A delicious, simple almond cake and the perfect recipe for special occasions (or just afternoon tea!).
One of my recent baking creations was this vanilla almond cake with lemon drizzle and let me tell you, it was one of the lightest, loveliest cakes I’ve made in a while.
The fluffy texture and moist cake makes this a really delicious recipe.
I'd almost liken the cupcake-sized ones I made to lemon friands.
Ingredients
To make this delicious fluffy cake, you will need:
ALMOND VANILLA CAKE
- Unsalted butter - softened
- Caster sugar - also called superfine sugar
- Eggs - at room temperature
- Self-raising flour - or make your own using regular flour or all purpose flour or cake flour with baking powder
- Greek-style yoghurt
- Almond meal - also called almond flour or ground almonds
- Raspberries - fresh to serve. Or other fresh berries or fresh fruit.
HONEY LEMON SYRUP
- Honey
- Caster sugar - also called superfine sugar.
- Lemon juice - fresh or from a bottle
- Cinnamon stick
- Filtered water
LEMON DRIZZLE
- Icing sugar - also known as powdered sugar or confectioner's sugar. Here's how to make your own icing sugar.
- Lemon juice - fresh or from a bottle. If using fresh, you can use the lemon zest to decorate the top of the cake too.
Variations
Can you use almond extract
You can use almond extract to add extra rich almond flavor but not in place of the almond meal which is the key ingredient to a moist almond cake.
Can you use maple syrup instead of honey in the syrup
You can use maple syrup in place of the honey but it will change the flavour and be not quite as sweet.
I think it would be equally as delicious though.
Can you use different type of sugar
Yes you could use raw sugar or white sugar (granulated sugar) instead of caster sugar in the syrup.
What flavours go well with almond cake
Don't feel limited to lemon. This cake also works well with other citrus fruits like lime and orange or even passionfruit (strain out the seeds).
Substitute the lemon juice with the same amount of your favourite citrus.
The first time I made this cake, a friend was meant to be coming to afternoon tea but had to cancel at the last minute due to sick kiddies.
I set up the cake for it’s photo shoot then decided to reward myself with a slice for afternoon tea.
It was then that I uncovered a big problem.
This cake was irresistible and I had an entire cake and seven smaller versions with no one to give them to.
Luckily my husband liked this moist, citrussy cake and after sending some off to my Grandma and giving a few slices to the gardener laying our front lawn the next day, I was down to a reasonable amount that did me for afternoon tea for the next couple of days.
It’s meant to be made in a bundt tin but I used a ring tin instead and had quite a bit of batter left over hence the cupcakes.
FAQs
Almond cake will dry out if it is baked too long. The best way to avoid this is to test is 5-10 minutes before it is ready.
To do this, insert a skewer or cake tester in the middle of the cake.
If it comes out clean, it's ready to come out of the oven.
Well the beauty of baking in a ring tin is that your cake can't sink in the middle but if you're using a round tin or springform pans, here's why it might sink:
- The batter was overmixed. It's important to only mix until the dry ingredients are incorporated into the cake batter.
- The oven door was opened too soon. Don't be tempted to peek on your cake in the early stages of baking. The sudden temperature drop will make it sink.
- Baking powder or self-raising flour was expired.
I always opt for using plain flour and adding baking powder to make self-raising flour rather than buying self-raising because you can easily check if the baking powder is still ok to use.
We just used a spoon to drizzle the lemon icing over the almond cake.
You could use a piping bag if you wanted to be very precise.
I’ll let you in on a little secret.
The flowers in the middle aren’t just for decoration.
I may have destroyed the middle a bit when I was taking the cake out of the tin.
On the other hand, placing a little cup or vase in the middle of a holey cake is one of my favourite decoration tricks.
You can fill it with all sorts of things to suit the occasion – from lollies to flowers and candy-canes to fortune cookies. Enjoy!
What about you?
What is your best trick for covering up a bit of cake-tin-removal failure?
