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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 ...
- ½ cups sliced almonds
- 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- ¾ cup powdered sugar plus more for sprinkling
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ¾ cup plain yogurt or Greek yogurt
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cup almond flour not almond 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
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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.
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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 (these will be used at the end to top the cake).
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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.
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In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar, and eggs, stirring until well blended.
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Add the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, salt and extracts. Stir to combine.
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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.
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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.
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While the 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 the toasted almonds over the 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.
Barbara T says
Made it and it looks lovely. Could I freeze it once finished with glaze and almonds? Thanks.
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Yes, you can do that, Barbara!
Violette says
I made this cake all the time for my family and especially if i am pressed for time. It’s the best, no fuss type if desert. I cut the sugar by at least 1/3 and no one noticed the difference when I started doing this. I use a spring form pan to make it really easy to unmold the cake. .
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Thanks for your review, Violette!
Liz says
Can I use 1-1 gluten free flour for the all purpose flour
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Yes, that will work! Enjoy, Liz!
Heather says
Could I sub sour cream for the yogurt?
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Yes! Enjoy, Heather!
Peg says
Ahah! THAT'S where I got it wrong - I read 12 servings. Full disclosure - I had two of the super-sized servings at dessert tonight! Half has gone into the freezer, and a 1/4 has gone to my son who dropped by for supper, so it's all put away at this point and I'm not in danger of binging on it.
It's the best cake I've ever made - bar none!
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Thanks for letting us know, Peg!
Peg says
Addictive for sure! Scrumptious - but oh my - full of sugar and oil, so I don't really believe the published calorie count.
Chris Scheuer says
Haha, it does seem too good to be true, Peg! However, the serving size is small and the calorie count is correct if you cut the cake into 16 servings. So happy you enjoyed it!
SheilaG says
Chris: I made this magical cake for an Oscar watch party. I wish there were a Best Dessert category, because this would have won! Everyone loved it. I used extra light taste olive oil and plain nonfat Greek yogurt and it turned out great. I use butter to grease the pan so there's not too much olive oil. Thank you for another wonderful recipe.
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
That's awesome! Thanks for letting us know, Sheila!
Lupita says
Happy Thursday Chris!
I baked cupcakes using the French Almond Cake recipe and they came out just as delicious as the cake! I used icing on half of the cupcakes and left the other half plain. They are simply moist, sweet and addictive! Thank you!:)
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
That's great to know! Thanks, Lupita!