Vegan Almond Poppy Seed Cake. Gluten free Cake. Spongy Moist Cake with no Gum. Use as Sponge Cake without poppy seeds. Gluten-free Grain-free Oil-free Recipe. Pin this for later.
I have been trying to make a simple soft spongy cake that is gluten-free and vegan and works well in terms of texture and flavor. After trying some gluten-free blends on the market, making my own blends and such, I finally narrowed it to what I like the cake. The moisture and flavor from Almonds.
I made similar cakes with a combination flours with almond flour, oat and rice flours and that works out well too. The flavor though isn’t neutral enough for me. Also, that cake worked incredible well when it was steamed but was not as moist when baked, though the mixed flour cake works really well with a frosting to add some moisture back. When I saw Brandi’s only almond flour cake using aquafaba, I had bookmarked it to try it. Since I am not a fan of good amounts of applesauce or maple (also because I never have applesauce around when I need it), I played around making many versions. I have made variations of this cake, sometimes with some additional rice/oat flours, different wet ingredients and it comes out beautifully every which way. That is how I bake while testing, just putting things in the bowl and going by texture of the batter for simple and predictable recipes.
The Poppy seeds and almond extract add a phenomenal flavor. This recipe makes a 6 inch pan. I tend to make smaller sizes for gluten-free vegan baked goods. Things get moody quickly and smaller sizes just reduce the chances of getting gummy flats or stony hard pucks. If you bake gf vegan, you know what I am talking about :). Use an icing of choice, which isn’t really needed with the amazing flavor of this almond poppy seed cake.
This soft cake can also be made as a plain vanilla sponge to use in layered cakes or bake it into cupcakes. Make this Vegan Gluten-free Cake that is also grain-free. If you make the cake, please do tag me on Instagram or elsewhere and let me know how it worked out in the comments! Also let me know if you made Brandi’s version which uses aquafaba and applesauce. Thanks for all the trials and errors Brandi!
You can possibly use 2 tbsp aquafaba + 2 tbsp non dairy milk in the recipe. I haven’t tried it. Let me know if you do. Happy Weekend Baking!
More gluten-free vegan baked options from the blog
- Zucchini Bread Loaf. GF Gum-free Yeast-free
- Pumpkin Banana Cranberry Bread – GF Yeast-free
- Almond Butter Blondies GF
- Banana Walnut Loaf – GF Gum-free Yeast-free
- Coconut Flour Brownies GF Gum-free
- Lentil Sandwich Bread – GF Gum-free Yeast-free
Mix your wet and dry to make a smooth batter. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake until a toothpick from the center comes out clean.
Vegan Almond Poppy Seed Cake. Gluten free Cake
Ingredients
Wet:
- 1/4 cup (61 ml) non dairy milk or 2 tbsp non dairy milk + 2 tbsp non dairy yogurt
- 2 tbsp flax seed meal
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 3 tbsp sugar raw or other
- 1 tsp vinegar white or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) almond extract optional
Dry:
- 1 cup (112 g) almond flour I use Bob's Red Mill
- 1/4 cup (32 g) starch I use 3 tbsp potato starch + 1 Tbsp tapioca/corn
- 1/8 tsp (0.13 tsp) salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) baking soda
- 2 to 3 tsp poppy seeds
Instructions
- Prepare a 6 inch cake pan by greasing or lining with parchment.
- In a bowl, mix the flax in the non dairy milk and let it sit for 5 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 deg F / 170ºc.
- Add the maple, sugar, vanilla, vinegar. Add 1/4 tsp almond extract for stronger almond flavor or add lemon zest for lemon poppy seed cake. Mix well until sugar is mixed in.
- In another bowl, mix the almond flour, starches, salt, baking powder and soda, poppy seeds. Break the almond flour lumps if there are any, with your hand or a spatula..
- Add to the wet and mix well until smooth.* Transfer the batter to a greased 6 inch pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees F / 170ºc for 30 minutes or until a toothpick from the center comes out clean.
