Coconut Almond Cake is the perfect combination of sweet and nutty flavors, with a delicate texture that is sure to please your sweet tooth cravings!
We love to serve this almond cake with a homemade drizzle of coconut or pumpkin caramel.
Ingredients
- Almond extract or almond paste - adds an extra nutty flavor and a delicious aroma. Use natural extract whenever possible without any fillers. Vanilla extract works too!
- Lemon zest - or orange zest or lime. Citrus zest elevates the flavor of the entire cake.
- Eggs - medium or large. Eggs act as a binder ingredient and are an emulsifier. We use plenty in this recipe to get that light and fluffy batter.
- Butter - we like to use unsalted butter as many brands add different amounts of salt according to their brand recipes.
- Baking powder - increases the volume and lightens up the texture of baked goods.
📋 You can find the full ingredient list in the Recipe Card below the article.
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What Is The Difference Between Almond Meal and Almond Flour?
Almond Flour vs Almond Meal
- Almond meal - Made with raw unpeeled whole almonds, this almond meal is coarse in texture, resulting in a grainy consistency with a brown/yellow color that alters the appearance of the almond cake.
- Almond Flour - Made from blanched almonds (skins removed), this almond meal is finely processed, resembling regular flour. It's light in color and commonly used in various baked goods.
Tips
- With a reliable metal nonstick cake pan, skip parchment paper. Ensure thorough greasing with oil or butter on the bottom and sides of the pan.
- Allow the cake to cool before cutting to ensure even slices and a spongy texture; cutting it while warm may result in uneven slices and a crumbly texture.
- Measure your ingredients correctly (scoop and level method) or use kitchen scale for more precise measurements.
- Oven temperatures vary, check the cake with a toothpick towards the last 20 min of baking.
- Make almond flour by pulsing blanched almonds in a food processor until finely textured for a fresher taste, though it won't be a powder-like consistency. Store in the fridge as almond flour has a limited shelf life.
- Mix-ins - chopped nuts, dried berries, or frozen berries (toss these in almond meal first before adding to the cake) will add freshness and flavor.
- If the almonds are becoming too brown during baking, it may be the oven, a higher temperature than needed, or particular almonds used. If this happens, loosely cover the cake with a piece of aluminum foil, but don’t reduce the heat and check the cake for doneness earlier.
- If you have almond flour leftovers, make my Thumbprint cookies or crunchy Buffalo Cauliflower.
Serving Suggestions
- Caramel sauce
- Maple cream cheese frosting
- Chocolate whipped cream
- Ganache would work here too. Let the cake cool first before adding any frosting or ganache. Top with sliced almonds.
- Blueberry compote, and berry coulis.
Freezing, Storing and Reheating Instructions
- To store. This cake should last moist for 2-3 days. Store it at room temperature in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in plastic cling wrap.
- To freeze. Let the cake cool to room temperature and wrap it with plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw it at room temperature, you don't need to reheat it but you certainly can do it in the oven at lower temperatures about 250-350 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Recipe Card
Coconut Almond Cake (Gluten Free)
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INGREDIENTS
- ¾ cup butter unsalted, melted and cooled slightly
- 4 eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups fine almond flour
- ⅔ cup desiccated coconut
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon flaked almonds
- 1 cup caster sugar, not icing sugar
- Icing sugar for decoration, optional
- 1 teaspoon pure natural almond extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8 inch round cake pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract and lemon zest. Whisk until just combined. Set aside.
- In a separate medium bowl, combine and whisk together almond flour, coconut, salt and caster sugar. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients bowl. Beat on low with a hand mixer or standmixer. The batter should be be more on the wet side, not very thick but pourable.
- Pour the batter in the prepared cake pan. Sprinkle generously with almond flakes on top and bake for 50 minutes or until a totohpick insertd into the center comes out clean or with a few bread crumbs.
- As this cake is quite moist, it is normal to have breadcrumbs on toothpick when testing. However the batter should not be wet inside, if it is, bake for a little eonger. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Serve cooled and with icing sugar.
NOTES
- Depending on serving slice, this cake can be served for up to 10-12 people.
- Why is almond flour so gritty? Almond flour is made with whole almonds that are grinded into a flour consistency. It looks almost like regular flour but has a slightly yellow hue to it and has some grittiness to it. Even when produced with professional equipment, it will still not have a smooth fine powder consistency like for example wheat flour. And it is normal because grittiness is what makes baking with almond flour so special and desserts moist.
- Why did my almond flour cake sink in the middle? There can be several reasons for this. The most common mistakes beginner make is overmixing the batter, wrong measurements of the ingredients, underbaking, or improper oven temperatures.
- The cake batter is easy to handle even for a total beginner. However, if you are not an experienced baker, allow some extra time for prepping.
- Let the cake cool before cutting. If you cut it while it's still warm the slices will not be even and the cake will be rather crumbly than spongy.
