This Italian almond cake is soft, light and fluffy, loaded with Italian flavors and topped with almond flakes. This is my family’s favorite cake recipe because it is simple, easy to make, and delicious!
Serve for breakfast with a cup of White Chocolate Latte, Chocolate Milk Tea or Iced White Chocolate Mocha.
Love Italian desserts, check also Orange Polenta Cake.
This recipe is inspired by one of Gennaro Contaldo Recipes, which I love so much.
Italian Almond Cake is the perfect dessert for people who don't have much of a sweet tooth but still love desserts! As a matter of fact, who doesn't love desserts? But suppose you find chocolate truffles, fruity cakes a little too overpowering and sweet. In that case, you'll love this almond cake.
Topped with almond flakes on the outside, once cut, this cake reveals a soft spongy bread with a nutty taste on the inside. So, if you're looking for a wholesome, earthy alternative to your sugary desserts, keep reading. We're sharing how you can make an Italian Almond Cake in less than an hour!
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What Is An Italian Almond Cake?
This Italian Almond Cake, also called "Torta Di Mandorle" is one such dessert which is made from the goodness of almond flour.
This recipe includes all the other regular cake ingredients to reveal a final cake that's enriched with the essence of almonds and is fluffy.
Ingredients such as cake flour, baking powder, eggs etc., are added to make this cake extra scrumptious.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- A delicious cake for breakfast or dessert.
- Perfect for serving on a special occasion.
- Easy cake made with basic ingredients and no fancy decorations.
- Kids and adults love it.
- Light and fluffy cake loaded with almond flavor (almond flour, almond extract and almond flakes).
Ingredients
- Almond flour: This will give it the nutty texture and flavour of almonds.
- Cake flour: It is a finer flour than all-purpose flour (plain flour) and can be found at any grocery store.
- Salt: To enhance the flavour of some of the other ingredients.
- Baking powder: One rising agent.
- Eggs: Second rising agent to make the cake extra spongy.
- Sugar: Whatever you have at home should be fine, but preferably a sugar that can easily be mixed into the batter (such as caster sugar).
- Almond extract: For that extra goodness.
- Butter: Preferably unsalted.
- Vegetable oil: For added moisture.
- Almond flakes: To garnish on top of the final cake.
“See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.”
Variations
This recipe will turn out delicious on its own. However, you may try the following variations:
- Brown Sugar: You can use brown sugar instead of white sugar. You can also add part white sugar and part brown sugar. Brown sugar doesn't just sweeten but brings an earthy flavour and colour to any dessert.
- Lemon Zest: Add lemon zest into the bowl with the dry ingredients if you want a slightly tangy flavor. It's an easy addition that can't possibly disappoint.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon goes so well with this almond cake. Add some ground cinnamon to the batter, or use it to garnish the top of your cake.
- Orange Zest: Suppose you've opted for adding cinnamon to your almond cake, in which case orange zest is a complementary ingredient to the cinnamon. It'll make your almond cake rich with flavour. However, the combination may be too overpowering for some.
- Hazelnut: You can add some hazelnut or other nuts to the batter.
- Chocolate Chips: If you're a chocolate lover, feel free to add some milk chocolate chips to the cake batter or sprinkle them on top.
How To Make Italian Almond Cake?
Before we begin to make this cake, ensure that you've gathered all ingredients on the counter so that they're all at room temperature. Then, preheat the oven to 180C/356F and line a 20cm cake pan with parchment paper.
Whilst your oven is preheating, you can begin mixing your batter:
One: Take a medium bowl. And in this bowl, add the cake flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt. Mix all the dry ingredients ( except the sugar) well (photo 1).
Two: Then, take out a second bowl. This second bowl should be big enough to encapsulate all the cake ingredients and still have enough room to whip and mix without anything falling out.
Three: In this second bowl, add the eggs and the sugar together. Beat this mixture for about 5 minutes until it is light and fluffy (photo 2).