- Cool for 15 mins, then remove from the pan. Cool completely before slicing. Preferably refrigerate for 15 to 20 mins and then slice. Use an icing of choice. A simple lemon sugar icing works really well.
Notes
Nutrition
The Vegan 8 says
September 16, 2016 at 4:23 pmOh, Richa, this cake is beautiful! Almond and poppyseed is such a wonderful idea. I’m drooling and I’m so touched that my dreamy vanilla cake inspired you to create your own version of this amazing cake. I cannot wait to try it. I know, right, I did so many trials, it was torture, LOL!
Amanda says
September 16, 2016 at 6:40 pmCan this be made nut free by replacing the almond flour with a seed flour (ie pumpkin or sunflower)? I know it will change the flavor but grain free vegan cake recipes are so hard to find!
Richa says
September 17, 2016 at 12:14 amI dont know. Almond flour expands during baking to a pastry like state which is moist as well as crunchy. Make 1 muffin worth with seed flour to see how it works out.
Tiffany says
September 17, 2016 at 11:52 pmI have had excellent success with using pumpkin seed flour in conjunction with, or as a replacement for almond meal or flour.
Philip Anderson says
September 16, 2016 at 8:07 pmRicha, I started the veggie diet in 1970 when there was little guidance or support here in the US for vegetarians. We did have “Diet for a Small Planet” which was pretty good. And now we have people like you who have captured the health and taste and bright spirit of the optimal veggie diet in beautifully presented, simple recipes. I send your website link to new and interested vegetarians for your work is a picture, and taste, “worth a thousand words”. Thank you so much for your great service to humanity, the Earth and the innocent children of life /the animals. You and your recipes are AWESOME, HEARTENING AND INSPIRING! Keep up the good work. You will be blessed.
Liza Lee says
September 17, 2016 at 5:19 amYummy Cake
But can I use other nuts flour instead of Almonds Flour??
Because I don’t like almonds.
Richa says
September 17, 2016 at 11:10 amYou can’t really taste the almonds much if you omit the almond extract. I haven’t made this with other nuts, but it might work with a combination flour of almond and hazelnut or cashew etc.
Nancy says
September 17, 2016 at 9:48 amI’m allergic to almonds. Do you know if any other nut flours expand like almond flour?
Richa says
September 17, 2016 at 11:17 amEach nut is a bit different. I haven’t made it with any other nut. I would suggest making a small muffin size recipe (quarter of the recipe)with whichever nut flour you prefer and see how it turns out.
Anna C. says
September 17, 2016 at 10:23 amI love, love , love almond and poppyseed! I have to make this! YUM!!
wendy says
September 17, 2016 at 2:08 pmLove all your recipes!!! I’m allergic to vinegar..is there anything I can substitute? Thanks in advance! Wendy
Richa says
September 17, 2016 at 9:06 pmUse lemon or lime.
Sammy says
September 18, 2016 at 8:39 amDear Richa I love your website and made several recipes already. Today I want to make this cake ???? Just 1 question for you ; the description of the recipe doesn’t say when to add the poppy seeds to the mix. Does it go in the dry mix before adding to the wet mix? Thanks and be blessed!
Richa says
September 18, 2016 at 10:14 amyes mix in with the dry. updating the recipe now.
veganbio says
September 18, 2016 at 12:06 pmVery Good recipe ! im french
i love your blog
very very good blog
Helen says
September 19, 2016 at 3:00 amSorry for the stupid question, but are you using almond meal (ground almonds) or a commercial defatted nut flour. We get both here.
Xx
Richa says
September 19, 2016 at 3:09 pmground almonds. not defatted
Helen says
September 20, 2016 at 12:57 amThank you !
X
The Wooden Spoon says
September 19, 2016 at 8:11 amThis sounds so good- I love a good poppy seed cake. Thanks for sharing!
Cassie says
September 19, 2016 at 6:36 pmThis cake looks wonderful! Pinned!
Esther says
September 21, 2016 at 6:21 amDear Richa,
In the photo above (before baking), it seems as if there is milk around the batter. Can you explain? I have just taken the cake out of the oven and I hope it’s not too dry, as the batter seemed quite dry and I had to increase the nondairy milk. I have tried several recipes of yours including from the book, with great success!
