This Almond Flour Vanilla Cake with vanilla buttercream is made with gluten free and healthy-ish ingredients, but you’d never know it! It’s a light and fluffy dessert that’s perfect for any occasion.

You don’t need to be a professional baker to successfully bake a cake with almond flour. Just take this Almond Flour Vanilla Cake for example. A practically fail-proof recipe, it leaves little room for error and results in a fluffy and moist cake with a fine-tender crumb.

I love using almond flour in baked goods, like in this cake as well as my almond flour cupcakes and almond flour chocolate chip muffins. It’s a grain free flour made from ground almonds but offers cake recipes a delicate crumb, light and fluffy texture, and subtle nutty flavor. 

The results are so great that you or your guests won’t even notice that you’re eating a gluten free dessert! And when you really want to make everyone happy, pair your gluten free vanilla cake with my equally as delicious almond flour chocolate cake.

Recipe features

• It’s a healthy-ish gluten and grain free vanilla cake that makes almond flour the star of the show.
• The batter is low-fuss and flexible. You can choose between baking a one-layer cake, a two-layer cake, or cupcakes!
• It’s decorated with a simple vanilla buttercream, but the cake is fantastic with or without the icing.

Ingredients

Almond flour – I tested this cake with ground almond flour, NOT almond meal. The latter is more coarse and crumbly and will give you different results. If all you have is almond meal, I recommend pulverizing it into a fine flour first. Alternatively, if you don’t need this cake to be gluten free, you should end up with good results using the same amount of all purpose flour.

Sugar – Granulated cane sugar is my standard sweetener in baked goods. You can substitute coconut sugar or granulated monk fruit for a less sweet cake with no refined sugar. 

Eggs – I don’t recommend using any substitutions here, like flax eggs. 

Vanilla – For flavor, of course!

Vanilla buttercream – This basic buttercream frosting consists of softened butter, milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. It’s very easy to make or swap for your favorite frosting. Check out the Tips section for more decorating ideas.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the almond flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a mixing bowl.

Step 2: Mix the wet ingredients. Whisk the eggs, milk, and vanilla together in another bowl.

Step 3: Combine, then bake. Pour the dry mix into the wet and carefully stir to combine. Transfer the batter to the cake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool.

Step 4: Make the frosting. Cream the butter, vanilla, and milk together until fluffy. Next, stir in the powdered sugar until you have a creamy, smooth icing. Decorate the vanilla cake with the buttercream when it’s fully cool, then slice and enjoy!

Tips and FAQs

• Use room-temperature ingredients. Remember to set your almond flour, eggs, milk, and butter on the kitchen counter for at least 30 minutes before baking. Room temperature ingredients always give you the best results!
• Use the toothpick test to check for doneness. You’ll know the cake is ready to come out of the oven when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (a few crumbs on the toothpick are fine).
• Always let the cake cool completely before decorating. Otherwise, the warmth will melt the icing.
• Decorating ideas: Any buttercream flavor pairs well with vanilla cake. To switch things up from vanilla, use my strawberry, coconut, chocolate mint, or honey mascarpone frosting instead. To finish, top the cake with fresh fruit, berry compote, or chopped nuts!

Can you make this a double-layer cake?

Baking the chocolate version of this cake in one round 9-inch cake pan and two round 6-inch pans both worked well. You can make this a double-layer cake by dividing the batter between two 6-inch cake pans and baking until a toothpick comes out clean.

Can you use this recipe to make cupcakes instead?

Sure! To make almond flour vanilla cupcakes, bake the batter in a lined muffin tin for 20 to 23 minutes at 350°F or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let them cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing and setting them on a wire rack to finish cooling.

Storage

Room temperature: If unfrosted, this almond flour cake will keep well in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days. 

Refrigerator: If frosted, store the cake in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. 

Freezer: Wrap the unfrosted cake in plastic, place it in an airtight bag or container, and freeze for up to 4 or 5 months. When ready, allow the cake to thaw at room temperature before frosting. 

More almond flour recipes

• Chocolate Cookies
• Peanut Butter Cookies
• Blueberry Scones

If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!