My love for lemon desserts goes wayyyy back. When I was a kid, I used to ask for a lemon chiffon cake for my birthday every year. What kid even knows what a lemon chiffon cake is? This year for my birthday, I made this lemon almond cake. It’s very reminiscent of a dessert that used to be served at The Ivy, a popular restaurant in Los Angeles. I also opted for this cake because it’s dairy and gluten free. Even though our “healthy” September is over, I wanted to ease back in to the reintroductions.
This cake is nice and light and just sweet enough to make you believe it might be good for you. I actually ate half the cake by myself on my birthday because I’m a champ like that.
Lemon Almond Cake
This light lemon almond cake is gluten and dairy free and the perfect way to finish a heavy meal.
Servings: 8
Equipment
- 8-inch round pan
Ingredients
- 4 eggs whites and yolks separated
- 2 Tbsp lemon zest
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar divided
- 1½ cup almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- Pinch of salt
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the sides and bottom of a 8 or 9-inch round baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat together the egg yolks, lemon zest, and 1/4 cup sugar until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond flour, ground cardamom, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the egg yolk mixture and beat until well combined.
- With an electric hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until they start to foam.
- Add the vinegar, and gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and continue to beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
- Stir about half of the beaten egg whites into the almond mixture until well combined. Then, gently fold the remaining whipped egg whites into the batter, a large scoopful at a time.
- Gently spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert the pan to release the cake.
- Move cake to a serving plate and dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
Be careful when separating your eggs. Any bits of yolk with the whites with keep them from whipping up properly.
Recipe inspired by Simply Recipes.
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