This almond coffee cake is soft, moist, and has a gooey buttery frangipane topping. It's packed with almond flavor and the sliced almonds on top give a lovely crunch. The almond flour and olive oil in the cake give it a lovely moist and fluffy texture. And by baking it twice, first without the topping and the second time with- the frangipane stays nice and gooey. Just like the center of a twice baked almond croissant!
If you love almond croissants, you're going to love this almond croissant coffee cake.
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🍰 Why you'll LOVE this recipe
- Gooey almond frangipane topping: There's a layer of gooey, sweet almond topping with crunchy sliced almonds on top. Just like the filling of an almond croissant!
- Soft, buttery, fluffy: The cake has a tender, buttery crumb that stays moist for days.
- Almond flavor: There's so much almond flavor! The cake is vanilla almond flavored, and the topping has an intense (not overwhelming) almond flavor.
- Easy: It's an easy coffee cake to make and perfect enjoyed with a cup of coffee or tea in the morning.
📝 Key ingredients
Read through for all the tips you will need for success!
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below.
Almond flour: A little goes into the cake batter and the rest gets added into the gooey frangipane topping. Almond flour inside the cake gave it the most tender and buttery Crumb!
Olive oil: this helps keep the cake moist, and adds a subtle layer of flavor that helps elevate the flavor profile. Use a light olive oil (or your favorite vegetable oil) for little to no flavor, or a more robust olive oil for a subtle "Mmm, what is that delicious flavor in the background."
Butter: I love using an oil and butter blend in my cakes, I find that butter adds such a delicious flavor, white oil helps keep the cake moist for days!
Almond extract: This is key to giving your cake and frangipane that strong, floral, almond flavor. It's what gives almond croissants their almond flavor! Don't leave this ingredient out! Almond extract is usually easy to find along with vanilla extract at your local grocery store.
All purpose flour: Weigh the flour to get the most accurate results. If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by stirring the bag and spooning gently into a measuring cup. Scrape the excess off the top with the flat edge off a knife without packing it into the cup.
Sliced almonds: These give the top a beautiful, toasty, nutty, crunch. You can buy almonds already sliced, or carefully slice raw almonds yourself - it might take a while though!
Sour cream: I love using sour cream in coffee cakes because it adds lots of moisture and creates a really tender crumb. You can substitute it with Greek yogurt which was also very delicious.
👩🍳 How to make almond coffee cake
Almond coffee cake step by step
Prep: Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Grease a 9" round springform pan with butter. Alternatively, grease and line the bottom of a 9" regular round pan with parchment paper - you'll have to flip the cake out onto a plate when it's ready, then flip it back onto its bottom with another plate. Don’t leave parchment paper sticking up the sides because it could burn in the oven with this recipe!
Step 1: In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine butter, oil, sugar, and salt. Beat until light and creamy.
Step 2: Add eggs, and beat again to incorporate them.
Step 3: Add vanilla extract, almond extract, sour cream, almond flour, and beat until creamy.
Step 4: Sift the flour, baking soda, and baking powder into the same bowl. Fold the batter with a whisk - stop folding as soon as a batter forms. Don't overmix.
Step 5: Transfer the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. It's ready when a toothpick inserted through the center comes out clean with a few crumbs attached. It shouldn't come out covered in batter!
Step 6: While it bakes, get started on the frangipane topping.
Gooey frangipane topping step by step
Step 1: In a large bowl, combine sugar and butter and beat or smash with a spatula until smooth.
Step 2: Add eggs, and beat until almost smooth. It will smoothen out more when you add the almond flour.
Step 3: Add almond flour, almond extract, and salt. Beat well until smooth and combined.
Step 4: As soon as the cake is finished baking, remove it from the oven and spread the frangipane in an even layer over the hot cake. Sprinkle with sliced almonds
Step 5: Place the cake back into the oven for 8 - 10 minutes. I preferred 8 minutes for a gooey-er topping. Then, to toast the almonds on top, turn on the broil setting in the oven and broil for 1-2 minutes - don't take your eye off it or it will burn!
Step 6: Remove the cake from the oven. Let cool for 10 minutes then run a spatula around the edges and release the sides of the cake pan. Let it cool completely to room temperature before dusting with powdered sugar, slicing, and serving!
✔️ Expert coffee cake tips
- Bake the cake fully before topping with the almond frangipane. But you also don't want to overbake it or else it could get dry. It's perfectly ready when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with a few crumbs attached.
- For a perfectly gooey almond frangipane topping: Don't overbake the top. I found that 8 - 10 minutes was the perfect range, with 8 being a little underdone and 10 being a little more done but still soft in the center.
