I'm very excited about this cake - it's simple, one bowl, no fuss, low in sugar and best of all - tastes amazing! This Gluten Free Almond Honey and Date Syrup Cake will make you so excited about enjoying a slice of cake in the morning. Wholesome ingredients and full of flavor.
One of my favorite coffee shops in town has this delicious almond cake - it's legit SO GOOD! So I was craving something similar but in my pursuit of happiness I decided to go a lighter and maybe less sugary route. I don't know, I'm 44 and everything just hits differently now - you know?
So this almond cake is made with almond flour and sweetened with a combination of honey and date syrup. I opted not for an ENTIRELY sugar-free cake as the top is a sweet and crunchy almond layer of goodness that I couldn't resist. I think this is the perfect Sunday morning brunch cake and an easy recipe for any gluten free friends.
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Almond Flour vs Almond Meal
Almond meal is typically made from raw (unpeeled) almonds, almond flour is made from blanched (peeled) almonds. Compared to almond meal, almond flour has a finer texture and lighter color. In general, you can substitute almond meal (ground almonds) for almond flour, provided that the almond meal is very finely ground. In that case, the substitution shouldn't in any way affect the texture of the final bake. You can read more about it in this article from The Kitchn.
Ingredients
Truly simple ingredients make this cake even more exciting to make!
- Slivered Almonds - Topping the cake with slivered almonds to create a beautiful crust.
- Raw or Turbinado Sugar - This extra layer of raw or turbinado sugar really makes the most beautiful crust with the addition of the slivered almonds.
- Butter - Simply for greasing your pan
- Eggs - The eggs are what give the cake it's structure.
- Honey - We're sweetening this cake with natural sugar, our first is honey, you can also use maple syrup in its place if you'd prefer.
- Date Syrup - Date syrup is very common in Arab desserts and it really gives this cake a nice rich flavor. You can find it online or any Middle Eastern grocery store.
- Vanilla - I love a dash of vanilla in all my baked goods!
- Amaretto - When baking with a larger quantity of eggs I like to add a bit of liquor - in this case, amaretto makes the most sense which pairs well with the almonds.
- Almond Flour - Ground almond flour or almond meal are the base to our dessert.
- Baking Powder - Our leavening agent
- Orange and lemon zest
- Salt
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Simple ingredients and one bowl to make this delicious cake!
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. I do like to take the extra step and toast the almonds. This really helps to give them a little crunch as they won't really toast in the oven. A quick 10 minutes will do. Allow to cool.
While the almonds toast, prepare your 8" cake pan. Brush butter on the bottom and all the sides. I like to add a round sheet of parchment on the bottom for extra measure, especially with the caramelization.
Once your almonds are toasted and cooled, begin layering your raw sugar and almonds. A sprinkle of sugar, then almonds then sugar again.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk your eggs, honey, date syrup, vanilla and amaretto until just combined.
Add your almond flour, salt, baking powder and zests and fold into your egg mixture until just combined and no clumps of flour remain.
Pour your mixed batter on top of your almonds and sugar.
Bake for 25-35 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean in the center.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes - then invert onto a cooling rack and enjoy!
Don't leave cake longer than 10 minutes in the cake pan - leaving it in longer won't allow the sugar and almonds to crisp up and create that caramelization.
Adjustments
No Added Sugar - If you are looking for a truly naturally sweetened cake you can certainly omit the caramelized almonds with raw sugar. I would simply make the batter, add toasted almonds to the top then bake. You can drizzle with extra honey once it comes out of the oven.
Zests - I like a combination of the orange and lemon zests but using one or the other is also great. Orange is very nice in this cake.
Alcohol Free - Of course the amaretto does bake out of the cake but if you need an alcohol free version, simply add additional vanilla.
Equipment
8" cake pan: A simple 8" cake pan is always great to have on hand.
8" parchment round sheets: Parchment is a lifesaver and make cleanup so much easier! You can also simply cut a round out of standard parchment paper.
Storage
This cake is great in a sealed container for 3-4 days. If you want to store longer, you can pop into the fridge for a week, give it a little warm before enjoying.
You can also freeze the cake or slices of cake wrapped tightly for up to 3 months.
Print
Gluten Free Almond Honey and Date Syrup Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8" cake 1x
- Category: Baking
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
A simple almond cake, naturally gluten free and perfect for breakfast or a snack.
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw slivered almonds, toasted 100g
- ¼ cup raw/turbinado sugar, 60g
- Butter for greasing pan
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ cup honey, 84g
- ¼ cup date syrup, 84 g
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons amaretto liquor
- 1 ½ cups almond flour, 168g
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- zest of 1 orange
- zeste of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees . Place your slivered almonds on a small sheet pan and bake for 5 minutes, after 5 minutes give them a bit of a toss and toast for another 5 minutes until just slightly brown. Remove and allow to cool.
- 1 cup raw slivered almonds, toasted 100g
- Prepare your 8" pan by buttering the bottom and sides - I like to add a piece of round parchment paper on the bottom. This helps with the caramelization of the almonds as well as making cleanup much easier.
- Once your pan is prepared, sprinkle some of your raw sugar, then some almonds. Alternate for about 3 layers. Set aside and mix your batter.
- ¼ cup raw/turbinado sugar, 60g
- In a medium bowl whisk together your eggs, honey, date syrup, vanilla extract and amaretto.
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ cup honey, 84g
- ¼ cup date syrup, 84 g
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons amaretto liquor
- Once whisked, add your dry ingredients and fold with a spatula until just combined and there are no clumps of flour remaining.
- 1 ½ cups almond flour, 168g
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- zest of 1 orange
- zeste of 1 lemon
- Pour batter on top of your prepared almond mixture and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 25-35 minutes until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for ONLY 10 minutes to ensure the almond/sugar crust layer stays crunchy. After 10 minutes, invert onto cooling rack and enjoy when cool.
Notes
- If you want to omit the raw sugar, simply pour the cake batter in a prepared pan then top with toasted almonds and bake. Once baked you can drizzle a bit of honey on top if desired.
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