Almond Flour Lemon Cake that is bursting with citrus flavor! Grain-free, refined sugar-free, and dairy-free, this moist and decadent cake is ideal for anyone who enjoys delicious lemon desserts!
For my friends who eat a grain-free diet (or a paleo diet) and love lemon desserts, this easy Almond Flour Lemon Cake is a must-make!
It is seeping with luscious lemon flavor, is just the right amount of sweetness, and has a glorious texture.
I love how easy this cake is to prepare and the fact that is is just so loveable.
Serve it with breakfast, brunch, or for birthdays and special occasions!
You can easily turn this into a lemon poppy seed cake or a lemon blueberry cake by adding in poppy seeds or blueberries (or both!).
Let’s discuss the basic ingredients for this tasty almond flour recipe.
Ingredients for Almond Flour Lemon Cake:
Almond Flour & Tapioca Flour: A combination of almond flour and tapioca flour takes the place of regular all purpose flour in this lemon almond flour cake recipe. Together, the two flours generate an amazing fluffy texture with a moist crumb.
You can replace the tapioca flour with arrowroot flour, or just use more almond flour if you’d like.
I recommend using finely ground almond flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill Super Fine Almond Flour) for the best results, but almond meal works too.
While it can be tempting to replace the almond flour with coconut flour, I don’t recommend it as coconut flour is much more absorbent and requires more eggs and liquid. In essence, the whole cake recipe would need to change.
Fresh Lemons: We need three large lemons for zest and fresh lemon juice. The lemon zest is what is responsible for the big lemon flavor, so a little patience pays off when it comes to thoroughly zesting the lemons. Just be sure to only zest the yellow part of the peel and stop once you reach the white peel, as the white part can be very bitter.
I use regular lemons but meyer lemons work too, provided you’re able to get over 1 tablespoon of zest from them.
Avocado Oil: Adding decadent flavor to the lemon cake, we need a substantial amount of fat. I like using avocado oil because it contains healthy fats and also has neutral flavor so the lemon flavor shines through.
The avocado oil can be replaced with olive oil (if you like the flavor of olive oil cakes), melted coconut oil, full-fat canned coconut milk, or melted butter.
Pure Maple Syrup: Keeping this lemon cake refined sugar-free, pure maple syrup is the sweetener here. If you prefer using cane sugar, replace the pure maple syrup with 2/3 cup of regular sugar and increase the amount of oil to 1 cup.
Large Eggs: In order to fluff up the cake, we use large eggs. If you have the forethought to bring the eggs to room temperature before you begin baking, you can do so but chilled eggs are fine too.
Vanilla Extract: A little vanilla extract goes a long way in offsetting some of the citrus flavor with a little warmth. If you don’t keep vanilla extract on hand, feel free to skip it.
Sea Salt: A pinch of salt enhances all of the luscious flavors in the cake and also makes it taste sweeter without the need to add more sweetener. Don’t skip it!
Baking Powder: The leavening agent here. We use baking powder to bring rise to the cake and ensure the slices hold together nicely. I love that the texture of the cake is light and fluffy with a nice little crisp around the edge.
Optional Additions:
- Stir 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds into the batter to make lemon poppy seed cake.
- Add 1 cup of fresh blueberries to the cake batter to make lemon blueberry cake.
Now that we’re familiar with the simple ingredients, let’s make this almond flour lemon cake!
How to Make Almond Flour Lemon Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line an 8-inch springform cake pan with a circle of parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the avocado oil, pure maple syrup, eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until everything is well-combined.
In a separate bowl, stir together the dry ingredients (almond flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, and sea salt) until combined.
Transfer the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well until a smooth batter forms.
Note: if you like preparing cake batter in a blender, food processor, or electric mixer, feel free to toss all of the ingredients into either option and process until the cake batter forms.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and cover it with foil (this will prevent the top of the cake from getting darker than golden brown). Bake for 30 minutes with the foil on, then remove the foil and bake for another 15 to 25 minutes, or until the cake tests clean.
Cake is fully cooked once it reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees F. you can check the temperature by inserting an instant read thermometer into the center of the cake.
Allow the cake to cool completely before releasing it from the cake pan.
If you’d like, you can make a lemon glaze by combining 1 cup of powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. For a sugar-free glaze, use a sugar-free confectioner’s sweetener such as besti sweetener or powdered monk fruit sweetener.
You can also whip up a batch of my Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting for a creamy, tangy frosting.
I find the cake is plenty sweet on its own, but cakes are also lovely with glazes. Lemon curd is also a lovely topping for this gluten-free cake.
