This almond flour lemon cake is a gluten free Italian favorite! Light and fluffy, but you don’t have to feel guilty about having a second slice.
Growing up in an Italian household, almond flavored items were everywhere. Most celebrations were accompanied with colorful Jordan Almonds, and marzipan fruit was a treat my mother always got for me. Almonds were a delicious childhood staple, but lemons played a very crucial role as well.
There is no denying that Italians love lemons, from limoncello to lemon chocolate pie, lemon always made its way into our household. This cake is an ode to my childhood and celebration of the flavors I grew up with. This cake is light and fluffy and packed with so much citrus flavor. The best part, its always been gluten and dairy free! This dessert is light enough to finish any meal, but sweet enough to satisfy any sweet tooth! So when life gives you lemons, grab some almond flour and make cake!
Scroll to the bottom for the consolidated recipe!
Nikki’s Notes
- Use a wooden spoon to incorporate egg whites! This process requires a little elbow grease!
- Make sure you are using almond flour NOT almond meal!
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 2 medium lemons
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
Recipe
- Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line the bottom of 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Coat the parchment paper with cooking spray to help it stick to the pan.
- Crack and separate 4 large eggs, placing the egg whites in your KitchenAid bowl with whisk attachment. Place yolks in another large bowl.
- Finely grate the zest of 2 medium lemons in the bowl of egg yolks. Add ½ cup of granulated sugar and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined.
- Sift 1 ½ cups almond flour, 1 tsp of baking powder, and ½ tsp of salt into egg yolks. Stir until combined. Mixture will be dry.
- Beat egg whites on medium-high speed until stiff peaks are formed. Using a wooden spoon stir 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk batter to lighten it.
***Do not worry about folding method with this step! The mixture is very dense at this stage and you are just trying to lighten it with 1/3 of the egg white mixture at this step!***
- Gently fold in another 3rd of the mixture. When almost combined fold in the final 3rd of the egg whites. The batter should be moistened at this step with no streaks of egg whites visible. Do not overmix!
- Transfer batter to prepared pan and gently spread out to an even layer.
- Bake until the edges have begun to pull away from the sides, the top is golden brown, and a toothpick comes out clean. This will take about 20-25 minutes on the middles rack of your oven.
- Allow the cake to cook in its pan for 10-15 minutes. Run a knife around the outside of the cake to loosen it. Flip the pan onto a plate, and then onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Serve with whipped cream, berries, powdered sugar, or enjoy as is!
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Still Hungry?
Growing up in an Italian household, almond flavored items were everywhere. Most celebrations were accompanied with colorful Jordan Almonds, and marzipan fruit was a treat my mother always got for me. Almonds were a delicious childhood staple, but lemons played a very crucial role as well.
There is no denying that Italians love lemons, from limoncello to lemon chocolate pie, lemon always made its way into our household. This cake is an ode to my childhood and celebration of the flavors I grew up with. This cake is light and fluffy and packed with so much citrus flavor. The best part, its always been gluten and dairy free! This dessert is light enough to finish any meal, but sweet enough to satisfy any sweet tooth! So when life gives you lemons, grab some almond flour and make cake!
Ingredients
-
- 4 large eggs
- 2 medium lemons
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
-
- Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line the bottom of 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Coat the parchment paper with cooking spray.
- Crack and separate 4 large eggs, placing the egg whites in your KitchenAid bowl with whisk attachment. Place yolks in another large bowl.
- Finely grate the zest of 2 medium lemons in the bowl of egg yolks. Add ½ cup of granulated sugar and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined.
- Sift 1 ½ cups almond flour, 1 tsp of baking powder, and ½ tsp of salt into egg yolks. Stir until combined. Mixture will be dry.
- Beat egg whites on medium-high speed until stiff peaks are formed. Using a wooden spoon stir 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk batter to lighten it.
***Do not worry about folding method with this step! The mixture is very dense at this stage and you are just trying to lighten it with 1/3 of the egg white mixture at this step!***
- Gently fold in another 3rd of the mixture. When almost combined fold in the final 3rd of the egg whites. The batter should be moistened at this step with no streaks of egg whites visible. Do not overmix!
- Transfer batter to prepared pan and gently spread out to an even layer.
- Bake until the edges have begun to pull away from the sides, the top is golden brown, and a toothpick comes out clean. This will take about 20-25 minutes on the middles rack of your oven.
- Allow the cake to cook in its pan for 10-15 minutes. Run a knife around the outside of the cake to loosen it. Flip the pan onto a plate, and then onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Serve with whipped cream, berries, powdered sugar, or enjoy as is!
Notes
- Use a wooden spoon to incorporate egg whites! This process requires a little elbow grease!
- Make sure you are using almond flour NOT almond meal!