- Mix-ins - chopped nuts, dried berries, or frozen berries (toss these in almond meal first before adding to the cake) will add freshness and flavor.
- The cake freezes beautifully, for up to 2-3 months. Slice it and wrap individual portions with plastic cling wrap or an airtight container, or ziplock bags and freeze. Let thaw in the fridge.
ADD YOUR OWN PRIVATE NOTES
NUTRITION
Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on the products used.
Full Nutrition Disclaimer can be found here.
Step By Step Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 8-inch round cake pan or line it with parchment paper and set aside.
- Mix wet ingredients. In a large bowl, mix melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, and lemon zest until combined. Set aside.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, coconut, salt, and caster sugar.
- Combine all. Add the dry ingredients to the wet.
- Beat on low with a handheld electric mixer or in a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. The batter should be more on the wet side, not very thick but pourable.
- Tip: I prefer a handheld mixer for this so there's less probability that I will overmix the batter which is crucial here. If you overmix the cake it will be flat and less moist.
- Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Sprinkle generously with almond flakes and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few bread crumbs. As this cake is quite moist, it is normal to have a few breadcrumbs on toothpicks when testing.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack.
FAQs
Yes, you certainly can add dark chocolate ganache once the cake is cooled completely. In this case, bake the cake without the almonds on top and add them later on top of the ganache.
Adds moisture and makes perfect spongy textures in cakes and muffins. The baked goods are generally denser than those made with regular flour or gluten-free blends.
Almond flour is created by grinding whole almonds, resulting in a flour-like consistency with a slightly yellow hue and a hint of grittiness. Unlike wheat flour, even professional equipment won't yield a perfectly smooth powder. This unique grittiness enhances baking, keeping desserts moist and distinctive.
There can be several reasons for this. The most common mistakes beginner make is overmixing the batter, wrong measurements of the ingredients, underbaking, or improper oven temperatures.
Almond flour is high in fiber and it is a natural occurrence that it will absorb more liquid. The right combination of almond flour, eggs, and butter is what creates the perfect moist and fluffy cake.
Almond flour is not like any other regular flour because it is made out of nuts. There is no gluten in it and even when using leaveners like baking powder, or baking soda it will still not rise too much. It just produces completely different baking results.
No. Eggs are necessary to help the cake rise as it has no gluten or leaving agents in it. Almond flour has a different structure and is actually heavier and denser than regular flour.
Generally, no, which is why I suggest making a recipe that already calls for almond flour.
Almond Flour recipes
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This recipe was inspired by Bake Play Smile.
JB
Fantastic!!
Julia
Thank you JB!
Kimberly
This was so light and delicate and I absolutely loved the addition of the coconut! Delicious!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
so good right! thank you!
Erik
Wonderful flavor and very tasty. This is going to be perfect for a family event coming up!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you so much! enjoy!
Paula
Serving this for Easter brunch. I've found it has just the right amount of sweetness, everyone loves it!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Happy Easter! enjoy!
Chenee
The coconut and almond make such a nice combination! I really loved this cake and will definitely be making it again.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you so much, glad you liked it!
Beth
This is one of the best cakes I've ever made. I love how moist and tender it is, and the almond flavor is wonderful.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you!
Jill
How do I keep the bottom from burning? I used parchment paper and I used plant butter instead of butter.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Jill, almond flour bakes fast and will get browned but mine was not burnt. I have not tried the plant based butter for the recipe.
Jill
If I lower the temperature to 325 and bake for longer do you think that will keep it from burning? This cake is so so yummy!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
yes you could try it. I also wanted to add that this cake is pretty moist, if it is not, you probably have overbaked it and that's why it may be browning too much?
Christine Kenealy
Can you use an egg substitute or egg whites only?
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Christine, you could try but I haven't made it with those swaps yet.
Angela Jones
Do we have to read a whole book before we finally get to the recipe? Ridiculous!!!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Hello Angela,
for those who not interested in tips and mastering the recipe, there is a special button above the post and it literally says: SKIP TO RECIPE, if you click that you land right on the recipe. This button is not new and is on most of the recipe blogs.
Pam Halpert
I didn’t make this cake yet. I just came to say: Angela, do you not know how blogs work?
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you!
Kari
Can you use a substitute sugar such as Splenda or Stevia for the caster sugar? Thanks.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Hi Kari, I don't know because never made it with these. The thing I'm worried about would be the texture if not using regular sugar.
Elaine
This is a nice recipe. I followed directions and added some frozen blueberries. It was moist and made a nice dessert. I recommend this to friends that cannot eat flour baked cake.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
delicious Elaine, will try this next time with blueberries too! Thank you!
Elizabeth Kerr
Can I skip the coconut?
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Update: Did you try without coconut yet? I tested without and the cake is not the same, you still need coconut for texture.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
For an extra sweet treat, enjoy this cake with berry coulis or chocolate ganache