Use a sharp knife to slice the cake into individual slices and serve with fresh berries, whipped cream, raspberry sauce or Raspberry Chia Jam.
How to Store Cake:
Cover the cake in plastic wrap and store it at room temperature for up to two days.
As an alternative, transfer any leftover cake to an airtight container in the refrigerator and keep it for up to one week.
This flourless lemon almond cake freezes very well! Simply slice any remaining cake into individual slices, wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze the wrapped slices in a large zip lock bag for up to 3 months.
I hope you love this luscious lemon dessert as much as I do!
The way I see it, this gluten-free lemon cake is a great recipe for sharing with friends and family. It is a vibrant dessert option for holiday meals or gatherings any time of the year.
If you enjoy healthy lemon dessert recipes, also try these tried and true favorites.
More Lemon Desserts:
- Creamy Lemon Oatmeal Crumb Bars
- Keto Lemon Bars
- Paleo Lemon Poppy Seed Blondies
- Keto Lemon Pound Cake
- Grain-Free Rosemary Lemon Olive Oil Cake
- Glazed Keto Lemon Cookies
Enjoy this delicious grain-free lemon cake the next time you’re entertaining company!
Almond Flour Lemon Cake
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup (158ml or 5.3oz) avocado oil*
- 2/3 cup (158ml or 5.3oz) pure maple syrup
- 3 lemons zested and juiced (about â…“ cup (74ml) of juice and over 1 Tbsp of zest)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract optional
- 3 cups (340g or 12oz) almond flour
- ½ cup (65g or 2.2oz) tapioca flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
Optional Glaze:
- 1 cup (120g or 4.2oz) confectioner’s sweetener**
- 2 Tbsp (15ml) lemon juice or water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line an 8-inch springform cake pan with a circle of parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the avocado oil, pure maple syrup, eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until everything is well-combined.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the dry ingredients (almond flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, and sea salt) until combined.
- Transfer the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well until a smooth batter forms.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and cover it with foil (this will prevent the top of the cake from getting darker than golden brown). Bake for 30 minutes with the foil on, then remove the foil and bake for another 15 to 25 minutes, or until the cake tests clean.
- Cake is fully cooked once it reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees F. you can check the temperature by inserting an instant read thermometer into the center of the cake.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before releasing it from the cake pan.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Check your nutrition facts. Here’s my version:
You say there are 3 g of sugar per slice
But 2/3 c of maple syrup contains 144g of carbs, and it’s all sugar,, so from that ingredient alone there are 8g/slice of sugar.
Hi Melissa, Thanks for catching this! I just double checked the nutrition facts and changed the pure maple syrup to a different brand. When I did so, I’m now getting 21 grams of sugar. I must have accidentally used a brand that was sugar-free. It said “maple syrup” so I figured the number was correct, but alas, it was wasn’t. I’ve changed the nutrition facts. 🙂
My lemon tree is heavy with fruit and I’ve been looking for more desserts to make with it. This sounds amazing but I need to make a 9 x13 cake. Can you tell me how many cups of batter this recipe yields? I can use that to figure out how much more I need to make. Thank you! I use many of your recipes and my family loves everything that comes to our table!
Hi Terri! I haven’t measured the batter before baking the cake, but if I had to guess I would say it’s around four cups (or just under). If I was making a 9″ x 13″ cake myself, I would 1.5x the recipe 🙂 Hope you enjoy!! xo
Can gluten free flour 1 for 1be substituted for the almond and tapioca flour? I cannot use almond flour.
Hi Kathy! Gluten-free flour is slightly more absorbent than almond flour, so you may need to use a little less. If I were trying it myself, I would use 2 2/3 cups of GF flour and add more if the batter seems too thin.
I made this today and my batter was not runny like the picture. Mine was more dry like cookie dough. I baked it nonetheless and it could be that I used homemade almond flour which is more fine than store bought that caused this, making the 3 cups more dense. I’ll let you know tomorrow if it’s dry.
Hi Cathy! Thanks so much for letting me know your experience. I would definitely say using a homemade almond flour could make the difference. I hope the cake turns out moist and tasty nonetheless!
Hi,
Is there a substitute I can have for eggs?
Thanks!
Div
Hi there!