Thanks, Esther
Richa says
September 21, 2016 at 10:45 amThats oil on the edges. The batter might be thick, but too much liquid will take longer to bake and also be likely to fall in the center. if you want to add more liquid, add flax mixed in non dairy milk. How did the cake turn out?
Sara says
September 24, 2016 at 7:38 amWow, this cake looks good! And simple, too :}
I was wondering if you might share how to make the simple lemon sugar icing you mention in this recipe.
Thanks!
Cynthia says
September 25, 2016 at 7:52 pmThese came out delicious!! The texture is amazing for a vegan cake. Thank you for sharing!
The only problem I had was that my mixture came out very dry. I ended up adding about 1 cup almond milk total. Is the 1/4 cup in the recipe correct?
Richa says
September 25, 2016 at 7:58 pmwhat flours did you use? 1 -2 tbsp more liquid is ok. i am not sure why you would need 1 cup. That would make a very moist cake
Katerina says
September 27, 2016 at 1:58 pmI accidentally used 2-3tbsp instead of tsp!!! The cake was nice anyway! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Sheetal says
October 2, 2016 at 3:31 amThis cake was a hit in my family and they want me to make it again!
I added juice of one orange and some orange zest for flavour instead of more milk as my cake batter was not wet enough. The aroma in the house during baking was amazing and the cake disappeared within minutes after being served. my kids loved it too.
I am going to save this recipe.. Thanks Richa!
Lindsay says
October 14, 2016 at 11:18 pmThank you for this. Could you leave the potato starch out? What would you replace it with?
Richa says
October 16, 2016 at 1:50 pmyou need some starch in the cake. Try use a combination of other starches as arrowroot, corn, tapioca.
Skipay says
November 25, 2016 at 3:35 pmI just made this cake and it’s so delish. I used aquafaba instead of non dairy milk. For sure I will make this again. Thanks Richa.
Richa says
November 25, 2016 at 7:44 pmAwesome!
Deneisha says
January 7, 2017 at 7:17 pmI just made this and it’s pretty good. It came out flatter than expected but I didn’t blanch almonds before grinding (not sure if that would have made a difference) and there were some crumbles in the flour. I was okay with that because we love nutty treats. I’d definitely make this again, it’s great without any icing which is how we ate it. I also subbed some items….chia seeds, agave, coconut sugar.
Tris says
May 22, 2017 at 3:54 amI love all the recipes of yours that I have tried, from both cookbook and FB but I have a question. I am curious about the serving size of your recipes, they all (or most at least) are listed as 2 servings but each tha I make is usually about 4. Are they actually 2 and vegan is just a larger serving or are they actually 3-4
I ask because I use MyFitnessPal to track my food intact and I am trying to actuarately track my intake but on days that I make your recipes and opt to have the app copy and add the recipe ingredients and servings my intake is very low and the amount of food made feeds my family of three plus leftovers.
I will be trying this one and look forward to EVERYDAY KITCHEN, which I have already preordered.
Also, just a lil’ OCD but why is the plastic FAT DADDIO sticker still on the cake pan? ????????
Richa says
May 23, 2017 at 3:23 pmSome of the serving sizes on the older recipes default to 2 if I forget to add any or if the widget updates with errors. Many of the serving sizes serve 2 to 3. So it depends on the recipe. For this cake, depends on how much you serve or want. It can serve 1 to 6. Its a small 6 inch cake. For the meals,, i usually serve them paired with other things and it serves about the double what is mentioned. If served as is, they would serve what the servings say for an average hungry adult. Many times the readers say that they eat the whole thing, while for me I can eat 4 servings of the meal, while my husband will eat 2 or 3. I use his serves in general for the blog values
new pan. I didnt see the sticker when i used it for the cake for some reason. I remember removing it sometime later.
Albert Trotter says
May 27, 2017 at 6:41 amwas looking for some good Vegan recipes and thankfully got you. i doesn’t just look delicious but healthy as well. thanks for sharing
Sarah AlAsfour says
June 3, 2017 at 8:21 amI’m Sarah from Kuwait . I’ve just made the cake . Can’t find a better delicious recipe .
