This Italian almond cake is fluffy, nutty, and made with 7 ingredients! The perfect treat for breakfast or dessert with coffee or tea.
This Italian almond cake, or torta di mandorle is made with ground almonds and is one of those classic cakes all Italian grandmas make!
It's a fantastic option for breakfast, or as afternoon treat together with a cup of tea, coffee or Italian hot chocolate. As an added bonus, it's also dairy-free!
What I love most about this almond flour cake is its light, nutty flavor and how you can put it together using just 7 simple ingredients.
The best part? It’s super easy to make and takes only 10 minutes to prep!
You can serve it plain dusted with powdered sugar, or topped with slivered almonds.
For a more indulgent version, I highly recommend topping it with this orange mascarpone cream like I did, or serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
My family and friends absolutely LOVE this torta di mandorle, and along with classic amaretti and ricciarelli, it’s one of our favorite Italian almond desserts!
Ingredients
This Italian almond flour cake is made with basic ingredients you most probably have in your kitchen already.
Here are the 7 ingredients you'll need:
- Almonds: You can use store-bought almond flour or make your own homemade almond flour with blanched almonds.
- Orange: The recipe calls for both orange juice and zest, so I recommend using an organic orange.
- Eggs: You'll need four medium eggs at room temperature.
- Cake flour: You can either use ½ cup (65 g) of cake flour or the same amount of all purpose flour + 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.
- Sugar: I use caster sugar (finely ground granulated sugar), but you can also use regular sugar or raw cane sugar.
VARIATIONS
- Lemon: To make an Italian lemon almond cake version, simply swap orange juice and zest with lemon.
- Chocolate: You can add a handful of chocolate chips into the cake batter, or spread a chocolate ganache over the top of the cake.
- Almonds: For an extra boost of almond flavor, simply add a few drops of almond extract.
How to make Italian almond cake
This Italian almond cake recipe couldn't be easier to make!
You only need 10 minutes to put it together.
Check out the quick recipe overview below with step-by-step pictures.
Scroll down until the end of the post for the full printable recipe.
STEP 1. Whisk egg yolks, sugar and orange zest until light pale and creamy. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
STEP 2. Place a sieve over the bowl and add almond flour, cake flour (or flour + cornstarch), and baking powder, whisk briefly to combine all the ingredients.
STEP 3. Fold the egg whites into the cake batter in batches until they're fully incorporated.
STEP 4. Pour the batter into the cake pan, and bake for about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
Once your cake is baked, top with powdered sugar or mascarpone frosting, then serve.
Equipment
You don't need any fancy kitchen tools to whip up this simple Italian cake!
I recommend using a hand mixer for whipping up the egg whites and yolks, and a standard springform 8 or 9-inch cake pan.
Baking tips
- Measure your ingredients: For the best baking results, I always recommend using a baking scale to weigh your ingredients.
- How to substitute cake flour: If you don't have cake flour at hand, use the same amount of all purpose flour, plus 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, then sift before adding into the batter.
- Use eggs at room temperature: Egg whites whip better at room temperature because the proteins are more relaxed, which helps trap air more easily. This makes them fluffier and helps them form more stable peaks when beaten.
- Gently mix the batter: Fold the egg whites into the cake batter into batches, start at the bottom of the bowl, scoop up the batter, and fold it over the egg whites.
- Don’t over-bake: The cake is ready when a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, and the top is no longer sticky or wet.
Storage tips
- Serve: You can leave the almond flour cake at room temperature for up to 1 hour.
- Fridge: The cake will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Freezer: Cut the cake into slices, place them on a tray, and freeze for 30 minutes. Then, wrap the slices in cling film, transfer into ziplock bags and freeze for up to 1 month.
More Italian cakes to try
If you loved this almond cake, try other fan-favorite Italian desserts like apple cake, pear cake, limoncello cake, or the famous hangover cake!
Did you try this recipe?
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Recipe
Italian Almond Cake
Ingredients
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- 150 g sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- 60 g all-purpose flour or cake flour, approx ½ cup
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch, only if using all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder, approx 15 g
- 200 g almond flour , or almond meal
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/360°F and adjust a baking rack onto the middle shelf. Grease and line with parchment paper a 8-inch or 9-inch cake pan and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, place the egg whites. Using a hand mixer, whisk the whites on medium speed until they become foamy, then increase the speed to high. Continue whisking until the whites turn glossy and stiff peaks form, then set the bowl aside.
- In another large bowl whisk the egg yolks and sugar with an hand mixer until light, pale, and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Then gently whisk in the orange zest and juice.
- Place a sieve/ strainer over the bowl. Add flour and baking powder, and sift into the cake batter, followed by the almond flour. Whisk until just combined (do not overmix).
- Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the cake batter in 3 batches, start at the bottom of the bowl, scoop up the batter, and fold it over the egg whites, until completely incorporated.
- Bake in the oven for approximately 40 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of baking time, cover the top of the cake with foil to prevent it from browning too much. To check if the cake is ready, insert a toothpick in the center, if it comes out clean, the cake is ready.
- Remove the cake from the oven, allow to cool, then gently remove the cake from the pan.
- Once ready, dust the Italian almond cake with powdered sugar and serve at room temperature. It's lovely topped with orange mascarpone frosting, vanilla ice cream, freshly whipped cream, or Greek yogurt.
Notes
- Measure your ingredients: I always recommend using a baking scale to weigh your ingredients. US cups measurements are provided but please refer to grams measurements for best results.
- How to substitute cake flour: If you don't have cake flour at hand, use the same amount of all purpose flour, plus 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, then sift before adding into the batter.
- Use eggs at room temperature: Egg whites whip better at room temperature because the proteins are more relaxed, which helps trap air more easily. This makes them fluffier and helps them form more stable peaks when beaten.
- Gently mix the batter: Fold the egg whites into the cake batter into batches, start at the bottom of the bowl, scoop up the batter, and fold it over the egg whites.
- Don’t over-bake: The cake is ready when a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, and the top is no longer sticky or wet.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Lute says
Would this work divided into two, and cooked in two tins to make a layer cake?
If so, how long would you bake for, given they'd be half the height?
Andrea says
Hi Lute, I have not tried diving the batter in two and bake two cakes separately, I'd say it should work, but I would bake them for around 20 minutes.
Dalila says
I made this Italian almond cake for breakfast and it was delicious, I love Italian cakes they’re so fluffy and not overly sweet. The mascarpone frosting was a fantastic addition!