of what makes this almond flour cake so spectacular!
- Butter: Use unsalted butter and make sure you let it soften properly so that the sweetener combines well. You could use coconut oil for a dairy-free version, but make sure it’s softened but not melted.
- Swerve sweetener: You need a granulated sweetener for this recipe to help whip air bubbles into the softened butter. It helps give the cake a lighter, airier consistency. You can try other sweeteners but I don’t recommend allulose as it makes cakes brown too quickly and look (and taste!) a little burnt.
- Almond extract: I think almond extract is perfect in this cake, but you could use vanilla. You could also do lemon, orange, or something really fun like caramel!
- Eggs: Make sure the eggs are room temperature before you add them, and beat them in one at a time. This creates a lighter, fluffier batter, which translates into a better texture for the cake.
- Liquid: I often use almond milk but you can also do water. For a richer flavor, use half heavy cream and half water.
- Pantry staples: Salt, baking powder.
Step by Step Directions
1. Prepare the pan: Butter a 9×5 inch metal loaf pan very well. Sprinkle the sides and bottom of the pan with sliced almonds, pressing into the butter to help it adhere.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, protein powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Beat the butter: In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Add the sweetener and beat until lightened and well-combined, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at time, scraping down the beaters and sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the almond extract.
4. Add the dry ingredients: Beat in half of the almond flour mixture, then beat in the almond milk. Beat in the remaining almond flour mixture until well combined.
5. Transfer to the pan: Spread the batter in the prepared pan, being careful not to dislodge the sliced almonds on the sides. Smooth the top.
6. Bake: Bake at 325ºF for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top is deep golden brown and just firm to the touch. Let cool 30 minutes in the pan before flipping out onto a wire rack.
Expert Tips
While this almond flour cake is easy to make, it’s important to follow the instructions carefully. I specify a metal loaf pan, because glass and ceramic bake very differently and don’t conduct heat nearly as well. So your cake will get brown on the outside but won’t cook through properly in the middle.
Protein powder is a critical ingredient in this recipe, as it helps create the ideal texture. I recommend whey or egg white protein powders, and some plant based versions may work as well. But I do not recommend collagen protein, as it will make the cake gummy and hard to cook through.
Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes but don’t leave it too much longer. I’ve noticed that loaf cakes are nice and loose at 30 to 60 minutes, but then start to re-stick to the pan after that. If you have any doubts about your pan, consider lining it with parchment paper.
Do NOT over-bake this cake. Please watch my YouTube video on Keto Cake Baking Tips for my best tips.
Frequently Asked Questions
Used properly, almond flour can be used for baking wonderfully moist and fluffy cakes. But you do need to understand that it behaves very differently from wheat flour. It contains no gluten and far more moisture than wheat flour. I recommend reading Baking with Almond Flour for a better understanding of how it works.
Almond flour contains very few carbohydrates and has plenty of fiber, so it’s an excellent choice for people with diabetes. I find that baked goods made with almond flour do not spike my blood sugar.
This keto almond flour cake recipe has 7.3 grams of carbs and 3.4g of fiber per slice. Thus it has 3.9g net carbs per serving.
More keto almond flour cake recipes
Almond Flour Cake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (23 g) sliced almonds
- 3 cups (336 g) almond flour
- 1/3 cup (36 g) unflavored whey protein powder, or egg white protein powder
- 2 1/2 tsp (2.5 tsp) baking powder
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (136.5 g) Swerve Granular
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp almond extract, or vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (125 g) unsweetened almond milk, or half heavy cream and half water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and butter a 9×5 inch metal loaf pan very well. Sprinkle the sides and bottom of the pan with sliced almonds, pressing into the butter to help it adhere.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, protein powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Add the sweetener and beat until lightened and well-combined, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at time, scraping down the beaters and sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the almond extract.
- Beat in half of the almond flour mixture, then beat in the almond milk. Beat in the remaining almond flour mixture until well combined. Spread the batter in the prepared pan, being careful not to dislodge the sliced almonds on the sides. Smooth the top.
- Bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top is deep golden brown and just firm to the touch. Let cool 30 minutes in the pan before flipping out onto a wire rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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So yummy!!! I made this in a couple small loaf pans and cut it in small slices, I topped it with whipped cream and strawberry syrup…the cutest and most delicious strawberry shortcake ever! This was also amazing as is????
