This cake began with a bowl of almond pulp left over from making almond milk. I didn’t want to throw it away, so I folded it into a simple batter with yogurt, oat flour, olive oil, honey and lemon. What came out was much better than its practical beginning suggested: soft and light, gently lemony, with a little vanilla in the background.
I liked it enough to want a version that didn’t depend on having made almond milk first. This is that cake. It has the same quiet flavour and soft crumb, but it is made with ingredients I can keep in the cupboard and return to whenever I want something sweet and freshly baked.
This is not here to replace a proper butter cake. I love those too, and they belong to a different category altogether. This is simply the cake I want on an ordinary day. It is gluten-free, sweetened with honey and made with olive oil. Healthy-ish, perhaps, but still very much a cake. It is soft, fragrant and satisfying, without the heaviness or sugar rush I sometimes associate with a more traditional loaf.
It is also exceptionally easy to make. There is no creaming, mixer or complicated technique. The batter comes together in two bowls and keeps well for several days, although mine rarely lasts that long. Lately, whenever I feel like baking something just for myself, this is the recipe I come back to.
Gluten-Free Almond and Lemon Cake
1 loaf tin (22 × 11 cm), Serves 6-8 slices
INGREDIENTS:
140 g oat flour
60 g rice flour
40 g almond flour
20 g tapioca starch
6 g baking powder
2 g fine sea salt
3 g psyllium husk powder
2 large eggs, at room temperature
100 g strained yogurt
60 ml olive oil
82 g honey or maple syrup
Zest of 1 lemon
5 g lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1–2 tbsp chopped nuts (for topping)
Syrup:
1 tbsp lemon juice + 1 tbsp honey + pinch of salt
Equipment
22×11 cm loaf tin or 18 cm round cake tin
Baking paper
Scissors
2 mixing bowls
Small bowl, for the syrup
Digital kitchen scale and measuring spoons
Whisk
Rubber spatula
Microplane or fine grater
Pastry brush
Cake tester or wooden skewer
Cooling rack
METHOD
Heat the oven to 170°C. Line the tin with baking paper.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs and honey vigorously for 30–45 seconds. Add yogurt, vanilla and lemon juice and mix. Slowly stream in olive oil while whisking continuously. Add lemon zest.
In a separate bowl, combine the oat flour, rice flour, almond tapioca starch, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to evenly distribute and remove any lumps.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Fold gently with a spatula until fully combined and no dry patches remain. The batter should be thick but pourable, falling slowly from the spatula.
Let it sit 5-10 minutes to allow the flours and psyllium to hydrate.
Transfer to the prepared tin and level the surface. Scatter chopped nuts over the top, if using.
Bake for 40–45 minutes, until risen and lightly golden. The centre should feel set, and a skewer inserted should come out with a few moist crumbs.
If the top colours too quickly, cover loosely with foil for the final 10 minutes.
While the cake is baking, mix the lemon juice, honey and salt. Brush the syrup over the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven.
Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then lift out and cool completely on a rack before slicing. Very important step as the gluten-free crumb will continue to set as it cools.
Kitchen Notes
Keeps at room temperature, covered, for 2 days, or refrigerated up to 5 days.
Bring to room temperature before serving.
