Almond Flour Apple Cake

Soft and moist cake in its simplest form…this apple cake made with almond flour is a beautiful blend of almonds and apples for a truly gourmet experience.

I have always had a soft spot for this cake, because it is so simple to make but you still get astonishing results for that little bit of effort.

As you can see by the picture, this cake does not have any fancy decoration. But believe me, it tastes better than gourmet.

When the cake is as good as this one, there is no need for any fancy swirls or frosting. Don’t get me wrong, this does not mean that the cakes with frostings aren’t great, too, but this one simply does not need any improvement. 

This moist, soft and delicious cake is perfectly and simply finished off with a dusting of powdered sugar and some slivered almonds on top. 

Mmm. Let’s get started!

What Are the Best Baking Apples?

We usually generalize apples and think they are all the same. They actually look kind of same, but they have a different flavor and baking finish. When baking with apples, we are looking for a specific type, for a specific purpose. 

Here are some of the best baking apples and features they bring:

• Jonagold: Tart with honeyed sweetness, Jonagold apples keep well in the oven. They are ideal for braised and bruleed apples and will work for a cake like this one too.

• Honey crisp: This apple is guaranteed to hold its shape during baking. They are ideal for elegant tarte tatin or even apple dumplings. 

• Braeburn: This amazingly crisp apple has a concentered taste and bakes up juicy but not mushy. I would choose this, too, for an almond apple cake because it will add some moisture. 

• Pink lady: With balanced sweet, tart, and tannic notes, this apple will keep its shape when used is something like apple tart, or poached apples.

Choosing the Best Almond Flour

It can be confusing sometimes to pick almond flour because sometimes there are different names on the package: almond flour, almond meal, blanched almond flour, un-blanched almond flour and so on.

Not all almond flours are suitable for baking, however. My advice is to take a look at the almond flour in a bag, and check these properties:

• Texture: Look for ultra-fine almond flour to avoid gritty baked goods.

• Color: Choose white or pale yellow almond flour. Do not choose a brown one. The brown almond flour is usually known as almond meal and is made from whole almonds, that contains the skin. The skin from the almonds give the flour the darker color, but it also makes the almond flour grittier. This type of flour will not absorb liquid in baking recipes, resulting in over moist and gritty baked goods. 

• Ingredients list: You should only see blanched ingredients on the list. Blanched ingredients mean that the skin has been removed before the grinding process. Also, this indicates that there are only almonds in the bag, without anything else added, like sugar or starches.

Storing Almond Flour Properly

Once you get your hands of good almond flour, here are few tips how to store it and extend its shelf-life.

Almond flour is not particularly sensitive to humidity, but it is sensitive to light and heat. These factors can ruin the oil and flavor of the almond flour. The best way to store almond flour is in a sealed airtight container, in a pantry, where is cold, dry, and dark. 

Making a Truly Fresh Apple Cake

This is a simple one-bowl cake, that uses the muffin method for assembly.

Begin by combining dry ingredients, then adding the liquid ones, followed by grated apples.

You can use chopped apples, but I prefer grated ones, as they give a bit of a smoother texture. Make sure you do not over-whisk the batter. You can also toss in some chopped almonds, if you want a crunchier texture. Or you can simply top the cake with toasted slivered almonds.

Once you have a batter, pour it into the spring form pan and bake in preheated oven. The baked cake should be cooled in a spring form before removing.

Dust the cake while still warm with a bit of powdered sugar. The sugar will melt and create a nice topping. You can also dust a cold cake with the sugar. 

How To Make an Almond Flour Apple Cake

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit. 

In a mixing bowl, combine almond flour, baking powder, and brown sugar.

Step 2

Add melted butter, eggs, and vanilla.

Stir until just combined.

Add grated apples and stir until you have a smooth mixture.

Step 3

Line a 9-inch spring form with baking paper and grease the sides with some butter. Pour in the prepared batter.

Bake the cake for 30 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Step 4

Cool the cake before removing from the tin. 

Dust the cake with powdered sugar.

Slice and serve.

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