Lemon Almond Cake — A Light, Not Too Sweet Dessert
Springtime means one thing: all the lemony desserts with lots of fresh berries! This lemon almond cake is a great recipe if you’re a fan of light, not-too-sweet desserts that have a delicate almond flavor.
Our favorite way to serve it? With a bright, citrusy lemon curd or a generous dusting of powdered sugar.
Ingredients For Lemon Almond Cake
- Almond paste
- Granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter, room temperature
- Eggs, room temperature
- Fresh lemon juice
- Pure almond extract
- All-purpose or pastry flour
- Baking powder
- Lemon curd homemade or store bought
- Fresh berries optional, for serving
- Confectioner’s sugar optional, for serving
To make homemade lemon curd, check out this simple recipe from the queen herself, Ina, or pick up a jar from the store.
You’ll also need an 8″ round cake pan to bake the lemon almond cake in!
How To Make Lemon Almond Cake
- Cream the almond paste and butter. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray an 8″ round cake pan with baking spray. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with beater attachment, beat together 7 oz almond paste, ¾ cup sugar, and 8 Tbsp butter until well-mixed, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then add 1 Tbsp lemon juice and 1 tsp almond extract, scraping down sides as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients. Whisk together ¼ cup flour and ½ tsp baking powder, then slowly add to mixer until just combined.
- Bake the almond cake. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 40 minutes, or until just cooked through.
- Cool, then serve. Place the pan on a cooling rack and let sit for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto the cooling rack, then let cool another 5-10 minutes. Serve with any of the following: powdered sugar dusted on top, lemon curd, and/or fresh berries.
Tips For The Best Almond Cake
- Make sure the almond paste has not expired. Almond paste can go bad, and while it will smell fine, it ends up losing a lot of moisture and will lead to a crumbly textured cake batter that is lumpy instead of smooth.
- Allow the cake to cool at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving. If you top the piping hot cake with lemon curd, it’ll ooze all over the place. Same thing with powdered sugar — if you try to dust the cake with sugar fresh out of the oven, it’ll melt immediately instead of sticking to the cake.
- Use room temperature butter and eggs to help the ingredients incorporate evenly into the cake mixture.
- If you or someone in the family finds lemon curd to be too tart, omit it entirely — you’ll still get a delicious lemon flavor in the cake from the lemon juice! For a sweeter lemon topping, check out this easy lemon glaze!
This cake is a total delight. Not too dense, not too sweet, and easily adaptable in terms of toppings! A great option for any spring or summer gathering.
If you make this Lemon Almond Cake, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
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For more light desserts, check out the following recipes:
- Cannoli cream parfaits
- Rosemary shortbread cookies
- Toffee matzo crack
- Strawberry preserves
- Key lime cheesecake parfaits
Lemon Almond Cake with Fresh Berries
Equipment
- 8" round cake pan
Ingredients
- 7 oz almond paste
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 8 Tbsp butter room temperature
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp pure almond extract
- ¼ cup all-purpose or pastry flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- lemon curd homemade or store bought
- fresh berries optional, for serving
- confectioner's sugar optional, for serving
Instructions
- Cream the almond paste and butter. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray an 8" round cake pan with baking spray. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with beater attachment, beat together 7 oz almond paste, ¾ cup sugar, and 8 Tbsp butter until well-mixed, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then add 1 Tbsp lemon juice and 1 tsp almond extract, scraping down sides as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients. Whisk together ¼ cup flour and ½ tsp baking powder, then slowly add to mixer until just combined.
- Bake the almond cake. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 40 minutes, or until just cooked through.
- Cool, then serve. Place the pan on a cooling rack and let sit for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto the cooling rack, then let cool another 5-10 minutes. Serve with any of the following: powdered sugar dusted on top, lemon curd, and/or fresh berries.
Notes
- Find lemon curd too tart? Omit entirely and replace with powdered sugar or a drizzle of either melted chocolate or salted caramel.
Nutrition
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This recipe was originally posted in April 2018. It has since been updated with tips and tricks to improve the overall recipe and instructions.
when do you add the lemon curd?
Hi Alex! Thanks for the note — just made this more clear in the final step. The lemon curd doesn’t go into the cake, it’s merely for serving on top. You can dollop as much as you like. Some people find lemon curd too tart, so there’s an option for dusting with powdered sugar instead. Hope this helps! xo, Ari