Four: Add in the almond extract, oil and melted butter. Mix everything together until it is well combined (photo 3).
Five: Now, fold the dry ingredients (from the first bowl) into the wet ingredients of the second bowl until they are well combined (photo 4).
Six: Once combined, pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, and sprinkle the almond flakes on top of the batter. You can sprinkle them roughly on top or delicately place them in an even layer (photo 5 & 6).
Seven: Lastly, take the baking tray and place it in the preheated oven. Bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, and then let it cool on a wire rack before serving.
Ta-Duh! Your exquisite dessert is ready to impress in less than an hour!
Top Tips!
- Don't overmix the batter. Only mix until all the ingredients are well combined. The airier the batter is, the fluffier the cake will be.
- If you're using granulated sugar, you can grind it down to a finer version using a food processor. This will allow the sugar to mix into the batter easily without you having to over-mix it.
- You can toast the sliced almonds in the oven at 300F / 150C for 10-15 minutes.
- When folding the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, do so very gently. This is because you don't want to whisk so hard that you get rid of the air you just created by whisking the egg whites. The air created in the eggs is majorly what causes the cake to rise.
Serving Suggestions
This Italian Almond Cake is best served on its own, giving your palette plenty of time to take in its rich flavour. However, here are some suggestions to serve with your it:
- A warm cup of Caramel Latte, Chocolate Bubble Tea or Strawberry Milk Tea.
- Top this cake with whipped cream and fruit of your choice, and turn it into a Michelin-star dessert!
- Prepare a peanut butter and chocolate topping for the cake if you've got some extra time. Just melt some milk chocolate, peanut butter and water together in a saucepan and spread it over your Italian cake and don't forget to finish off the cake with your sliced almonds!
Recipe FAQs
If you can't get your hands on almond extract, then you can substitute it for some vanilla extract or skip it entirely. The almond extract is mentioned in the recipe for an added essence of almond. Nonetheless, the flour and sliced almonds will probably enrich the cake with the nutty flavour you're looking for. Thus, leaving it out shouldn't make that big of a difference.
Firstly, adding almond flour to this cake gives it a rich flavour. Secondly, it adds a very subtle sweetness to the cake that is not overpowering.
Lastly, adding almond flour to your cakes or any baked goods extends the shelf life of the good. Almond flour adds fat which helps retain moisture in the cake, making it last longer.
No! You can't. The cake can turn out coarser and heavier than your expectations.
Your cake is more likely to crack if there are some air bubbles in your batter. To prevent this, make sure to mix the wet ingredients well until there are no bubbles. Another thing that might help is to drop the cake pan a couple of times on the counter.
Easy Cake Recipes
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Recipe Card
Italian Almond Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- ¾ cips cake flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 4 eggs , room temperature
- 5 tablespoon butter , melted
- ⅓ cup almond flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/356F and line a 20 cm cake pan with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, mix cake flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt.1 ½ cups almond flour, ¾ cips cake flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
- In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy.1 cup sugar, 4 eggs
- Add almond extract, oil and melted butter to the egg mixture until incorporated.1 teaspoon almond extract, ¼ cup vegetable oil, 5 tablespoon butter
- Now, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients together until just combined.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and sprinkle the almond flakes on top of the cake evenly.⅓ cup almond flakes
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes; let the cake cool before serving.
Notes
- Don't overmix the batter. Only mix until all the ingredients are well combined. The airier the batter is, the fluffier the cake will be.
- If you're using granulated sugar, you can grind it down to a finer version using a food processor. This will allow the sugar to mix into the batter easily without you having to over-mix it.
- When folding the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, do so very gently. This is because you don't want to whisk so hard that you get rid of the air you just created by whisking the egg whites. The air created in the eggs is majorly what causes the cake to rise.
Francisco
I decided to try making this recipe, and I’m so happy with the way it turned out.