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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 …
- 1/2 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.
Far Dean Farmer says
Delicious and for me entirely successful recipe. Best cooked confidently – for the longst time I suspect (worked for me). I used one large Orange perfectly in season here now, for the glaze/marinade this yielded too much but I made it anyway using the rest to whisk into yoghurt and some thick cream to accompany this fine scented moist cake. Also I baked the almonds mixed with the rest of the juice and powder sugar, hot-cooked attentively till just so. It’s a really delicious, clever but easy recipe, deeple appreciated by many (with acknowledgements) and I thank you.
Chris Scheuer says
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, Far Dean Farmer!
linda nicholas says
Can you use only regular flower and omit the almond flower ? Also I have vanilla yogurt can I use and omit the vanilla?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Linda, I haven’t personally made this with 100% almond flour but a few of our readers have and have reported good success. I would still add the vanilla for good flavor even if using vanilla yogurt.
Leigh says
Made this in a bundt pan for Easter Brunch. So easy, delicious, light, and not too sweet. Served with freshly whipped cream and fresh raspberries.
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know, Leigh!
Pam says
Well, after baking two other cakes successfully in my new oven, I had a rare disaster with this one. After 45 minutes, a toothpick came out clean and the top was nicely browned but I guess I failed to check for firmness in the center. The center of the cake was terribly unudercooked — in fact runny. Still perplexed!!
Chris Scheuer says
So sorry you had trouble with this, Pam. It’s hard to say what went wrong without having been right there in the kitchen with you. I haven’t had and issue with this nor have I had any other reviewers with this problem. It might have been an inadvertent error with one of the ingredients.
Ai Lin says
I only have extra fine ground almonds. Will that work?
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, that should work fine, Ai!
Chris Scheuer says
The cake may not be as light but it will work okay.
Anna says
Hi there,
I wanted to know if you could suggest a dairy free substitute for the yogurt? Looking forward to making this recipe!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Anna, I can’t say for sure because I haven’t tried a dairy-free version. If you try a substitute, let us know!
Jenny Bethell says
Hi, in answer to using egg replacer, it’s a tasty yes! I used Crackd & followed the instructions of lowering the temp & baking for longer & it’s a great, simple bake…. even my non vegan other half approved!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much for letting us know, Jenny!