Almond Flour Chocolate Cake

If you’re looking for a tasty grain-free almond flour chocolate cake recipe, you’ve come to the right place. This chocolate cake recipe is moist, rich, decadent, and delicious. It’s a real crowd-pleaser; plus, it doesn’t hurt that it’s stunning. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.

I created this classic almond flour chocolate cake recipe because I love baking with almond flour, and I love eating chocolate. Pretty simple explanation, right?

Almond flour is a great gluten-free alternative, but keep in mind that it doesn’t work as a one-to-one swap with wheat flour. (Read Can You Use Almond Flour in Place of Regular Flour?)

This beautiful cake contains no grains and no gluten. Gluten is a sticky protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and sometimes oats. It gives structure to baked goods; without it, cakes and cookies fall apart.

But when you use blanched almond flour, made from peeled and ground-up almonds, and a little gluten-free baking magic, you wind up with a mouth-watering gluten-free cake.

This cake is safe for people with celiac disease and gluten sensitivities to eat, so go ahead and make it for all your gluten-free friends. They will be impressed, no doubt!

How to Make Almond Flour Chocolate Cake

Please follow these step-by-step instructions to make this decadent almond flour chocolate cake recipe.

Step #1: Gather Your Ingredients

You’ll need the following ingredients for the cake:

• 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour* (I used Bob’s Red Mill blanched almond flour)
• 1/2 cup arrowroot flour
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

*Be sure to use blanched almond flour, as it’s made from peeled almonds that are ground to a flour mixture. It will make your cake smooth vs. gritty. Do not use almond meal.

And for the frosting, you’ll need:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons milk or water

Step #2: Make the Cake Batter

To prepare the cake batter, combine the almond flour, arrowroot flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and set it aside.

In a second medium bowl, combine the eggs, oil, and vanilla extract until smooth, then add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix, by hand until thoroughly combined.

Step #3: Bake the Cake

Pour the batter into a 9” round cake pan lined with a round piece of parchment paper and bake the cake at 350ºF for 28-33 minutes or until the cake is cooked through and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 

Let the cake cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before inverting it onto a cooling rack to finish cooling. Cool completely before frosting. 

Step #4: Prepare the Frosting

To prepare the frosting, add the butter to a large mixing bowl and beat it with an electric mixer until smooth. 

Next, add the cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and salt and beat the mixture until well combined. 

Now add half of the powdered sugar and one tablespoon of the milk and continue mixing it until smooth, then add the remaining powdered sugar and beat the frosting until it’s fluffy. Add additional milk if needed to get extra fluffy frosting that is easy to spread. 

Step #5: Frost the Cake

Now you’re ready to top the cake with the frosting. You can smooth it on top with an offset spatula. The more frosting the better (at least, I think so).

Go ahead and slice this cake into eight pieces and serve. Your guests will be impressed with this moist, rich, decadent chocolate cake creation. And who wouldn’t want a slice?!?

Store leftover chocolate cake in a sealed container in your fridge for up to four days. The cake should taste moist since almond flour adds a lot of moisture, but if it tastes stale, zap it in the microwave for a few seconds. Heat will give the cake a better texture.

A Few Notes

Here are a few insights to help you make the perfect almond flour chocolate cake.

Don’t have arrowroot flour? You can use tapioca flour instead. 

Sugar swapping? I like to use granulated sugar, but you can also use coconut sugar in this recipe. 

Want layers? You can divide the batter into 6” cake pans and then layer your cake. Start checking at 18 minutes for doneness. 

Dairy-free? The cake itself is already dairy free, and to make the frosting dairy free, simply use dairy-free butter and dairy-free milk (or even water) instead of cow’s milk.