GLUTEN-FREE STRAWBERRY ALMOND CAKE
on Jun 25, 2025
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A light and moist cake made from a blend of gluten-free all-purpose flour, almond flour, maple syrup, and sweet strawberries. Top with freeze-dried strawberry dust, sliced almonds, and a few berries for the perfect touch.
Looking for your go-to summer dessert recipe? This Gluten-Free Strawberry Almond Cake is the perfect choice.
Naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free, it’s a treat that nearly every guest is bound to love.
Slices of juicy strawberries are folded into the light and fluffy batter made from a blend of gluten-free all-purpose flour and almond flour.
The only sweetener used is maple syrup, which gives the cake a caramel-like taste without being overly sweet.
To top off this simple cake, I like to sprinkle some freeze-dried strawberry dust on top and add some sliced almonds and a few fresh berries too. These decorations are much easier than frosting a cake, and add to the lightness of it as well.
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So go ahead and make this cake for your next springtime brunch, bridal shower, baby shower, or any other sweet gathering you have planned.
It’ll definitely be the standout dessert for the occasion and one that everyone will be talking about for weeks to come. Enjoy!
Key Ingredients for Strawberry Almond Cake
Yes, making a gluten-free cake may seem intimidating, but you probably have a majority of these ingredients already in your fridge or pantry. Here’s what you’ll need.
- Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour: I used @kingarthurbaking Gluten-Free Measure for Measure flour for this recipe with great results. See FAQs below on flour substitutions.
- Almond Flour: If you’re allergic to almonds, I’d suggest using oat flour as a substitute. See FAQs below for more details.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Both are essential to give the cake its lift and rise.
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Pin It- Eggs: Eggs are a core ingredient in most cakes as they help bind the dry and wet ingredients together. I haven’t tested this recipe with an egg substitute.
- Maple Syrup: To keep this cake refined sugar-free, I relied on maple syrup for that caramel-like sweetness.
- Olive Oil: This healthier oil adds richness to the cake without needing to add canola or other seed oils.
- Nut Milk: Any type of unsweetened nut milk or regular milk helps bind the ingredients together and adds moisture too.
- Extracts: The combo of vanilla and almond extract adds a bit of sweetness and elevates the almond flavor even more.
- Fresh Strawberries: When strawberries are in season, make this cake. I promise you it’s well worth waiting until spring and summer to use fresh strawberries as opposed to frozen. Also, frozen strawberries may make the cake too wet, so proceed with caution!
- Decor: Sliced almonds, powdered sugar, and freeze-dried strawberry dust elevate the simple, no-frosting cake. To keep this cake completely refined-sugar free, omit the powdered sugar.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Strawberry Almond Cake
Make the Cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line an 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate large bowl, whisk the eggs, maple syrup, olive oil, almond milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined and being careful not to overmix. Gently fold in the strawberries.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Scatter sliced almonds over the top.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Decorate
Let the cake cool fully in the pan on a wire rack. Turn the cake out and dust with powdered sugar. Slice and enjoy!
Tips and FAQ for Gluten-Free Strawberry Almond Cake
If you’re allergic to almonds, I’d suggest oat flour. It’s not a perfect one-for-one substitute, but a better alternative than something like coconut flour. Eliminate the almond oil and add a different decoration instead of the sliced almonds.
Yes, all-purpose flour should work. Use the same ratios and measurements.
I wouldn’t recommend doing that for this recipe. Almond flour is quite dense and doesn’t have the same lift that gluten-free flour provides to this cake.
More Strawberry Gluten-Free Desserts To Try:
- Dairy-Free No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
- Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Frosting and Chocolate-Covered Strawberries
- Homemade Gluten-Free Strawberry Pop Tarts
- No-Bake Strawberry Shortcake Pretzel Crunch Cheesecake Bars
GLUTEN-FREE STRAWBERRY ALMOND CAKE
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 ½ cups 1:1 gluten-free all purpose flour (I used King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure)
- ½ cup almond flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- ⅔ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk, at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 ½ cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
Garnishes:
- Sliced almonds for topping the cake
- Powdered sugar for dusting
- Grated freeze-dried strawberries for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line an 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk the eggs, maple syrup, olive oil, almond milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined and being careful not to overmix. Gently fold in the strawberries.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Scatter sliced almonds over the top.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool fully in the pan on a wire rack. Turn the cake out and dust with powdered sugar. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe is amazing! I’ve made the cake twice. it is super simple to make and tastes like something you’d buy from a bakery. Almost like a croissant and cake combined. Love!
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this cake!! I agree about the croissant x cake combination! I’ve wanted to call this croissant cake but that seemed potentially misleading due to the lack of flakiness haha. But the flavor profile is amazing!!