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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.
Angela says
This recipe sounds wonderful! I know cakes are always best fresh, but is this recipe still good if made the day before and wrapped well? How does it keep please?
Thanks,
Angela.
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, this cake will be wonderful if you make it a day in advance! Enjoy!
Karen says
Will the almond flake get soft if I baked it one day before?
Chris Scheuer says
No, the almonds will be fine for a day.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Theresa, yes, if your tin is too big, the cake will be flatter. I use a 9-inch (23cm) pan.
ana duquenne says
OMG ,
my husband is french , and he is always complaining that he cant get a good almond cake , so i decided to try this , to my surprise it was extremely easy !!! and he ate the entire cake .. he says that is his favand he wants it at least once a month lol !!!! absolutely delicious and very easy to follow the steps !!! thank you so so much !!!!
Chris Scheuer says
Cela me rend heureux que vous ayez apprécié mon gâteau! 🙂
sandra carpenter says
Beautiful cakes.....I just got mine out of the oven. Made 8 Kanu/Boat shapes and one 8" sandwich cake - as in one half of a cake. They look and smell wonderful! would send a photo if I could. Hubby will love them.
Chris Scheuer says
So happy these turned out well for you, thanks for letting us know Sandra! Enjoy!
Ash says
Is this cake sturdy enough to be baked in a sphere pan? I want to make a soccer ball cake but want to use this recipe. Do you think it will collapse or is it stable enough to hold the spherical shape?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Ash, I'm not sure as I haven't tried that. It is a fairly sturdy cake though.
Joseph Vella says
Haven't tried it yet, but perhaps using a bit too much self raising agent causes the middle to collapse. Also, try avoid taking out the cake in a draught as this also can cause the centre to sink.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Joseph!
Malavika says
Hi Chris,
I made this cake on the 21st for my husband to celebrate his birthday and it was amazing. It took 35 mins to bake & I had used a bundt pan which made it a bit hard to have enough slivered almonds to stay on the top but it still was fabulous.
Chris Scheuer says
That's awesome, happy birthday to your husband! Great idea to make it in a bundt pan!
Deborah says
Hi Chris,
I made this yesterday and everybody loved it. My cake was done in 35 minutes because I baked with convection oven. Anyway when I took it out to cool, the middle sunk; after cooling for 10 minutes in the pan on the rack, I turned
it upside down to glaze it. The middle did show a bit of sinking but not too noticeable because of the almond and powdered sugar on top of it. I do live in CO, 5280 above sea level. Could I have done anything different to prevent it from sinking in the middle? Thank you for sharing this recipe. I will make it again. It's going to be my go to cake; so easy and elegant.
Chris Scheuer says
You could try baking it just a little longer and see if that helps.
jm sheehan says
This cake is delicious. I live at a high altitude also and went onlne to see what adjustments to make because this recipe is a keeper and we would like it to make it again without the cake falling.
Adjustments for 5000 feet and above: Reduce baking powder, for each teaspoon decrease 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon. Reduce sugar, for each cup decrease 2 tablespoons. Increase oven temp by 25 degrees. Increase liquid, for each cup increase 2 to 4 tablespoons.
Another idea is to ease the cake out of the hot oven so that the temperature shift is not significant. Plenty of ways to do that.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Jim!
Deborah says
Hi Chris,
I made this yesterday and everybody loved it. My cake was done in 35 minutes because I baked with convection oven. Anyway when I took it out to cool, the middle sunk; after cooling for 10 minutes in the pan on the rack, I turned
it upside down to glaze it. The middle did show a bit of sinking but not too noticeable because of the almond and powdered sugar on top of it. I do live in CO, 5280 above sea level. Could I have done anything different to prevent it from sinking in the middle? Thank you for sharing this recipe. I will make it again. It's going to be my go to cake; so easy and elegant. --Deborah
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Deborah, living on the east coast, I not familiar with high altitude baking so I'm not sure. As far as the sinking, you might want to cover it with foil the last 10-15 minutes which will help it bake a bit quicker and keep it from browning too much.
Christine says
This is the most delicious cake, the flavour and texture is amazing. Thanks from Australia.
Gold says
Thank your sharing this recipe. It came out perfect.
Even covered it in chocolate ganache, and fondant. It was super.
Thanks also for letting me share it on my blog. xx
Rachita says
Made this yesterday for a dinner party. It was easy to make, and turned out beautifully. Everyone enjoyed it. My two year old loved it too 🙂 Thank you Chris for such a lovely recipe!
Chris Scheuer says
That's awesome Rachita, thanks for sharing your results!
Eileen says
Hi,
I do not have a 9" round pan so I use an 8" and it turned out sinking in the center but the circular sides are well done. Can you tell me how much time should I bake for an 8" pan? I baked 40 minutes and the toothpick comes out clean but it sank when I leave it to cool.
We ate the cake at the sides and it taste delicious.
Please adv. Thank you.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Eileen, it's hard for me to say why your cake is sinking without being there in your kitchen. One thing you could try is to lightly cover the cake with foil for the last 15 minutes. Also, make sure the cake springs back in the center when you touch it, before removing from the oven. Hope that helps!
