Erin’s Recipe Rundown
I love how simple this gluten-free French almond cake is, especially since the food processor does most of the work. It turns out incredibly moist and rich, with a bold almond flavor that I can’t get enough of!
Like with my gluten-free angel food cake, this almond cake is one of my favorite desserts to serve with fresh fruit. I top it with sweetened strawberries and almond whipped cream for a light, fresh finish that’s perfect for spring and summer.
Why You’ll Love It: This is the kind of dessert that looks impressive on the table, but doesn’t require complicated steps or techniques to get right. It’s a great beginner-friendly recipe!
Top Tip: Be sure to use gluten-free almond paste, not marzipan, for this gluten-free almond cake.
xoxo erin
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make this gluten-free almond cake. Jump to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Almond paste: Almond paste is the star of this recipe, giving the cake its rich almond flavor and wonderfully moist texture. Be sure to use almond paste and not marzipan, which is much sweeter and won’t produce the same results. If needed, check that your almond paste is gluten-free.
- Almond extract: A small amount of almond extract enhances the flavor of the almond paste and helps create a bold almond flavor throughout the cake and whipped cream.
- Strawberries: Fresh strawberries add a bright, juicy contrast to the gluten-free almond cake. I like to toss them with sugar while the cake bakes so they have plenty of time to soften and release their juices.
- Heavy cream: Whipped with both vanilla and almond extracts, the heavy cream creates a light, fluffy topping that pairs beautifully with the almond cake and strawberries.
How to Make Gluten-Free French Almond Cake
Here’s an overview of how to make this recipe. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
I highly recommend using a food processor for this recipe rather than a hand mixer. Almond paste is very thick and can be difficult to fully incorporate with a mixer, while the food processor quickly creates a smooth, uniform batter.
When processing the almond paste with the butter and sugar, the mixture may clump together into a ball. Just keep processing—it will eventually smooth out into a creamy mixture.
I like to prepare the strawberries as soon as the cake goes into the oven. By the time the cake has cooled, the strawberries will be perfectly juicy and ready for serving.
This gluten-free almond cake is delicious at room temperature and even better topped with plenty of almond whipped cream and a generous spoonful of strawberries.
During berry season, this cake is in my regular rotation, along with desserts like my cherry berry meringue delight.
Gluten-Free French Almond Cake
Ingredients
ALMOND CAKE
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (113g) butter, at room temperature
- 7 ounces (198g) almond paste
- 3 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ⅔ cup (100g) gluten-free measure-for-measure flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
SWEETENED STRAWBERRIES
- 1 pound (454g) strawberries, sliced
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
ALMOND WHIPPED CREAM
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-inch round pan with cooking spray, line with a parchment paper round, then spray the parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the sugar and butter until smooth.
- Crumble the almond paste into the food processor bowl. Process until smooth. It will turn into a ball; just keep processing until it smooths out.
- Add the eggs and almond extract and process until combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- Sprinkle in the gluten-free flour, baking powder and salt, and process until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the strawberries: In a small bowl, mix together the strawberries and sugar. Let sit for at least 30 minutes so the strawberries have time to soften and release their juices.
- For the almond whipped cream: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or using a hand mixer, whip together the heavy cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and almond extract on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 4-5 minutes.
- Dust the cake with powdered sugar. Slice the cake and serve with a dollop of whipped cream and a spoonful of strawberries.
I made this cake last week with just powdered sugar, and the church people loved it’
I am making it this week with a raspberry jam topping for the 4th.
Great directions and easy to make .
Yay! We’re so excited to hear the new recipe was enough of a hit that you wanted to make it again. Raspberry jam sounds delicious. We hope everyone loved it over the holiday weekend!
I had some trouble with this recipe. I weighed my ingredients and when I added the almond paste, I could not get the mix to smooth out. Even when it was clearly mixed (3-4 minutes later), the dough balled up when I turned on the Cuisinart. Eventually, the butter started to melt and coat the bowl so I quit mixing. After adding the eggs, the batter smoothed out and seemed normal.
Also, I didn’t have an 8 inch pan so used a disposable one made of a waxed paper. The cake browned quickly so I probably took it out too early. Of course, then the center was a bit gummy so I cut out the middle and put it back in the oven. I baked it four 5 minutes then turned off the oven. Naturally, I forgot about it. One hour later it was well cooked and fairly firm.
The good news is that the properly baked outer ring and over baked center were both delicious. The center ended up with the texture of a soft biscotti. We’ve snacked on it with coffe all day. I may try it again in a different pan!
My question is should I have kept mixing the sugar, butter and almond paste even longer? Was the melting of the butter fine or does it need to stay solid? I’m curious if I would have gotten more of a rise if I’d mixed longer?
Will make it again but would love your input. Thanks
We’re sorry you had this experience, Laurel! We’re so pleased you still loved the flavor and are going to give it another chance! We wouldn’t recommend mixing longer. It sounds like once the eggs were added, it emulsified properly and got back on track. The butter melting to some degree is fine. It most likely melted from mixing it longer. Most of the rise is going to come from the eggs and baking powder in this one. The waxed paper disposable pan was most likely the culprit as it caused the uneven baking. We’d definitely try a different pan next time. We hope this helps and your next almond cake is a total success!
Worked out beautifully with the strawberries. Wonderful recipe.
Thank you, Martina! We’re so pleased you loved the almond cake. We love the strawberries too. Happy baking!
I made this recipe last week. It was a big hit. Loved the almond flavoring in both the cake and whipped cream. Made the whipped cream with Silk heavy cream since I can’t eat dairy. Made the perfect substitute.
Yay! We’re so pleased the recipe was such a success and that you enjoyed it with the dairy-free substitutes. Thank you for coming back to share this positive feedback with us, Nancy!
We just made this a few days ago and while absolutely delicious, the center collapsed and was still quite doughy. I baked for 33 mins. Was that too short? What else could I try to make it cook thoroughly? My daughter wants this to be her birthday cake this weekend <3
Signed, a family that bakes from our three Meaningful Eats cookbooks at least weekly
We love your recipes, thank you!
Hi Lyndsy! Sorry you had that experience, but glad you still enjoyed the flavor! Different gluten-free flours can affect structure. We recommend King Arthur GF Measure-for-Measure for best results. It also sounds like it may have needed a few extra minutes in the oven, since bake times can vary based on oven temperature accuracy, pan material type, etc. Be sure to let it cool completely before cutting too so it can fully set. We hope this helps and that your daughter has a wonderful birthday!