This Ground Almond cake with Chocolate Drizzle has a soft moist crumb and is so easy to make. With a flaked almond and chocolate drizzle topping, it's sure to please.
Most of my recipes are based around the basic principle of the Victoria Sponge Cake recipe and the inspiration I find in cookery books. By changing a few ingredients, and altering the quantities a little, you can have a new delicious cake.
Ingredients for Ground Almond Cake
You will find the full list of ingredients, including the quantities on the recipe card below. I suggest you read the full recipe before you start to bake, that way you won't miss anything.
- Margarine or Butter - Either is fine. The Butter must be softened and at room temperature.
- Soft Brown Sugar - This gives a nice slightly nutty taste, but white caster sugar is fine
- Eggs - I used medium eggs for this recipe
- Almond Extract - Avoid using Essences.
- Flour - I used Self Raising flour for this recipe
- Ground Almonds - I used ready ground Almonds rather than try to grind them myself. This ensures you have a good even texture and no hard lumps
- Flaked Almonds - This adds a nice decorative finish to the cake during baking. If you can't get hold of Flaked Almonds, roughly chop Whole Almonds
- Chocolate - For the drizzle use either milk or dark chocolate.
How to Make a Ground Almond Cake
First, you need to preheat the oven to 150 deg (Fan oven). My oven is fan assisted and it's how I always bake my cakes.
Grease and line the base and sides of an 8” deep sided loose bottom cake tin or spring form cake pan, with baking parchment. This will help you release the cake from the tin once it's baked.
Using an electric mixer, beat the margarine/butter (whichever you decide to use) and sugar together until lighter in colour and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go along. I have one of those Scraper Beater attachments for my mixer, which makes the job a lot easier.
When your batter is nice and fluffy, now is the time to add the eggs. Add them one at a time, adding a little flour between each one to help prevent curdling.
Add the remaining flour, Almond Extract along with the ground almonds, mix until well combined.
Once everything is well mixed, pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake tin, scattering the flaked almonds on the top. For this recipe, I used a springform cake tin and lined it with reusable cake liners.
Toasted Flaked Almonds would be nicer, if you fancy making your own try this recipe How to Toast Flaked Almonds.
This is a slow bake recipe. Bake in the centre of the oven for 60 – 65 mins or until baked and golden in colour, testing the centre of the cake with a skewer until it comes out clean. TIP: All ovens are different, so make sure you check the centre of the cake at around ¾ baked to avoid over or under baking.
Leave the cake in the tin for 5 – 10 mins, before turning out onto a cake rack to cool completely.
While the cake is cooling, melt the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water until all the chocolate has melted and is nice and smooth with no lumps.
Using a large spoon, drizzle the chocolate over the top of the cake in a zig zag fashion. Optional Extra: If you have any left over flaked almonds, scatter them over the top of the melted chocolate before it sets.
Tips and FAQ's
Wait until the chocolate has set and the cake has cooled completely to make slicing easier. This cake will keep in an airtight container for a few days.
If you wait until the cake has cooled completely, before adding the drizzle, the chocolate will set quicker.
Adding Ground Almonds in a cake mix helps to keep it moist for a day or two. This is because of the oil in the nuts.
Ground Almonds can be used in all kinds of baking. One popular recipe is the Bakewell Tart.
More Recipes with Ground Almonds
Cranberry and Almond 1lb loaves
Lemon, Almond and Poppy Seed Squares
Pin and Save for Later
Ground Almond Cake with a Chocolate Drizzle
Equipment
- 8" Deep sided loose bottomed or springform cake tin
- Baking Parchment
INGREDIENTS
- 225 g margarine or butter – at room temperature
- 225 g soft brown sugar white caster sugar is fine
- 4 medium eggs
- 1 teaspoons almond extract
- 125 g self raising flour
- 175 g ground almonds
- 30 g flaked almonds or roughly chopped whole almonds
Decoration
- 50 g milk or dark chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 150 deg Fan assisted. Grease and line the base and sides of an 8” deep sided loose bottom cake tin or spring form cake pan, with baking parchment.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the margarine/butter and sugar together until lighter in colour and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go along.
- Add the eggs one at a time, adding a little flour between each one to help prevent curdling.
- Add the remaining flour, Almond Extract along with the ground almonds, mix until well combined.
- Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pan, scattering the flaked almonds on the top.
- This is a slow baked cake. Bake in the centre of the oven for 60 – 65 mins or until baked a golden in colour, testing the centre of the cake with a skewer until it comes out clean.
- Leave the cake in the tin for 5 – 10 mins, before turning out onto a cake rack to cool completely.
- While the cake is cooling, melt the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water until all the chocolate has melted and is nice and smooth with no lumps.
- Using a large spoon, drizzle the chocolate over the top of the cake in a zig zag fashion. If you have any left over flaked almonds, scatter them over the top of the melted chocolate before it sets.
- Wait until the chocolate has set and the cake has cooled completely before slicing.
Notes
TIPS AND FAQ'S
All ovens are different, so check the cake at around ¾ baked to ensure that you are not over or under baking. Wait until the chocolate has set and the cake has cooled completely to make slicing easier. This cake will keep in an airtight container for a few days. If you wait until the cake has cooled completely, before adding the chocolate drizzle, the chocolate will set quicker.Nutrition
Jacqueline McDiarmid
Beautiful texture - I love the difference the almonds make to a cake mixture and the end result is delicious. One thing I would stress is don’t be tempted to add more than the 1 tsp of almond extract as stated in the recipe, more would overpower the flavour and possibly make it bitter. The finished cake looks good enough to be in a shop display - and if I can do that, anyone can!
Thanks again for a lovely cake.