Thank you so much .
Kiarelys says
June 19, 2017 at 10:53 amCan I use just tapioca starch instead of potato and tapioca?
Richa says
June 19, 2017 at 10:25 pmit might not work well with just tapioca
Ella says
January 5, 2018 at 5:04 amI know this was an old comment but I thought I’d let you know that I used all tapioca instead of the potato starch and it worked great! I’d be keen to do a comparison, possibly the potato results in a slightly finer crumb?
I made it tonight for a gathering and they all got eaten so I’d say it was a success! The only other modification was adding the zest and juice of half an orange. I included the oil mentioned in the footnotes.
Thanks for another easy and tasty GF V recipe!
Richa says
January 5, 2018 at 11:11 amGreat! Potato adds a bit more volume, The crumb probably depends more the almond flour/meal than the starch.
Brie Monahan says
June 24, 2017 at 7:11 pmThanks for the wonderful recipe! Since having to go gluten free/ vegan/low oil & sugar, I’m always experimenting with new versions of old favorite baked goods. Every summer when the strawberries get ripe, I start looking again for something to serve as shortcake. Almond cake under strawberries and coconut whipped cream? I pinch myself! It’s the first thing I want with coffee when I wake up, and the last thing I want to eat on the porch as the sun goes down. This cake is the perfect sponginess, the perfect crunchy around the edges, the perfect crunchy poppyseed texture inside, the perfect balance of sweet and salty, and the perfect almond flavor. I sprinkled flat-sliced almonds on top to drive it home, before it went in the oven. Oh, and I doubled the recipe and used an 8×8 square pan. Next time I’ll quadruple the recipe and maybe think about sharing a little.
And the other modification that I made was I used soaked chia seeds. They replace the poppyseeds for texture and appearance, and they replace the flax for binding properties. I used two tablespoons of chia in the non-dairy milk, just like it says to do with the flax. It went fine.
Thanks again for this great recipe! It’s a keeper.
Didi says
August 17, 2017 at 9:15 pmThis looks delicious. I’m going to try making this recipe in cupcakes for my kids (and me, of course!). I love baking with almond, it gives such a good result.
Alison Borgas says
September 1, 2017 at 4:09 amThis looks great! Should have known you’d beat me to it! I am also working on a very similar recipe, and yes, I do know what you’re talking about when you say stick with small cakes for baking vegan/gf!
BEATRIZ says
September 15, 2017 at 9:01 pmI made it last night and everyone liked it, even my non-vegan family. I used ground stevia leaves instead of sugar but kept the maple syrup.
Priyanka says
February 19, 2018 at 7:37 pmThanks Richa. The cake came out great!! My husband and I have switched to vegan diet recently. This cake hit the spot! I used cashew lemon yogurt and cashew milk. Also used lemon zest to accentuate the lemon flavor. I made a real easy lemon juice-powdered sugar glaze for the cake. We couldn’t stop eating it!!!
Ondrea says
March 12, 2018 at 3:14 pmLove, Love, LOOOOOOVE this! My husband I are new to the vegan life and we love this recipe! So yummy!! Thank you for sharing such a clean and healthy recipe! I make them in cupcake form. They are perfect every time. I’m actually making a double batch as I write this. Lol! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
Vicki says
April 8, 2018 at 7:34 pmI made this recipe into 6 muffins because I don’t have a small cake pan. They were delicious. The batter was quite thick but it baked up nicely. The tops had a nice crunch while the insides were still moist. I will definitely make these again. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Rachel says
September 28, 2018 at 12:33 pmThis was my first time baking with almond flour. I put in vanilla, almond, and lemon extract…. I really like I it!
Richa says
September 28, 2018 at 12:51 pmawesome!
Renee says
November 6, 2018 at 8:21 amHi! I can’t wait to make this. I love almond flour in cakes. Quick question – how much lemon zest and juice do I add? I can’t seem to find them in the recipe. Also could I use lemon extract instead? How much would you think will do? Thanks in advance!