Eileen says
Thanks Chris it turns out beautifully the 2nd time I baked
It will be my new favorite now☺️
Chris Scheuer says
Great, thanks for sharing your results, Eileen!
Sheril says
Made this on the weekend. So easy and Tastyyyy!!! Loved it 😊
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Sheril! So happy you enjoyed it! I appreciate you sharing your results! 🙂
Margaret ANker says
An this cake be made with almond flour instead of regular flour? I would like to make it for Passover.
Thank you
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Margaret, I haven't tried it with almond flour so I'm not sure if the results would be the same.
Claudia says
I made this cake for dessert at a 2018 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony party. I used a 9” square pan because I haven’t found my round baking pans since I moved. After 40 mins., the cake tested done. The middle fell slightly and I was concerned that the cake would be underbaked and gooey, even though the toothpick came out clean. To my delight, the cake was baked just right! It was delicious! My brother-in-law said “It’s a keeper!” I might try making cupcakes with this batter next time.
Chris Scheuer says
That's awesome Claudia, thanks for sharing your results!
Simone de Haan says
Wondering why the recipe includes both vanilla and vanilla essence. And when you refer to vanilla do you mean vanilla pods or vanilla syrup in the bottle?
Thanks,
Simone
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Simone, it should read just vanilla extract which comes in a bottle. I sometimes just call that vanilla but I have clarified it in the recipe. Thanks for noticing that!
Angie says
Very yummy! The glaze was amazing too. I placed a piece of parchment paper on the cake during the last 10 min of baking. I will definitely make it again
Debra Kelly says
I made this cake for my Mother's birthday last week and decided to make it as a peach upside down cake. I lined the bottom of my cake pan with parchment as instructed, buttered the sides, put brown sugar, butter and peaches in first and then poured in the cake batter. It took about 55 minutes to bake because it split on one side and took that long for the toothpick to come out clean. I served it with whipped cream. I was afraid it might be too dry but it was moist and absolutely divine. My family raved about it. You know, when people just quietly mutter "oh my God" and "this is SO good" and "wow" ? THAT kind of good.
(I think I will bake it about 5-7 minutes less next time and it would be perfect).
Now, this has become one of my most favorite cakes and my imagination has gone wild. Original recipe with the glaze, toasted almonds and powdered sugar, one made with lemon curd filling and topped with lemon glaze, another with chocolate buttercream in the middle and on top.....rasberry puree....on and on. Oh, and a pineapple upside down would be heavenly too.
Thankyou so much for this recipe, Chris. Like my sister said....it's a keeper!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Debra, love your version!
Caren says
Can this be frozen in advance for a party???
Chris Scheuer says
Yes! I would freeze it uncovered for one hour or until it's pretty solidly frozen. Then wrap well. Freezing it uncovered at first will keep it from getting flattened by the wrapping.
Hajra Omer says
I followed the recipe to a t, omitted the glaze, just topped it with some roasted almond flakes and the cake was delicious. It required the same time as stated above but in the last ten minutes I had to cover it with foil. My husband happily did that part. I baked it for him and he enjoyed it immensely and so did my two year old. It’s a very rich, moist and decadent cake. Loved the simplicity of the recipe.
Chris Scheuer says
Yum, your version sounds wonderful Hajra! Thanks for sharing your results!
Sum says
I followed the recipe exactly but my cake domed quite a bit and when I took it out it was still raw into the center.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Sum,
So sorry this cake didn't work out for you. I hate wasting good ingredients. Every oven is different so it's important to test with a toothpick to make sure the center is done. I think it probably needed to bake just a bit longer in your oven.
Linda Beaudoin says
I married a Frenchman, so whenever I prepare a French style recipe, he really appreciates it.
I have made this wonderful almond cake twice now following the measurements exactly. In my
oven it required 45 minutes to bake. Each time, as the cake cooled, it sunk a little in the center, even though
it was fully cooked. I was wondering how to avoid the sinking or should I turn it upside down to glaze ?
Linda
Linda Beaudoin says
Please tell me how I can avoid the cake sinking a little in the center. I followed the measurements exactly and it baked until done for 45 minutes. Should I glaze and serve it upside down?
Chris Scheuer says
I will have to revisit this recipe Linda and tweak it a bit.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Linda, I wonder if you baked it just a bit longer if it would not sink in the center. You could turn it upside down to glaze or cool it with the top surface up and then flip it when cooled to glaze it with the bottom up. That might help prevent some of the sinking.
Christine says
Juice from the Orange or the kind you drink?
Chris Scheuer says
Either will work Christine.
Bri Dawson says
Would have been really nice if you posted a picture of a slice of the cake. I'm looking for an almond cake recipe that my childhood taste buds remember! The cake had a slightly golden/orange color to it. This will be my Christmas baking experiment, to recreate that taste my family and I loved so much.
Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Chris Scheuer says
Hello Bri, if you look at this post: https://thecafesucrefarine.com/french-grandmothers-lemon-yogurt-cake/
there's a picture of the interior of the cake. It's the same recipe, just different flavorings.
Diana says
Can the glaze be omitted
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Diana, the glaze does add a delicious touch and keeps the cake moist but you could definitely omit it.