This Gluten Free Cherry Almond Cake is a tender and moist cake made from scratch with almond flour, butter, and almond extract, studded with juicy cherries and finished with a golden brown sugar and sliced almond topping that bakes into a lightly crisp, caramelized crust. It is the kind of gluten free cake recipe that feels elegant enough to serve for dessert but simple enough to slice and enjoy with a cup of coffee at brunch.
Made in a nine inch springform pan, it comes together easily and is just as beautiful as it is delicious.
The combination of almond flour and gluten free flour gives this cherry almond cake a texture that is rich and moist without being dense, and the almond extract adds a warm, nutty flavor that pairs perfectly with the cherries.
I like to use frozen cherries so I can make this cake any time of year, but fresh cherries work beautifully too when they are in season.
Make it the day before you plan to serve it and let it rest overnight for the best flavor and texture. Whether you are serving it as a gluten free brunch recipe or a dinner party dessert, this is one of those cakes that always gets asked about.
If you are looking for more brunch cake recipes try my Gluten Free Strawberry Upside Down Cake, my Gluten Free Lemon Olive Oil Cake, my Gluten Free Blueberry Coffee Cake or my Gluten Free Apple Almond Cake.
You can find all of my cake recipes here: Gluten Free Cake Recipes
Jump to:
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with coconut oil or butter. Set aside.
In your stand mixer blend together the butter, almond flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, almond extract and vanilla extract until smooth.
In a separate bowl whisk together the gluten free flour, baking powder and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to your batter and mix until they are combined.
Fold in the cherries with a spatula distributing them through the batter.
Pour the batter into your greased springform pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Carefully remove the cake from your oven and sprinkle the sliced almonds and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar on top. Bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.
Let the cake and pan cool before removing the pans ring. Serve by itself or with vanilla ice cream.
Supplies
More Recipes You Might Enjoy
I get a lot of my ingredients from Thrive Market. Thrive Market has been a game changer for me eating gluten free. They have so many options I can't get at my rural grocery stores! Use this link to get 40% off your first order!
Print
Gluten Free Cherry Almond Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
A tender and moist gluten free cherry almond cake made from scratch with almond flour, butter, and almond extract, studded with juicy cherries and topped with sliced almonds and brown sugar that bakes into a golden, lightly crisp crust. Perfect for dessert or served with coffee at brunch.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Unsalted Butter, melted
- 1 cup Almond Flour
- ⅓ cup Granulated Sugar
- ⅓ cup Brown Sugar
- 3 large Eggs
- 1 tsp. Almond Extract
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 1 ½ cups Gluten Free Flour
- 2 tsp. Baking Powder
- ¼ tsp. Sea Salt
- 1 - 12 ounce bag Frozen Cherries
- ⅓ cup Sliced Almonds
- 2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with coconut oil or butter. Set aside.
In your stand mixer blend together the butter, almond flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, almond extract and vanilla extract until smooth.
In a separate bowl whisk together the gluten free flour, baking powder and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to your batter and mix until they are combined.
Fold in the cherries with a spatula distributing them through the batter.
Pour the batter into your greased springform pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Carefully remove the cake from your oven and sprinkle the sliced almonds and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar on top. Bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.
Let the cake and pan cool before removing the pans ring. Serve by itself or with vanilla ice cream.
If you made this recipe please leave a star rating and comment below. It helps other readers find this recipe and means so much to me.
Notes
I used frozen cherries in this recipe because they are available year round. This cake would also be perfect with fresh cherries while they're in season.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
If you make this Gluten Free Cherry Almond Cake, I would love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out, or tag me on Instagram so I can see your beautiful cake. This one is perfect for so many occasions so save it to your favorite Pinterest board so you always know where to find it when cherry season rolls around or you need an impressive gluten free dessert to share!
Storage
Store the cherry almond cake covered at room temperature for up to two days or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. The cake actually gets more moist as it sits, which makes it a great make ahead dessert. Bring it to room temperature before serving for the best flavor and texture.
This cake also freezes well. Wrap individual slices tightly in plastic wrap and store in a freezer safe bag for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Top Tip
Do not skip the two step baking process for this cake. Baking the cake for the first 30 minutes before adding the sliced almonds and brown sugar topping is what gives you that perfectly golden and lightly caramelized crust on top without burning the almonds.
If you add the topping at the beginning it will overbrown before the cake is done in the center. Pull the cake out right at the 30 minute mark, add the topping quickly, and get it back in the oven for the final 10 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Gluten free baking tends to require more moisture or oil than when you are using regular wheat flour. For this gluten free cherry almond cake I used ¾ cup unsalted butter to make it moist and delicious.
If you are using a cake recipe that isn't turning out moist I would suggest adding a bit more oil or butter. You can also add mashed banana or applesauce to help your baked goods have more moisture.
Yes, gluten free baking in general takes a little bit longer to bake than a cake made with regular wheat flour. However, gluten free baked goods tend to brown faster. So you will want to test the cake with a tooth pick in the center to make sure it's actually done even if it looks browned.
Your cake should be a nice golden brown and a tooth pick inserted in the center of the cake should come out clean. You may need to bake your cake up to 5-8 minutes more. If your cake is already very brown, but not done in the center you will need to lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees and cook longer.
Yes! Keep in mind that there is a difference between almond flour and almond meal. Almond flour is more finely ground and works really well in baked goods. Almond meal tends to be coarser and can give baked goods a gritty texture.
I like to use almond flour along with gluten free flour or extra baking powder.
Almond flour by itself in a recipe doesn't rise well. However, when you combine it with a flour that does rise well or a bit more baking powder you can get a great texture in your baking.
Karine says
I do not cook pastries often and I’m always scared I’ll mess it up. This recipe was so easy to make. And it turns out to be absolutely delicious!!
I think I left it in the oven like 5min more and it was SO moist with a crispy crust.
I ended up doing a cherry sirup to drizzle on top paired with vanila ice cream.
Absolutely recommand for something easy and delicious
smallfarmbiglife says
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe Karine! Thank you for leaving a review. ~Elaine