- Don't burn the top under the broiler! Watch the oven door vigilantly and remove the cake as soon as the top is toasty brown.
🥄 Make ahead and storage
This almond coffee cake will store really well since it's so moist! Place slices into an airtight container or bag and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can store it at room temperature for a day or two if you bake the frangipane for a little longer.
To keep the cake even longer, consider freezing leftover pieces in an airtight container or bag for up to 3 months.
❔ Why I baked this almond cake twice
I originally tried to have a frangipane layer in the middle and the top, like a layered cinnamon coffee cake. I tested this variation, but the frangipane melted into the cake completely and it didn't have that gooey texture that is so delicious in an almond croissant. It wasn't worth the extra effort.
So, I decided to try making a twice baked coffee cake - mirroring how almond croissants are baked twice. Since they're typically baked without the almond filling, sliced in half, and baked again with the almond filling.
This ended up being such a good choice! The tender almond cake is topped off with a frangipane that's baked just enough to still be slightly goo. The middle ends up being slightly gooey. And to get the perfect toast on the almonds, the cake is briefly broiled afterwards. This twice baked method was revolutionary.
📖 Recipe FAQs
Yes you can. I prefer using a round pan and cutting wedges because this way each piece gets a bit of that incredible gooey center.
I originally tried this but it ended up melting into the cake, and you couldn't detect any layers. All that hard work and you couldn't even notice a difference. It just wasn’t worth it!
I don't recommend it because it overbakes and you don't get a gooey almond layer on top. It's so worth it to bake this cake twice- exactly like the twice baked almond croissants.
Use 1:1 gluten free flour instead of all purpose flour for the cake base. The topping is naturally gluten free!
No, typically coffee cake doesn't contain coffee. Coffee cake is meant to be eaten alongside a cup of coffee, and this almond coffee cake pairs so well with a hot cup!
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📖 Recipe
Almond Coffee Cake with Gooey Almond Topping
Equipment
- 9 inch round springform pan
Ingredients
Coffee Cake Batter
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened (omit the salt if using salted butter)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup almond flour ground almonds
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour 150g
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
Almond Frangipane Topping
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 ½ cups almond flour ground almonds
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions
Coffee Cake Batter
- Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Grease a 9" round springform pan with butter. Alternatively, grease and line the bottom of a 9" regular round pan with parchment paper - you'll have to flip the cake out onto a plate when it's ready, then flip it back onto its bottom with another plate. Don’t leave parchment paper sticking up the sides because it could burn in the oven with this recipe!
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine butter, oil, sugar, and salt. Beat until light and creamy.¼ cup unsalted butter, ¼ cup olive oil, ¾ cup granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Add eggs and beat again to incorporate them.2 large eggs
- Add vanilla extract, almond extract, sour cream, almond flour, and beat until creamy.1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon almond extract, ½ cup sour cream, ⅓ cup almond flour
- Sift the flour, baking soda, and baking powder into the same bowl. Fold the batter with a whisk - stop folding as soon as a batter forms. Don't overmix.1 ¼ cup all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- Transfer the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. It's ready when a toothpick inserted through the center comes out clean with a few crumbs attached. It shouldn't come out covered in batter!
- While it bakes, get started on the frangipane topping.
Frangipane Topping
- In a large bowl, combine sugar and butter and beat or smash with a spatula until smooth.½ cup unsalted butter, ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- Add eggs, and beat until almost smooth. It will smoothen out more when you add the almond flour.2 large eggs
- Add almond flour, almond extract, and salt. Beat well until smooth and combined.1 ½ cups almond flour, 1 teaspoon almond extract, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- As soon as the cake base is finished baking, remove it from the oven and spread the frangipane in an even layer over the hot cake. Sprinkle with sliced almonds½ cup sliced almonds
- Place the cake back into the oven for 8 - 10 minutes. I preferred 8 minutes for a gooey-er topping. Then, to toast the almonds on top, turn on the broil setting in the oven and broil for 1-2 minutes - don't take your eye off it or it will burn!
- Remove the cake from the oven. Let cool for 10 minutes then run a spatula around the edges and release the sides of the cake pan. Let it cool completely to room temperature before dusting with powdered sugar, slicing, and serving!2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Video
Notes
- Bake the cake fully before topping with the almond frangipane.
- Don't overbake the top for a perfectly gooey almond frangipane topping.
- Don't burn the top under the broiler!
Ashley
The cake was absolutely lovely. I am making another one this week. I may make two of them!
Shahed
it was delicious