Richa says
November 6, 2018 at 12:01 pmyou can add zest of a whole lemon. or 1/2 tsp extract
Amber says
November 12, 2018 at 1:15 pmI’ve mixed all the ingredients and am now noticing there’s no oil/fat in there. My batter is more like a very thick dough. Is that the right consistency?
Richa says
November 12, 2018 at 1:17 pmyou can add a tbsp of oil or non dairy milk. almond flour has plenty fat. diff flours absorb differently, so the mix varies from a thick batter to sticky soft dough-ish.
Amber says
November 15, 2018 at 11:02 pmThanks for your quick reply! After I submitted my question, I went back to the top of the recipe and noticed you stated specifically that they are oil-free. Doh! I ended up adding a bit more almond milk, and then I baked them in mini muffin pans. They didn’t seem to grow at all during baking, but they still came out fine. I had planned to drizzle a loaf with an almond glaze, and instead, since they were mini muffins, I put them all in a bowl and glazed them that way, stirring them around to coat all the sides. They were more like almond poppyseed donut holes. Yum! My kiddos enjoyed them, but they thought they were meatballs when they saw them all glazed and shiny on the plate (I used chia meal instead of flax, so they were dark). 😀 Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Nancy says
March 31, 2019 at 12:25 pmQuestion about the baking pan: The photos show a 6” round pan but the cake appears to be slices from a rectangular pan. I tried doubling and using an 8” square pan and it was a disaster. Will this work in a 9×5 loaf pan? If so, should I change the cooking time? (Can you tell I’m not a seasoned baker?)
Richa says
March 31, 2019 at 8:45 pmits a 6 inch pan. IT might have needed more almodn flour.almond flour doesnt absorb much liquid during baking, so you want to add more flour to make a stiff batter. When doubling in baking, you have to double depending on the properties of the dry ingredients. With regular flour, you generally need a tbsp or soless flour than double. with almond flour you would need a few tbsps more. Bake the batter into a muffin before baking a larger batch so you can adjust the batter.
almond flour baked goods will be even more finicky in a tall loaf pan
Nancy says
March 31, 2019 at 9:47 pmThanks. I’ll either try the muffins or buy a 6” round pan. Even though it was somewhat of a disaster, my husband has been eating it. Tastes great…just not “cakey “. I will definitely give it another try.
JdW says
June 16, 2019 at 4:15 pmAbsolutely delicious!! I made the almond extract version (1 less Tbsp sugar than the recipe). Yum. Next time I’ll try the lemon version. The cake was quite moist.
Joy says
August 14, 2019 at 11:33 amThis is one of my go-to recipes for when we have company over, and it’s always a hit! I use coconut palm sugar in it, and serve it with strawberries and coconut whipped cream. Absolutely wonderful, thank you.
Richa says
August 14, 2019 at 12:44 pmawesome!
Vanessa says
October 12, 2019 at 9:39 amI made this without the almond extract because I usually find the flavor to be too artificial. However, my batter was way too thick so I added a flax egg. The end result is okay but the overriding taste is flaxseed. I’ll probably try again with a bit of oil.
Richa says
October 12, 2019 at 11:28 amyes flax does add a lot of flavor. Just add more non dairymilk or oil
JULIA P. JONES says
November 14, 2019 at 6:22 pmI followed the recipe using potato starch and tapioca combo, and as per the footnote, added 3tsp coconut oil, cooked in muffin cases, then topped with lemon flavored icing . They didn’t brown at all, and looked like they were going to be heavy but surprisingly puffed up nicely, and were light, moist and delicious. I had a friend coming round for tea and this recipe was quick and easy and I appreciate that I was able to make a small quantity … 6 muffin sized cakes. We ate 2 and put the rest in the freezer for another day. Thanks Richa! oh, btw I made your Instantpot pumpkin soup, but in a saucepan – so easy and yummy. Loved that you used 1/4c cashew nuts i/o can of coconut milk.
Richa says
November 15, 2019 at 10:36 amawesome!