A light and fluffy almond flour cake, stuffed with sweet and chewy figs. The perfect dessert to serve for the holidays — This gluten free cake is also paleo!
This post is sponsored by Fruit Bliss— a company committed to bringing healthy snack options to our kitchens. I only work with brands whose products I genuinely love. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep Sunkissed Kitchen running!
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A Paleo Almond Flour Cake
Almond flour is my favorite gluten free flour to work with. It’s higher in protein than others, looks similar to white flour when baked (which means it’s easier to pass off as “regular” treats to picky eaters!), and is naturally sweet, meaning less sugar is needed to make delicious desserts.
When using almond flour, the best texture is achieved with lots of eggs — another good source of protein!
I love coconut oil in baked goods, so I used that as well.
Last summer, I started making this gluten free almond flour cake. I was in love with the flavor, but couldn’t get it as light as I had hoped. For this cake, I separated the eggs and beat the whites, which made the most beautiful light and airy batter, and baked in to the softest, most luxurious cake. An extra step, but well worth it to achieve the best textured gluten free cake!
If you adore chocolate, try this delicious Almond Flour Chocolate Cake.
Throw in Some Chewy Dried Figs
Fo the holidays, I knew adding some chewy fruit would make this the perfect cake.
I started buying Fruit Bliss dried fruit last year, and was blown away by the purity. The only ingredients in these bags are fruit and water. No sugar, no preservatives, no junk. That’s what I call healthy snacking.
The dried tart cherries drew me in to the brand, because unsweetened dried cherries are difficult to find — but once I tasted the Turkish Figs, I was really in love! Their line of dried fruits are perfect for snacking, or for using in baking.
They also recently released snack bites made from only dried fruit and nuts. The perfect stocking stuffer (or travel snack!).
Holiday Perfect Almond Flour Cake
To make this almond flour cake perfect for the holidays, I added some fresh grated orange zest, and bumped up the almond flavor with some almond extract.
The cake is honey sweetened (plus the super sweet bites of fig!), so I wanted a light and airy frosting that was also naturally sweetened.
I often use a lightly sweetened cream cheese in place of frosting, but I wanted something lighter that would stand up better for a layer cake.
This beautiful light and airy frosting is my honey (or maple syrup) sweetened meringue frosting. Great if you’d like a frosting that’s lower in sugar but still absolutely beautiful on your dessert table!
Make it your Own Almond Flour Cake
This cake is perfect as written, don’t get me wrong!
But the recipe is very versatile! If you’re looking for a cake for a different occasion, feel free to make it your own!
Try:
- Vanilla or maple extract in place of the almond extract
- Lemon zest in place of the orange zest
- Dried tart cherries in place of the figs (yum!)
- Using a healthy chocolate frosting in place of the meringue!
Gluten Free Almond Flour Cake with Figs
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 5 eggs separated
- 1/2 cup coconut oil melted
- 1/2 cup honey
- 3 tablespoons orange zest
- 2 tablespoons almond milk
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 5 ounces Fruit Bliss Turkish Figs chopped in raisin-sized pieces
Honey Meringue Frosting
- 4 egg whites
- 1/3 cup honey
- pinch sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Use coconut oil to grease 2 6 inch cake pans, or a 10 inch round cake pan. Dust the cake pans with arrowroot powder.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together almond flour, arrowroot, baking powder, soda, and salt.
- In another bowl, mix together egg yolks, coconut oil, honey, almond milk, orange zest, and almond extract.
- Beat egg whites until stiff.
- Add the egg yolk mixture to the dry ingredients, and mix until no dry flour remains.
- Gently fold in the egg whites and chopped figs until the whites are incorporated into the batter.
- Add cake batter to the prepared pans, and bake for 50 minutes, until the cakes are fully set in the center. The cakes may appear done at 40 minutes, but continue baking for at least 50 minutes to ensure they aren't undercooked in the center.
- Allow the cakes to fully cool before attempting to remove from the cake pans. The cakes are more fragile than traditional cakes, so I like to fully cool in the refrigerator before removing them and frosting them.
- Serve this cake plain, or frost it with my refined sugar free meringue frosting.
Meringue Frosting
- Fill a saucepan with 2-3 inches of water, and bring to a bowl over medium high heat.
- In an oven safe glass bowl, add egg whites and honey, and place over the saucepan.
- Whisk the egg whites and honey constantly for 5-7 minutes until the mixture comes to 140 degrees. This step requires a thermometer. Not bring it up to temperature will result in a softer frosting.
- Remove the heated egg white mixture from the stove, and place it in a mixing bowl. Beat in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until stiff peaks have formed.
- For best results, apply a "crumb coating" to cake by applying a very thin layer around the cake. Once that begins to set and dry, apply a thicker layer.
Video
Nutrition
Other Gluten Free Christmas Desserts Recipes:
- Gluten Free Biscotti with Cherries and Hazelnuts, by Sunkissed Kitchen
- Gluten Free Apple Pie with a Gluten Free Almond Flour Crust, by Sunkissed Kitchen
- Chocolate Quinoa Cake, by Sunkissed Kitchen
- Holiday Spiced Almond Cookies, by The Endless Meal
- Easy Nutcracker Bark, by The View from Great Island
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This easy almond flour cake recipe post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase, I will receive part of the sale as a commission. This helps me continue to bring you lots of fresh and inspired recipes!
What a great holiday treat! I love figs very much, but I have never seen these Turkish Figs. Where do you buy them from?
Can I substitute cornstarch for the arrowroot?
You absolutely can, Joanna! Enjoy 🙂 I am planning on making another version of this cake soon — it’s so delicious!
I’d like to make for Christmas, but without the frosting. I’d like to put in a springform pan. Do you think this will work and how long should I bake? I may make a fig glaze for it. Thanks for the recipe.
I hope you made this, and sorry for the late response to your question. I imagine it would take the same amount of time in a spring form pan, and the fig glaze sounds amazing!