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This French Almond Cake is incredibly delicious and incredibly easy. One-bowl, no-mixer and just a few minutes to throw together!
Think of this French Almond Cake as an early little Christmas gift. Why give a Christmas gift when December’s barely gotten started? Well, just because I knew you were going to need it.
I sure do! A cake that’s moist, tender and incredibly delicious, while at the same time being one-bowl, no-mixer and just-a-few-minutes-to-throw-together is exactly what I need at this time of the year.
Don’t wait till the 25th to give me this one, I’ve got all sorts of get-togethers and occasions coming up and people who I’d love to surprise with a special treat.
I need it now!
And I thought perhaps, you were in the same boat, so it’s comin’ your way today! Merry Christmas!
So that’s about all I’m writing today friends because, just like you, I’m trying to wrap my mind around Christmas and the fact that’s it’s not waiting on me.
The perfect cake to make when you’re pinched for time
I admit, I’m a bit more behind than usual because, instead of doing lots of baking and decorating over the long Thanksgiving holiday, we did something infinitely better. We were incredibly blessed to welcome a new baby boy into the family! More on that coming up… but with a few minutes to spare, I think I might throw together a French Almond Cake!
In closing, since I have some really sweet French friends like Paule and Barbara and Monique (as close to French as you can get), I thought I better confess the real deal, as I don’t want to get into any kind of trouble with them or have la gendarmerie (the French police) arrest me for a counterfeit cake. So, here’s the scoop: I kind of made up this recipe, but I did base it on my French Grandmother’s Lemon Yogurt Cake which is a favorite of ours and really truly is French. I just changed up the flavors a bit, added almond flour, almond extract, a sliced almond topping and a shower of powdered sugar.
Now I’m clean. Sort of …
- ¾ cup plain yogurt or Greek yogurt
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cup almond flour meal
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup sunflower oil grape seed or canola oil
- For the glaze:
- 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ¾ cup powdered sugar plus more for sprinkling
- 1/2 cups sliced almonds
Preheat the oven to 350˚F (175˚C). Spray a 9-inch round cake pan (with at least 2 inch tall sides) with baking spray. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper and spray parchment paper lightly. Set aside.
- Place almonds in a small baking pan. Spread to a single layer. Bake for 15 minutes or until just beginning to turn pale golden brown, stirring every 5 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
- Combine the orange zest, orange juice, powdered sugar and extracts in a small bowl for the glaze. Stir with a whisk until smooth. Cover and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar, and eggs, stirring until well blended.
- Add the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, salt and extracts. Stir to combine.
- Add the oil and stir well. Don't worry, at first it will seem to separate, but keep stirring till smooth. This might take 2-3 minutes.
- Pour the batter into prepared pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the cake feels springy to the touch in the center and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cover loosely with foil if getting too brown near the end and cake is still not done*. Be careful not to over bake. Cool cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes; then turn it out of the pan onto the rack.
- While cake is still warm, using a pastry brush, gently pat the glaze all over the cake. Just keep going over the cake till the glaze is gone. Some of it will drip off, but most of it will soak in. Sprinkle almonds over top of cake while glaze is wet and pat gently. Allow cake to cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.
*Spray foil lightly with cooking spray or rub with a bit of oil to prevent cake from sticking to the foil.
krishanti says
can i substitute normal flour for almond flour?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Krishanti, I haven’t tried this without almond flour so I don’t want to say for sure. The almond flour does give it a wonderful flavor and texture.
Norma says
I love almonds and when I saw this cake I wanted to make it. I went to a friend’s house for Christmas and everybody loved it. The cake is easy to make and it’s moist and so delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for sharing your results, Norma. I’m super happy you enjoyed it!
Susan Whipple says
Hi! I love anything almond and would love to make this cake! I have two questions: do you think I could substitute lemon zest & juice for the orange? Also, what’s the difference between almond flour and almond meal?
Thank you 🙂
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Susan, yes, you could definitely sub lemon for the orange. It will be delicious!
Almond flour is very finely ground, usually blanched, almonds where almond meal is coarser ground almonds. The texture will be different with each of them.
Joanie says
Delicious and extremely easy to make! This cake is very moist. My friends were impressed . Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! Thanks so much, Joanie! 💕
Shweta says
Thank you so much for the recipe , I have been trying to recreate this cake forever. The cake turned out delicious and moist. I did substitute the oil with butter .
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your results, Shweta!
Jeannine says
The first time i made the cake was delicious but the second time was not moist
What is the readon what went wrong
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Jeannine, it’s hard to say without having been in the kitchen with you.
Anita says
Hi, Can I use butter instead of Sunflower oil?
Chris Scheuer says
Although I love butter, I don’t recommend it for this cake. The oil is what makes this cake so moist. It has fantastic flavor without butter. You can use any neutral-flavored oil with good results.
Malavika Deo says
I made this cake and took it to a friends place for dessert. It was an instant hit. Thank you.
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! I’m so happy you enjoyed this cake, Malavika! Thanks for sharing your results!
bea gonshor gonshor says
at 350f roasting almond slices for 5 minutes burnt them completely. Turned down to 300f and 4 minutes was enough.
Pia says
This is so one of my favourite cakes! I don’t have any vegetable oil but I wonder how olive oil would taste?? What do you think?
Megan says
Hi! I was wondering if I can substitute something else for the yogurt. I’m anxious to try this recipe and have everything else on hand. Thanks!
Chris Scheuer says
If you have sour cream or even buttermilk, that would work. You could even make your own buttermilk with milk and a little vinegar.
Britta says
Beautifully delicate and moist cake, but did not rise well with doubling the recipe.
Jen says
This recipe sounds delicious. I really enjoy anything almond. I am interested in having this as a birthday cake. Have you ever added any kind of chocolate element to it? Like a chocolate glaze or chocolate curls? In considering such a change, would you omit the orange glaze? I am possibly making a mistake by wanting to modify it and not considering it as you have presented it?
Thanks!
Jen
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Jen, I haven’t tried this with chocolate. It is delicious the way it is so I don’t want to throw you off by giving advice on something I haven’t done. If you decide to try an adaptation, let us know how it turns out.
Atifa says
This cake is absolutely delicious! So easy to make and for the glaze only half cup of powdered sugar is sufficient 😊
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! I’m so glad you loved this recipe, Atifa! Thank you so much for sharing your results!!