Tender, decadent, and chocolatey, this almond flour chocolate cake is everything you want a chocolate cake to be, and more, but using almond flour instead of traditional wheat flour.
This almond flour cake is grain free and we provide a dairy free option.
Ice this cake with my Chocolate Frosting and you'll have a delicious and beautiful dessert to impress your friends and family or enjoy all on your own.
If you love this cake you can make my almond flour cupcakes next.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Minimal Ingredients - There are only a handful of ingredients needed to make this cake, and you probably have most of them in your kitchen already.
Relatively Healthy - As far as a chocolate cake goes, this version is relatively healthy. It has loads of healthy fats, proteins, and it's super filling. A little slice goes a long way.
If you love recipes that use almond flour, try these almond flour chocolate chip cookies next. Almond flour crepes are also a reader favorite.
Key Ingredients
Almond Flour - Use a fine ground almond flour for baking to get a tender crumb.
Coconut Flour - I've tested this blend of flours to get the best texture using both almond and coconut flours.
Cocoa Powder - Use the best quality cocoa powder that you can. The better the cocoa powder, the richer the chocolatey flavor.
Powdered Sugar - Use the powdered type for best results.
Baking Powder - Baking Powder gives rise to your batter and creates lovely pockets of air in your cake.
Salt - Salt adds balance to the flavors here.
Eggs - Use large eggs for baking, and let them sit on the counter for 30 minutes or more to come to room temperature before mixing them in.
Buttermilk - This underrated baking ingredient causes a chemical change in the batter that creates more air pockets and therefore a lighter cake. If you need a dairy-free option, mix ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk with 1 teaspoon of white vinegar and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.
Butter - Add richness and a bit of fat to the batter with melted butter. If you need a dairy-free option, you can use a dairy-free butter. We haven't tried this with oil yet.
Vanilla Extract - Most delicious baked things include some vanilla. Use a high quality pure vanilla extract for the best cake.
If you have any questions about this recipe, please leave a comment below and I will get back to you.
Step by Step Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, cooled butter, and vanilla extract. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until well combined.
- Place batter into prepared baking pans as explained in the recipe.
- Bake as directed, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow cake to cool completely in the pan before removing. Frost as desired.
These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please see the recipe below.
Expert Tips
Working with almond flour isn't difficult, but there are a few things you should know about baking with it, since it's different than regular flour.
- If you store your almond flour in the fridge or freezer, allow it to come to room temperature before mixing your batter. Cold almond flour will not absorb the wet ingredients the way we want it to here.
- When measuring almond flour, use a spoon to fill your measuring cup rather than scooping down into the container. This will ensure that you are getting a proper measurement and not compressing the almond flour too much.
- I always suggest using a finely ground almond flour for baking. You'll get much lighter and fluffier baked goods this way.
- Don't overmix your batter. You do not need a hand or stand mixer for this recipe as it is better to mix the cake batter by hand with a spatula.
- Room temperature eggs work best for baking. The mix into the batter better and the cake rises nicely.
Substitutions
I have tested this almond flour chocolate cake recipe using the ingredients listed, and can't recommend too many substitutions, since this is the best combination that I could find. Adjusting any of the ingredients in this recipe will affect your final outcome, so be cautious.
Sweetener Substitutions: You can use a powdered Erythritol in place of the powdered sugar. I find it easy to work with and the flavor is right where I want it to be. I've had good results using plain powdered erythritol and Lakanto, which is a combination of erythritol and monk fruit. I don't suggest using any type of liquid sweetener.
Flour Substitutions: This is the best combination to me and this cake is an almond flour and coconut flour blend. I don't recommend subbing out the flours.
Make Dairy Free: If you need a dairy-free option, replace the buttermilk by mixing ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk with 1 teaspoon of white vinegar and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before making batter. Replace the butter with a dairy-free version.
FAQs
HOW MUCH CAKE DOES THIS RECIPE MAKE?
This is a standard sized cake recipe, and the directions will show you how to bake it in two 8-inch round cake pans to make a simple, beautiful layered cake.
You can bake this chocolate cake recipe as a sheet cake instead. Simply bake it in a 9 x13 inch pan. The baking time should be the same, but you may need to add a few minutes to get the center of the cake to set.
HOW FAR IN ADVANCE CAN I MAKE THIS?
You can make the chocolate cake layers up to a few days ahead of time. Store them well-wrapped in the fridge until you're ready to frost them.
Cake layers can also be frozen, well-wrapped, for up to three months.
I suggest frosting this chocolate cake the day you serve it.
CAN I USE ALMOND MEAL TO MAKE CAKE?
Almond meal is never going to be a good choice for baking. It's not milled finely enough and will create baked goods that are dense and heavy rather than light and fluffy. With that said, you can use it, just make sure to let your batter site for 15 minutes before spooning it into the baking pan.
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📖 Recipe
Almond Flour Chocolate Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup melted unsalted butter cooled
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups fine almond flour
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar or powdered sugar free sweetener
- 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees F.
- Line the bottoms of two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper rounds, then spray with nonstick baking spray; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, melted and cooled butter, and vanilla extract. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until well combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared baking pans and bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool completely in the pan (at least 30 minutes) before removing. Remove the parchment paper liner and frost as desired with Chocolate Frosting.
Notes
- Allow your ingredients to come to room temperature before mixing the batter.
- Mix the batter by hand not with an electric hand mixer, as you do not want to overmix.
- Spoon the almond flour into the measuring cup, and then level it, rather than scooping in to the container.
- Powdered sweetener will create a smoother batter for this almond flour cake.
- You can make the chocolate cake layers up to a few days ahead of time. Store them well-wrapped in the fridge until you're ready to frost them.
- Cake layers can also be frozen, well-wrapped, for up to three months. I suggest frosting this chocolate cake the day you serve it.
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