This almond cake is a delicate tea-time cake featuring a triple dose of almond flavor. Almond essence and crushed almonds in the batter, and topped with crunchy roasted almonds on top.
Almost everyone who bakes usually has a good plain/pound cake recipe - something that can be eaten on it's own or with tea. A light cake that the whole family can enjoy without feeling too full. This cake is a family favorite, and I make it all the time. I consider this an all-rounder cake; it's delicious served on it's own but it can also be served as a secondary dessert at parties as a contrast to a grand dessert. That's a reason why I prefer making it on parties (especially Eid) for people who would like to have something light for dessert and might not prefer fudgy chocolate cakes. It can easily be made ahead and kept for at least 3-4 days (provided there's enough left 🙂 ).
📖 Recipe
Almond Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cups flour (6 ounce) 6 ounce
- ¾ cup + 2 tbsp sugar (6 ounce) 6 ounce
- ¾ cup vegetable oil (5 ounce) 5 ounce
- 3 eggs
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- 4 tablespoons coarsely ground almonds I have a manual nuts mill which I use to coarsely grind the almonds - I like the crunchy texture in the mouth so I coarsely ground the almonds but can be processed more finely based on personal preference
- ¼ teaspoon almond essence can be increased to ½ teaspoon if a stronger almond flavor is preferred
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla essence
- ½ cup sliced almonds I prefer slicing them with the skin on, since it creates a better contrast with the white cake, but its easier to slice them if the almonds are blanched in hot water and skins removed
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 200 C. Line baking pan with parchment paper and grease well with oil/butter.
- Sift flour and baking powder together.
- Beat sugar and oil together till mixed - about 2 minutes.
- Add eggs one by one, beating well after each addition.
- Add ground almonds, almond essence and vanilla essence and mix well.
- Add flour and baking mixture and fold with a spatula or wooden spoon.
- Pour into baking tray.
- Sprinkle sliced almonds on top for garnish - they will get toasted in the oven and get crisp. If you prefer the almonds untoasted, then you can add them in the end after taking out the cake.
- Bake at 200 C for 25 - 30 minutes till skewer comes out with moist crumbs. If recipe is doubled for 13x9 inch pan, then it needs to be baked for about 35 - 40 minutes.
- Cool on a wire rack.
Notes
Recipe can be doubled for one 13x9 rectangular baking pan (this is how I usually make it because its a family favourite)
Nutrition
If you are looking for other dessert recipes, do try out the following:
- Banana Bread
- Caramel Chocolate Brownies
- Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Pavlova with Salted Caramel & Strawberries
Would love it if you could try out and rate the recipe, and let me know how it was in the comments below!
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Momina says
I tried this recipe today. Ufff paki bakery ka cake yad agaya. Too good.
Sidra Emmad says
Hi do i need to first remove the skin of the almonds before adding them to the batter? Did you grind them with skin on?
Hira Javed says
Lovely cake. Couldn't get my hands off it. I made the cake in short loaf pan but it was uncooked from the middle. I cooked at 390fand then increased to 400f. But didn't made a difference. Do you know what might have happened? Thanks
Mahnoor says
This was great!!! I just made it and had 2 slices with a cup of chai and is absolutely fantastic tbh! The things I did differently were that I baked it in a tart pan to get that pretty edge and even baking, sprinkled a bunch of shredded coconut on top that toasted itself in the oven and didn't have sliced almonds but roughly grinded them in a small grinder 😀 The almonds were amazing on top but I think next time I'll slice them to avoid any giant unsavory ones (up to oneself if they like that!) and bake it in a regular pan as the edges were a bit hard in the tart pan but that can easily be fixed with less time in the oven. An amazing recipe and an absolute game changer at parties or at tea time :* The 4 tbsp of ground almonds I used some i had leftover from macaroons but do you think I can coarsely grind those next time or have to blanch and then grind them?
kiran says
Thank you for trying it out. I am so happy you enjoyed it!
I am definitely trying the coconut variation. I absolutely love toasted coconut.
Regarding the ground almonds, it's upto you. I blanch and slice the almonds only on special occasions, otherwise I just coarsely ground in nuts grinder I have. I keep the bigger pieces for the top, and add the finely ground ones in the cake.
Mahnoor says
Could I change the 4 tbsp of almonds in the batter to 4 tbsps of coffee? Coffee and almonds would be great tbh 😀
kiran says
The combination would be delicious but is that 4 tablespoons brewed coffee or 4 tablespoons coffee granules. If brewed coffee, then it can work but if coffee granules then it would be too much, plus the granules would taste too bitter. Try it out, and let me know 🙂
Mahnoor says
Tried it with brewed coffee as you suggested and it just made a pound cake that, although delicious on its own, was quite plain. Next time I think I'll just put in 4 tbsp of instant coffee granules and make sure they dissolve nicely in the mixture 🙂
kiran says
Let me know how it turns out 🙂
Atiya Abbas says
Looks so easy and delicious will make next week and have with chaiii 😀
kiran says
Let me know how it was, and do tag me when you make it! 🙂