How To Make The Very Best Almond Cake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to a perfect cake? ›

Mayonnaise: The Hidden Gem in Cake Recipes

Made up of eggs and oil, mayonnaise acts as an emulsifier, adding creaminess and moisture to your cake. This unexpected addition can take your cake recipes to a whole new level. To incorporate mayonnaise into your cake batter, simply add a couple of tablespoons to the mix.

Since the dough will thicken over time because of the high concentration of almond flour, it's best to add extra liquid when baking to ensure the dough is kept moist and retains a spreadable consistency. To keep it dairy-free, try using Almond Breeze Almondmilk.

Overmixing is exactly what it sounds like: the process by which a dough or batter gets mixed too much, typically yielding dense, tough, or deflated baked goods. Overmixed doughs and batters may have an unappealing look or feel, which remain just as unappealing when they're baked.

Enrich with fat.

Or you can change out the neutral oil for fragrant olive oil, especially when pairing with citrus (as in olive oil–lemon cake). Mix in room-temperature cream cheese, ricotta, sour cream, whole-fat yogurt, or peanut butter in addition to the fat called for on the box to yield even richer cakes.

Try switching out any water in your recipe for full-fat milk or buttermilk for a moist, decadent texture. Another ingredient that can enhance the moisture of your cake is mayonnaise. Adding a dollop of mayonnaise to your batter can help make your freshly baked cake softer with an added boost of moisture.

Flour is perhaps the most important ingredient in a cake mix, as it creates the basic structure of the entire cake. A major component of flour is gluten, which is a protein that provides a way for the cake to bind to itself.

Leavening Agents

Breads, cakes, cookies, and nearly all baked goods require a leavening agent. These are the key ingredients that make a cake rise. There are two types of leavening agents, chemical (baking soda and baking powder) and biological (yeast).

As mentioned above, almond flour is made from blanched, peeled almonds that have had their skins removed. It's fairly fine in texture and light in colour, lacking the darker specks from the skins. Ground almonds, on the other hand, are the same thing as almond meal – they're just ground, skin-on, unpeeled almonds.

Do you need more eggs when using almond flour? ›

I usually start with one more egg, and then add another closer to the end if the batter seems too heavy and thick. One important thing to note when adapting wheat flour recipes is that your almond flour batter will almost always be thicker.

Additionally, almond flour is naturally gluten-free which usually acts as a binder in other flours. Try adding extra eggs (or simply egg whites) to combat this. Many recipes call for more eggs if you are using a 1:1 flour ratio.

There's a big chance your butter and sugar will over-cream, meaning the butter will trap more air than it should. As the batter bakes, that extra air will deflate and leave you with an overly dense cake. It's all science! For best results, cream butter and sugar together for about 1-2 minutes.

Add a leavening agent to the flour. Most cakes will call for a leavening agent like baking powder or baking soda. These create the bubbles you need for the cake to rise. If the flour you use is self-raising, it already has a leavening agent in it.

Similarly to using expired leaveners, letting your batter sit for too long before cooking will result in a heavy and dense cake. Fortunately, the solution is simple — be sure to preheat your oven as you mix up your batter, and pop the cake in to cook as soon as possible.