If you seek a cake that is impossibly tender, intensely flavoured, and perfectly balanced, your search ends here. This Moist Almond Cake with Toasted Coconut is a true celebration of texture, moisture, and natural richness.
The secret to its signature soft and dense crumb lies in making it completely flourless, using ground almonds as the sole structural base. This not only infuses the cake with a profound, nutty richness but also guarantees incredible, lasting moisture. We then pair this decadent sponge with a light, refreshing Crème Fraîche whipped cream that provides the perfect surface for a generous coating of deeply toasted coconut flakes. The contrast is key: the smooth, moist cake against the satisfying, earthy crunch of the coconut makes every slice an absolute delight.
Ingredients
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The Key Ingredients for Moist Almond Cake with Crunchy Toasted Coconut
These ingredients are carefully selected to deliver the cake’s signature moisture, nutty richness, and textural contrast:
- Ground Almonds: This is the sole structural base of the cake, replacing traditional flour. The high fat content in the almonds ensures an incredibly moist, dense, and rich crumb, while also being the source of the cake’s profound nutty flavour.
- Unsalted Butter: Provides richness and moisture. Used melted, the butter disperses evenly through the batter, ensuring deep flavour and a consistently moist crumb. Since it is not creamed, it contributes to the dense, rich texture characteristic of this flourless cake.
- Caster Sugar: Used to sweeten and tenderise the cake. The fine crystals dissolve easily into the melted butter and eggs, ensuring a smooth batter. It controls the final spread and aids in achieving a beautiful, golden-brown crust during baking.
- Whole Eggs: The primary binding and leavening agent. Eggs emulsify the batter, provide essential moisture, and their protein structure sets during baking, giving the cake its final height and stability.
- Desiccated Coconut: Incorporated into the batter for moisture and a subtle tropical flavour. When combined with the ground almonds, it helps maintain tenderness and adds a fine, pleasant chew throughout the cake.
- Vanilla Paste: Adds a concentrated, deep vanilla flavour that complements the richness of the butter and the nutty notes of the almonds. The tiny black seeds also provide an aesthetic sign of quality.
- Baking Powder: The chemical leavening agent. It reacts during baking to produce carbon dioxide, giving the heavy almond-based batter the lift required to achieve a light and airy crumb structure.
- Salt: An essential flavour enhancer. A small amount of salt balances the sweetness of the sugar and helps amplify the subtle, natural nutty flavours of the butter and the almonds.
- Flaked Almonds: Used primarily for a finishing garnish. When toasted, these large, thin flakes provide a beautiful visual texture and a substantial, satisfying crunch that contrasts perfectly with the moist, soft cake interior.
All The Equipment You Will Need
Storage
Once baked the almond cake will keep at ambient in an airtight container for up to 4 days and in the fridge for up to 7 days.
You can also freeze the baked cake, wrap it well in cling film (plastic wrap) and it will keep for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw properly before consuming and do not refreeze after thawing.
Toasted Coconut & Almond Cake
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 160℃ (320℉). Line the base of the cake tin with a piece of greaseproof paper and lightly grease the walls of the cake tin with cooking spray or butter.
- Evenly spread desiccated coconut onto a baking tray and toast in the preheated oven for 3-5 minutes until golden brown. Leave to completely cool.
- In 30 second bursts melt the butter in the microwave.
- Into a mixing bowl whisk together caster sugar, melted butter, whole eggs & vanilla paste until completely emulsified.
- Switch to a spatula and fold in salt, baking powder and half of the ground almond. Once combined, fold in the remaining ground almonds and the cooled desiccated coconut.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake tin and evenly distribute almond flakes over the surface of the cake batter. Bake in the preheat oven for 35-45 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserting into the centre comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin for 20-30 minutes before removing from the tin. To remove the cake run a palette knife around the edge of the cake before removing the wall of the cake tin. Set onto a wire rack to cool completely before dusting the surface of the cake with icing sugar.
Notes
- Melt the butter only until it becomes liquid, we don't want to raise the temperature of the butter too high.
- Almond meal is the same as ground almonds, as is almond flour. Almond flour is just a finer texture but will work just fine.
- Optional: Top with a dollop of whipped Crème fraîche. Whisk 100g whipped creme, 50g Crème fraîche and 15g of icing sugar. Spoon onto each slice and sprinkle on desiccated coconut.
- This recipe is completely gluten-free, but keep in mind not all baking powders are gluten-free. Be sure to check the ingredients list on the container to keep this recipe gluten-free