I love an easy and delicious, gluten free cake that can be whipped up in minutes with a few simple ingredients. This almond cake checks off all the marks. It’s super easy to make, delicious and quite versatile. It uses healthy ingredients and can be served during Passover for anyone who observes the holiday.

Best of all, you can choose multiple flavor combinations with just one great base recipe (see below). The lemon blueberry version is our favorite and a staple in our home. It has a light and moist crumb and is lightly sweetened with a burst of citrus flavor.

I don’t know about you, but when I get overwhelmed and stressed out, baking a simple cake and playing with different ingredients keeps me away from the hustle and burnout slippery slope! It reminds me that I am human and not a machine crossing off to-dos on my never ending list. I need to step away occasionally and balance my emotional and mental health with a creative outlet like baking or cooking.

Prep time: about 15 minutes (plus 1 hour to bring eggs to room temperature)

Cook time: about 30 minutes

Yield: 12 pieces

INGREDIENTS For the Lemon Blueberry Almond Cake

1 ½ cups almond flour, measured properly (see note)

4 eggs at room temperature, separated (see note)

⅓ cup organic cane sugar (use ½ cup cane sugar if you don’t use stevia)

2 drops stevia 

1 Tbsp lemon zest from one large organic lemon (may use 2 Tbsp if you don’t have lemon essential oil and like an intense lemon flavor)

2 drops lemon essential oil, approved for dietary consumption such as doTerra

Pinch of salt

½  cup frozen wild blueberries or ¾  cup fresh organic blueberries

¼ cup sliced almonds

Confectioners sugar for garnish (optional)

Notes:

1. Please remove the eggs an hour before starting the recipe to allow them to come to room temperature. If you forget, you can place your eggs in a lukewarm warm water bath for 15 min. Using eggs at room temperature will ensure that the ingredients bond easily when you mix your batter. This will allow for a light, fluffy and moist cake. DON’T SKIP THIS!

2. Make sure to SPOON the almond flour into a dry ingredients measuring cup and carefully level off the top with the flat edge of a knife. Don’t scoop the flour with the measuring cup or you will compress the almond meal into the cup and end up with significantly more flour!

DIRECTIONS

• Lightly grease a 9” cake pan or spring form and line with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper as well. This will assure that the cake can be easily removed from the pan.

• Preheat the oven to 350 °F.

• In a large mixing bowl, add the 4 egg whites and beat until stiff peaks form. This may take about 2 minutes. Set the bowl aside.

• Combine the 4 egg yolks and sugar in a second large mixing bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, mix the egg yolks and sugar until thick, creamy and light in color, about 3 minutes.

• Add the almond flour, lemon zest, lemon essential oil, salt, and stevia, if using, to the egg yolk and sugar mixture. With a spatula gently fold in the ingredients until incorporated.

• Gently fold in one quarter of the stiff egg whites using the spatula. Repeat until all egg whites are carefully incorporated. The batter should have a smooth consistency, but do not overmix!

• Gently pour the batter in the prepared cake pan and sprinkle the top with the blueberries. Then sprinkle with the sliced almonds.

• Bake at 350 °F for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (no raw batter attached).

• Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove from the pan and let it completely cool on a wire rack. Transfer carefully to a serving plate or cake stand and garnish with powdered sugar just before serving (optional).

• This cake can be kept at room temperature for 2 days, but it may not last this long. It’s so delicious that it disappears on the same day in our house. You can refrigerate this cake for up to 4 days. Allow it to come to room temperature before you enjoy it though.

Flavor combinations:

1. Orange chocolate almond cake: Use the zest of one organic orange instead of the lemon. Add one teaspoon of vanilla extract instead of the lemon essential oil. Use mini chocolate chips instead of the wild blueberries. This combination is milder in flavor than the lemon blueberry one.

2. Lemon raspberry cake: Use fresh or frozen raspberries instead of blueberries. So good!

3. Lemon strawberry cake: This lemon base recipe makes an excellent two-layer cake since it bakes up level. Double the recipe and omit the blueberries and sliced almond sprinkle. Divide batter and bake in two separate 9” cake pans. Layer with your favorite buttercream or whipped cream filling and sliced strawberries. This would make an amazing gluten free birthday cake!

Some healthy facts about the ingredients used:

Almond flour is a nutritious flour high in manganese, magnesium, vitamin E, and other antioxidants. It is rich in monounsaturated fat and has a low glycemic index. It helps reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, stroke, heart disease and cognitive illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease. 

Lemon zest contains calcium, vitamin C, vitamin A, beta carotene, potassium and magnesium. These vitamins and minerals are great for your immune system and bone health. Lemon zest, just like lemon juice, helps the body eliminate toxins and have great antioxidant properties.

Did you know that wild blueberries contain 33% more brain-healthy anthocyanins than regular blueberries? Their high antioxidant levels protect the body from free radicals which are linked to cell and DNA damage, cancer and premature aging. They are low in calories and high in vitamins such as Vitamin C, vitamin K and manganese. Blueberries are also known for their cardiovascular health benefits by regulating cholesterol levels and blood pressure and may lower your risk of a heart attack. If this was not enough, blueberries help with brain health and memory function. They are a nutritional powerhouse!

Choosing a variety of healthy ingredients in your diet is an important part of a healthy lifestyle (see disclaimer).