Gluten-Free Almond Cake with Pastiera Flavor
A melting almond cake, that melts in your mouth and has the flavor of pastiera, what else for Easter? This irresistible delight is soft, moist, fragrant, rich with a thousand spring scents and flavors: almonds, honey, oranges, orange blossoms.
A gluten-free recipe, unmissable for its goodness and ease of execution
If you don’t have time to prepare the classic pastiera, this almond cake won’t make you miss it. It’s a quick and easy cake to prepare that tastes like spring!
An ideal dessert to prepare for Easter, but I bet you’ll make it all year round, for its goodness.
If you are looking for other Easter recipes (sweet or savory), click on my: “Special Easter Menu“.
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 12 Hours
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Easter, All Seasons
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour (peeled, quality)
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsps wildflower honey (or acacia)
- 2 oz mascarpone
- 1/3 cup salted butter (soft)
- 1/4 tsp orange zest (it's important that the weight is one gram, about a quarter of an orange)
- 4 tsps orange blossom water
- 5 drops bitter almond extract (5 drops of bitter almond or natural aroma)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 oz flaked almonds (for finishing)
- to taste granulated sugar (for finishing, you can also add sugar crystals)
- to taste vanilla powdered sugar (for decoration)
Tools
- Bowls
- Mixer electric Philips, with a power of 450 W
- Whisk
- trio of aromas: bitter almond, millefiori and orange blossom
- Spatulas Professional set of 3 cake spatulas of various sizes
- Springform Pan 7 inches, non-stick with removable sides
Steps
First, all ingredients must be at room temperature (so take them out of the fridge at least an hour before using).
It’s preferable to prepare this cake the day before serving, to allow the flavors and aromas to meld well.
Preheat the oven to 320°F.
In a bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, and honey with an electric mixer (or by hand) for about 5 minutes.
Then add the almond flour, 5 drops of almond extract, the orange blossom water, and the orange zest. Mix well.
Finally, in another bowl, add the softened butter and work it down further to make it creamier, then also add the mascarpone, mix well, and add this butter and mascarpone mixture to the previous blend of almonds and eggs, mixing everything well with a hand whisk.
Butter a springform pan of 7 inches (max 8 inches, for these quantities) and pour the batter, leveling the surface with a spatula, sprinkle it with granulated sugar and 1 oz of flaked almonds (you can also make a mix of granulated sugar and sugar crystals).
Bake the almond cake in a preheated static oven at 320°F, for about 50 minutes (depending on your oven). Once baked, let it cool on a rack and then sprinkle it with powdered sugar.
Serve the cake when it’s well cold, even better if the day after, so the flavors and aromas blend perfectly.
Notes and Tips
Salted butter is important. If you don’t have it: add regular butter + 2 grams of salt to the batter.
It’s important to weigh the whole eggs: they should weigh 150 grams, baking is chemistry, approximation will unbalance the recipe.
Mascarpone cannot be replaced with cream.
If you love the gluten-free almond cake, BUT don’t love the orange flavor, you can replace the aromas with 20 ml of vanilla extract (or 10 ml of rum and 10 ml of vanilla extract).
Shopping Tips!!!
I worked on the cake batter with the Philips mixer with a power of 1400 W and 5 speeds + turbo. and with this professional hand whisk
This trio of aromas: bitter almond, orange blossom, and millefiori, is perfect for this cake.
To bake the cake, this non-stick springform pan of 7 inches is ideal.
FAQ
Is almond flour suitable for celiacs?
Yes! Almond flour is suitable for celiacs because it is a naturally gluten-free food, low in carbohydrates and high in protein, making it the ideal and healthy alternative for those suffering from celiac disease and those following a gluten-free diet.