Hi Carolyn,
Measurements:
How many ml og is a cup in your receipe?
Thanks
Belinda
Almond flour is a dry measure so it’s not given in ml. It’s about 100g per cup.
Hi; was wondering if there is a substitute for the stevia drops?
There are no stevia drops in this recipe.
Love this recipe.. I make a berry trifle with marscopne mousse.. it’s divine! But my cakes always crumble when I slice them.. why?
What brand of almond flour are you using?
This is soooooo good! it’s definitely one of my two favorite keto desserts! I’m picky too. I’ve always loved almond cake so I was so happy to find a recipe that tasted like the real thing! Amazing!
I need to give this lovely old recipe an update. It was the first cake I ever made that was truly CAKE! I’ve based a lot of recipes on it since then.
I don’t have granulated swerve but do have powdered (confectioners) swerve. Would it work as well?
That would be fine.
Oh my goodness! Made it and its fantastic! It actually looks just like yours and taste wonderful. Thanks for sharing!!!
Hi Carolyn tried this recipe and it looks beautiful but post taking out of the oven the cake collapsed in the middle. Where did I go wrong ? Many thanks
Hard to say. Did you substitute or change anything?
Hi Carolyn tried this recipe and it looks beautiful but post taking out of the oven the cake collapsed in the middle. Where did I go wrong ? Many thanks
This cake tastes fantastic. I managed to get more rise and a fluffier crumb by separating the eggs, beating the whites with a little cream of tartar into stiff peaks and folding into the batter at the very end. Was a really big hit!! 🙂
Not sure if you’ll get this, Carolyn. . . I’ve made this several times and LOVE IT! But I’m wondering if it would work if (instead of the almond extract) I added lemon extract and some lemon zest too, to make it lemony. ?? I just love the consistency of this bread.
I think it would be fabulous. In fact, I have a lemon poppyseed loaf in my upcoming cookbook based on this…
I think it would work nicely, I make a banana cake with it using banana extract
Hi! Your recipe looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it. I live all the way in Malaysia and I can’t find the sugar subs and so will stick with raw coconut palm sugar. How much should I use? Much thanks!
About the same amount of swerve, maybe a little more.
This looks great! Just wondering, if I want to skip the protein powder, is there anything that I need to take out or add in? I don’t react that well with too much protein.
Thanks!
You can skip it but your cake won’t rise as well. Just FYI, a scoop of protein powder like this (which replaced the protein from gluten and helps cakes rise and hold their shape) only adds about 18g of protein to the whole recipe, so about 1.5g of protein per serving.
Can you substitute anything for the whey protein powder?
Egg white protein would work.
I’ve made this cake twice now. It’s delicious! The first time it was still uncooked in the middle after letting it bake for a total of 1 hour and 25 minutes! I even increased the heat to 325 for about 10 minutes. Had to finally take it out — center still uncooked — because the crust was starting to burn. I used the recommended almond flour, everything at room temp, loaf pan same size. This isn’t the first time I’ve had problems with things not cooking all the way through, so it has to be my two-year old oven. Here’s what worked for me the second time around: I baked it in a 9×9 glass lasagne pan, giving the batter more room to spread out. Checked a few recipes for other dense cakes (applesauce), and they recommend baking at 350. 300 degrees for a dense almond batter like this seems so low. So I split the difference and baked it for 50 minutes at 325. Checked it at 34 minutes when the wonderful aroma wafted through the house. It was done and completely cooked in the center! The crust was nicely browned but not burned. It’s really good, even if it’s more of a beige than yellow like yours. Thanks for another great recipe, Carolyn.
Thank you so much for this recipe, it is the first truly successful almond flour recipe I’ve followed! Really pleased with the results, such a tasty cake and the flaked almond crust really works well. For any fellow Brits, I used the following conversions for the cup-based measures: 55g flakes almonds, 288g almond flour, 75g protein powder, 115g butter, 15g granulated sweetener, 120ml almond milk. I used the “Diet PhD” whey protein brand (vanilla flavour) and I used Splenda for the sweetener (as well as liquid Stevia drops, as the recipe says).
Thanks again, Carolyn!
What size loaf pan did you use?
9×5