I haven’t tested the recipe with an egg replacer yet but to be honest, I think it would be difficult to get the texture right without the eggs. Grain-free almond flour recipes can be tricky to make egg-free because almond flour doesn’t contain much starch, which makes it difficult to get a fluffy consistency without eggs. That said, you could try using flax or chia eggs, although I think the cake will turn out very dense. If you’re okay with that I would say proceed forth. However, if you are indeed looking for a cakey consistency it would be better to google a different recipe that uses gluten-free all-purpose flour or regular all-purpose flour. Hope this helps! xoxo
I’m so excited to make this, just in-time for Easter! I’m having a hard time finding Tapioca Flour and also don’t have cornstarch — is there any way I can just substitute it with more almond flour??? Thanks in advance!!
P.S. I love your stuff — I’m stoked to have something different to try being that I’ve baked and eaten way too much of your clementine cake)… 🧡
Hi Lennea! You can use more almond flour instead of tapioca flour. The consistency won’t be as fluffy because tapioca flour adds starch, which helps bring a fluffy texture. However, the cake will still turn out great! I would add another full cup (instead of half cup). Hope you enjoy! xo
Hi Julia, how much butter would I need to replace the avo oil? Thanks and can’t wait to try and any other ideas for what other flours I could use to replace the tapioca flour?
Hi Reuben! I would use 14 tablespoons of melted butter (just under 1 cup) to replace the avocado oil. Hope you enjoy the cake! xo
This cake was very well received as an Easter dessert. The lemon made it a refreshing change from my usual default chocolate desserts. The cake was
moist and full of flavour. Of course, the gluten-free aspect meant everyone could enjoy it! Thanks for this recipe. 🙂
Yaaay! I’m so happy you and your guests enjoyed it, Suzanne! Thanks so much for swinging back around to share your experience! xo
Hi. What can I substitute the tapioca flour with?
Hi there! You can use arrowroot flour or 1 cup of additional almond flour 🙂
@Flores, I subbed arrowroot flower with no trouble. Enjoy!
Can I do this in a bundt pan? If so how long should I bake it for?
Hi Andrea! I haven’t tested any of my grain-free cake recipes using a bundt pan so I’m truly not sure if it would work out. Have you made an almond flour recipe using a bundt pan in the past and had success? If so, I would think this recipe would work as well.
@Julia, I used a Bundt pan with no issue.
Yaay! That’s so great to hear! Thanks so much for swinging back around to share that!
can i use stevia in the batter ??? and how much should i use???
Hi Richard! I’ve never baked using Stevia drops. Are you using Stevia drops, or is it a granulated sweetener mixed with erythritol? If you’re using a granulated sweetener, I would do a 1:1 replacement for the pure maple syrup and if the batter is too thick, add more oil to offset the loss of liquid. If you’re using drops I unfortunately don’t have a great suggestion but I imagine there is a conversion chart somewhere on the internet 🙂 Hope this helps!
I will definitely try to bake this wonderful recipe this weekend. Thank you, Julia! This cake sounds so good!
Aww thanks, Maira! I hope you enjoy it! xo
Can I reduce the amt of maple syrup to keep it low sugar?
For eg, If I only use 1/2 cup of maple syrup, how do I adjust the dry ingredients?
Hi Nena! I think you can make that change without having to change the almond flour. If you want to, you could start with 2 2/3 cups of almond flour and see what the texture of the batter is like (it should resemble a normal cake batter), however, I bet sticking with 3 cups will work just fine 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
@Julia, you are phenomenal! Your cheerful injections such as unicorn sighs and puppy stretches, are joyful. You a truly a holy moment!
LOL so happy you think so! 🙂 xoxo
This is my go-to cake for all of my lemon loving friends. It is outstanding! I used olive oil, but the trick is to use light olive oil, so the flavor of the lemon is not diminished. Making it again this week! Thank you.
Fabulous! I’m happy it turns out well using olive oil 🙂 Many thanks for reporting back!
Excellent recipe! Flavorful and moist. The family enjoyed it!
I’m thrilled to hear it! My family can’t get enough of it too 🙂
Hello,
Could you please print the recipe in metric measurements?
Thank you
Christine
Hi Christine! I added the metric measurements 🙂 Let me know if you have any more questions! Happy baking! xo
I love this recipe. I did substitute oranges for the lemons since that’s what I had on hand and it was amazing! Wondering if you’ve tried making this chocolate?
Orange sounds amazing, April! Thank you for sharing. I actually do have an almond flour chocolate cake recipe, which can be found here: https://www.theroastedroot.net/paleo-chocolate-cake/ Hope you enjoy it! xo
Loved this cake. It has a delicious lemony flavour and doesn’t make you feel bloated.I used powdered stevia and added some yogurt to balance it. My husband and I loved it.Thank you
The yogurt sounds like a lovely addition! Thanks for sharing your changes, Vanessa! xo