A gluten-free, light and airy lemon cake made from almond flour, eggs and sugar. Perfect for a holiday dessert!
Holiday meals can be so heavy that it’s refreshing to have a relatively light dessert like this Flourless Lemon Almond Cake. This is a classic cake recipe that has roots in the Sephardic almond cakes of southern Spain.
Video: How to make a flourless lemon almond cake
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Lemon Almond Cake without flour
The basic ingredients are simply almond flour (finely ground blanched almonds), eggs, sugar and lemon zest. No butter or wheat flour. The cake acts a bit like a soufflé in that it gets most of its rise from the eggs in the batter, then gently falls as it sets.
I added a little baking soda to give the cake a little more structure as it cooled. The result is a light and tender crumb, gently sweet and citrusy. You can easily swirl some raspberry sauce around it or add a dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy!
Lemon Almond Cake without flour
It helps to separate the eggs first while they’re cold, then let them sit to come to room temperature while you prepare the other ingredients. Eggs are easier to separate when cold and work better as a leavening agent when they are at room temperature.
When beating egg whites, make sure your equipment is perfectly clean. Any fat (or even bits of yolk in the egg white) can prevent the egg white from whipping properly.
If almond flour is not available in your market, you can grind blanched, flaked almonds very finely in a food processor. I would start with just over 1 1/3 cups. Our local Whole Foods carries Bob’s Red Mill brand of finely ground blanched almond flour, which we used for this recipe.
ingredients
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4 big eggsseparated, room temperature (see separating eggs)
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2 tablespoon packed up Lemon peel
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1/2 cup (100G) White sugar, divided
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1 1/2 cup (144G) lightly scooped, finely ground, blanched almond flour
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1 teaspoon baking powder
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1/4 teaspoon floor cardamom
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1 teaspoon white or apple Apple Cider Vinegar
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prize Salt
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powdered sugar, for sprinkling
special equipment
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8 or 9 inch springform pan
method
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Preheat oven, prepare pan:
Preheat the oven to 175°C. Place a round of parchment paper in the bottom of an 8- or 9-inch springform pan and grease it and the sides of the pan with butter or cooking spray.
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Beat egg yolks, lemon zest, 1/4 cup sugar:
In a large bowl, beat together the egg yolks, lemon zest, and 1/4 cup sugar with a wooden spoon until smooth.
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Whisk together the almond flour, baking powder and cardamom, fold into the egg yolk mixture:
In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond flour, ground cardamom, and baking powder. Add the flour mixture to the egg yolk mixture and beat until well combined. The mixture should resemble a thick paste.
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Beat egg whites until soft:
Using an electric mixer with a very clean bowl and a clean whisk attachment, beat the egg whites, starting on low speed and gradually increasing the speed.
If bubbles form, add a pinch of salt and the teaspoon of vinegar (both the salt and vinegar will help the whipped egg whites get better structure, as will the sugar in the next step).
As the egg whites increase in volume, gradually sprinkle in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar while continuing to beat the egg whites. Beat until soft peaks form.
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Fold the beaten egg white into the almond mixture:
Stir 1/3 to 1/2 of the beaten egg whites into the almond mixture to fluff and lighten.
Then carefully fold the remaining beaten egg whites into the batter, one large scoop at a time.
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Pour the batter into the pan and bake:
Carefully pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and place in the oven. Bake at 175°C for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the cake and help it pull away from the rim of the pan.
Loosen the sides of the springform pan and carefully slide the cake (on parchment) onto a cake stand. Sprinkle with some powdered sugar before serving.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 197 | calories |
| 11g | Fat |
| 19g | carbohydrates |
| 7g | protein |
