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This Chocolate Almond Flour Cake is the perfect gluten-free cake for birthdays and celebrations. Sweetened with maple syrup, you can bake it as a small two-layer cake (pictured below) or as a single 8-inch cake. The rich chocolate flavor is perfect!
If you’re curious, I’ve also tested this recipe as Chocolate Almond Flour Cupcakes, and I have a plain Almond Flour Cake if you don’t want a chocolate version.
“Outstanding gluten-free cake! I made this yesterday, and everyone enjoyed it, even my gluten-eating husband! This will be added to our family recipe book. Thank you so much for a delightful treat!”
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love this Chocolate Almond Flour Cake
It’s dairy-free and gluten-free. If you’re serving guests with dietary needs, this is helpful. But you won’t sacrifice any flavor!
It’s specific. I weighed my ingredients with a food scale, so you can use the gram measurements by clicking the “metric” button in the recipe card.
It tastes like a delicious chocolate cake. Even though it’s naturally sweetened with maple syrup, this doesn’t taste like a healthy cake. Just a really good one.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Blanched Almond Flour. Made from skinless ground almonds, I think this works a little better than almond meal, just because it’s lighter in texture. That means a slightly fluffier cake! But if you read the comments below, readers have reported success using almond meal, too.
- Maple Syrup. This acts as both a natural sweetener and a liquid in this recipe, keeping the cake moist.
- Eggs. You need plenty of eggs for structure when you’re not baking with gluten or grains. This is not the time to use a flax egg, but you can check out my vegan gluten-free chocolate cake for another variation.
- Cacao Powder. I always keep raw cacao powder in my pantry, which is a little more bitter than regular cocoa powder. However, I think you can use them interchangeably and still get delicious results… so use what you have.
- Olive Oil. Since almond flour already has fat, you don’t need to add much oil (and you certainly won’t taste it). Readers have reported using coffee instead of the oil, so I want to try that, too!
- Baking Powder. Baking powder helps the cake rise higher than baking soda, without affecting the flavor.
How to Make Chocolate Almond Flour Cake (Step-By-Step)
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and lightly grease two 6-inch pans or one 8-inch pan. I also like to press parchment paper into the bottom of the pan to ensure easy removal.
- In a large bowl, combine 3/4 cup blanched almond flour, 1/2 cup cacao powder, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Use a whisk to stir well, breaking up any clumps of almond flour or cacao powder that you see.
- Add 4 large eggs, 3/4 cup maple syrup, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Whisk again until the mixture looks thick and runny, with no visible clumps.
- Pour the almond flour cake batter evenly between the two 6-inch pans, or entirely into one 8-inch pan. The pans will only be halfway full; this isn’t a huge cake.
- Bake at 350ºF for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the center feels relatively firm to the touch. The 8-inch pan may take up to 10 more minutes, so jiggle the pan to make sure the center is set.
- Let the cake cool for 20 to 30 minutes in the pan, then flip it onto a plate to finish cooling. Don’t frost it until it’s fully cool.
- Add your favorite frosting to the first layer. Then place the second layer on top and frost the top and sides. If you have extra frosting, you can pipe it around the edges, too.
- Slice and serve the cake at room temperature for the best flavor. Like regular cake, the frosting can melt if you leave it in a warm place or in direct sunlight, so air conditioning is best.
Frosting Recipes to Try
In case you’re wondering, I used one batch of vegan ganache in these photos. It frosted the entire 2-layer cake made with 6-inch pans. But you can also try:
- Healthy Chocolate Frosting Recipe (made with dates!)
- Sweet Potato Frosting (with or without cocoa)
- Dairy-Free “Cream Cheese” Frosting
- Healthy Cream Cheese Frosting (with cream cheese and Greek yogurt)
You can also simply bake this cake as a single layer with some sliced almonds on top. Serve with a little powdered sugar and fresh berries, or coconut whipped cream on the side.
Storage & Serving Tips
This cake will have the best flavor when you serve it at room temperature, but it’s quite moist, so for the longest shelf-life, keep it tightly covered in the fridge when you’re done. You can store it chilled for up to 5 days. It’s still delicious chilled, too!