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Recipe
Recipe
Vanilla almond cake with lemon drizzle
Ingredients
Cake
- 250 g butter, softened (2 sticks)
- 1 cup caster sugar superfine sugar
- 3 free-range eggs
- 1 ½ cups self-raising flour
- 1 cup Greek-style yoghurt
- 150 g almond meal ground almonds
- fresh raspberries to serve
Honey lemon syrup
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup caster sugar superfine sugar
- Juice of one lemon
- 1 stick cinnamon
- ¾ cup water
Lemon drizzle
- 1 cup icing sugar confectioner's sugar
- 1-2 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
Cake
- Pre-heat the oven to 150C fan-forced and grease a 24cm bundt (I used a ring tin) with butter.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time and beau until mixed in.
- Add half the flour and beat it in then add half the yoghurt and mix it in too.
- Repeat with the remaining flour and yoghurt.
- Stir through the almond meal.
- Spoon the batter into the tin and smooth out the top then bake for 50-60 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- minutes before the cake is ready, make the syrup.
- In a medium saucepan, place all the syrup ingredients and heat, stirring, over low heat, until the sugar has dissolved.
- Increase the heat to a simmer and leave for five minutes then remove the cinnamon stick and set the syrup aside until the cake is ready.
- When the cake is baked, leave it in the tin and pour the syrup over the hot cake.
- Allow the cake to cool in the tin and then turn out onto a plate to serve.
- To make the icing, combine the icing sugar and lemon juice until thin enough to drizzle then drizzle over the cake and top with fresh raspberries.
- When the icing had dried, I sprinkled mine with a little extra icing sugar.
Nutrition
Veronica says
Hi!! Just wondering if my version of the recipe is missing vanilla. Does it include vanilla? Thanks,
Veronica
Jessica says
Hi- Just found your site and I would love to make this cake. My only concern is the syrup....it seems like alot of liquid to pour over the cake! Can you just confirm the syrup ingredients and amounts. Is it really 1/2 cup honey, 1/2 cup sugar, lemon juice AND 3/4 water? Thanks for your response!!!
Claire says
Hi Jessica. Yep that's right but you can just add as much as you'd like. I'd make it all and start pouring then see what you think. Thanks for your lovely words about my blog! Happy baking.
Jessica says
Thank you! When you made the cake how much of the syrup did you use?
Claire says
From memory I used the lot Jessica.
Mary says
What a beautiful cake! lovely flavors - so happy to sign up to follow - you have a gorgeous blog!
Mary x
Claire says
Thanks Mary!
Alison says
Love the pics... so pretty! And anything with lemon in it is a hit with me! ;)
Claire says
Thanks Alison!
My Kitchen Stories says
Delicious looking cake Claire , one of my favourite kinds vanilla and citrus. perfect idea for hifeding mistakes ( which no one would have known about but thanks for the tip)
Claire says
Hehe maybe I should have kept quiet.
Hotly Spiced says
It's such a pretty cake, Claire and I would never have known there was anything wrong with it if you hadn't told us! However...with those flowers...it definitely reminds me of that very funny scene in 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' when the well to do future in-laws turn up for dinner with a Bundt cake that the Greeks aren't at all impressed with because it has 'a hole in it'. To 'fix it' they stick a vase of flowers in the hole! Hysterical. I'm glad you had a lovely mini-break. It sounded very relaxing xx
Claire says
Ahh now I know what everyone is talking about! haha it is a good idea I think :-) Thanks x
Miss Sydney says
Whenever any talks about a bundt cake I think of 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' too! Looks delicious. The worst cake tin disaster I ever had ended up being turned into a trifle… A beautiful crystal bowl makes everything look better!
Claire says
Trifles save everything!
The Life of Clare says
Looks delicious! I really need to do some baking. All I've made this week was packet brownies! They were artisan, and delicious but still from the packet.
Claire says
There's nothing wrong with that Clare!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
Whipped cream covers a myriad of baking sins.
I love your cake. I think I must make it soon. :)
Claire says
Ooh yes I do love whipped cream!
JJ @ 84thand3rd says
Sounds like a great cake - loving the icing drizzle! Cute idea to put festive decorations into the centre - I must admit that it makes me think of the scene in 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' ;D
Claire says
I don't remember the scene!