Or, you can freeze the leftovers for up to 3 months. Make sure you let the cake come almost to room temperature before serving again.
Chocolate Almond Flour Cake Recipe FAQs
No, start with a recipe that calls for the flour you want to use. I have a coconut flour cake, healthy birthday cake (made with dates and almond butter), and my healthy flag cake is made with oat flour.
Yes, but honey has a stronger flavor than maple syrup, so you might want to use a little less. It’s also thicker and stickier to work with, so stirring might require more patience.
Yes, you can use any mild-flavored oil you like. I don’t recommend using butter or coconut oil for this cake, as they become solid when cold, and that could make your cake less tender.
More Almond Flour Recipes
If you try this almond flour chocolate cake recipe, please leave a comment and ⭐ star rating below to let me know what you think. Thanks for visiting!
Chocolate Almond Flour Cake (Gluten-Free!)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup blanched almond flour
- ½ cup cacao powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ cup maple syrup
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare two 6-inch pans or one 8-inch pan. Lightly grease the pan with oil, then press a square of parchment paper in the bottom to ensure easy removal later. The oil will help hold the parchment paper in place, so it won't wiggle around.
- In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, cacao powder, baking powder, salt, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla, and olive oil. Use a whisk to mix until smooth, breaking up any clumps.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s), then bake at 350ºF until the center puffs up and feels firm to the touch. This takes about 30 to 35 minutes for the 6-inch pans and 35 to 40 minutes for the 8-inch pan, but you can start checking the cake about 5 minutes earlier if your oven runs differently than mine.
- Let the cake cool completely before frosting. I used one batch of coconut milk ganache for the two-layer cake in my photos. This cake is very moist, so store it tightly covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. I like to bring it to room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving.
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Notes
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Hello,
If I’m doubling (2x) this recipe, what size pans should I use? Seems to me that if the single size (1×) recipe requires either 2 6″ pans or 1 8″ pan the double (2×) size recipe would require larger pans.
Thank you in advance for your response to my question.
Valerie
I love baking with almond flour, the taste and texture is so great. I used almond meal in this one because it’s what I had. Made a single 8” cake, frosted it with a lightly sweet bourbon cream cheese frosting, and topped with blackberries. It was a hit for Passover but honestly any time of year this cake is delicious. The olive oil kept it from being dry.
What is the technical reason for adding a small amount of olive oil?
I make similar cakes (orange or lime/coconut) without it.
Thanks in anticipation as most fourless choc cake recipes include butter… same issue.
Hi! I added the oil for an extra-soft texture, but I’ve made my other almond flour cake without oil and I think it still turns out great. Feel free to experiment with this one if you prefer to avoid the added oil.
Thanks for quick reply. So to be clear 🙂
I have already made no fat almond meal cakes v successfully.
When I tried to replicate same with a cocoa based chocolate version they have all sunk and are more brownie like.
Are you saying the counter intuitive addition of a little olive oil returns the cake to the lighter texture I look for?
Almond flour cakes are definitely prone to sinking in the center, but I think it’s easier to prevent that when you add cocoa powder. I would try this cake as written first so you can see how you like it. Compared to my almond flour brownies recipe, this one is much fluffier.
Outstanding gluten free cake! I made this yesterday and everyone enjoyed it, even my gluten eating husband! This will be added to our family recipe book. Thank you so much for a delightful treat! Continued blessings…
Hi Megan
I’m in the UK and we have ground almonds. Is this the same as almond flour and will it work in this cake?
Many thanks
Janice
Great taste, and texture!
I doubled the recipe, and it was amazingly appreciated by the team!
Can I add raw cacao powder in this recipe?
I usually swap cocoa powder and raw cacao powder in recipes, so I think that would work fine in this one. Hope you enjoy the almond flour cake!
This is excellent. I made it in one 8 inch pan, didn’t add the oil and didn’t frost it. Added a bit of coffee. Fantastic flavour and texture. Easy to make, too- a total winner. This will be a regular from now on, thank you.