Gluten Free Almond Pound Cake Recipe

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Pound cake is not considered the most gorgeous gal at the prom; in fact, there are those who would consider it quite plain, ordinary and run of the mill. Not me. I have always loved pound cake.

I don’t care that it isn’t all dolled up with frosting and sugar roses. I just think it doesn’t need the adornment to shine, like a truly beautiful woman who needs no makeup.

Sure, I like chocolate layer cake but pound cake and I go way back. It was the first cake I ever “made” or should I say defrosted? Remember Sarah Lee Pound Cake? I do. In fact it was one of the few things I mourned when I went gluten free. When I was developing my own gluten free flour blend, I didn’t consider the development complete until it produced a perfect pound cake.

I once spent several weeks in a very impoverished country in West Africa. The quality of food in our relatively luxurious hotel was as poor as the country’s inhabitants; the eggs had watery, green yolks, the beef was tough and stringy, the vegetables and fruit were washed in water that contained a bacteria unfamiliar to our Western constitutions and the fish was pulled from a river where the inhabitants washed their clothes, animals and bodies. The country had once been a settlement of the French, so our hotel offered exceptional coffee, red wine and, you guessed it, pound cake. Pound cake sustained me for two weeks.

To me, pound cake is like the perfect pair of jeans — fitting for almost any occasion, easily dressed up when a fancier occasion calls for it. I don’t mind the plainness of pound cake; in fact, I embrace it.

I surprised even myself when I decided to deviate from my regular plain-Jane pound cake recipe. But I am not sorry I did. With the addition of a can of Solo Almond Paste to the batter and a bath in simple syrup enlivened with pure almond extract, this gluten Free Almond Pound Cake recipe is indeed a winner. It is also easier to prepare than my regular pound cake recipe; the batter is prepared entirely in the food processor. It is definitely a keeper.

I have more than one pair of perfect jeans and now I have more than one recipe for perfect pound cake.

Gluten Free Almond Pound Cake

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Gluten Free Almond Pound Cake Recipe

By Gluten Free & More
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 10 people
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Ingredients 

  • Gluten free, non-stick cooking spray
  • 8 ounces Solo Almond Paste
  • 2 cups sugar, use divided
  • ½ cup 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cup into tablespoon sized pieces
  • 6 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups gluten free all-purpose flour, in place of gluten-free all-purpose flour, you can use 2/3 cup superfine white rice flour, 1/3 cup sweet rice flour, ½ cup tapioca starch and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 tablespoon pure almond extract

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 cup bundt pan liberally with cooking spray.
  • Crumble the almond paste into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add 1 ½ cups sugar and process until the mixture looks like coarse sand. Add the butter and process until the mixture starts to ball up in the processor. With the machine running, add the eggs one at a time, letting the machine run for a few seconds between each addition. Add the vanilla. Turn the machine off and add the flour, salt and baking powder. Process until the batter is combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • While the cake is baking, combine the remaining ½ cup sugar with ½ cup water and bring to a boil, stirring to melt the sugar. Remove from the heat and stir in the almond extract. Let cool.
  • When the cake is done, spoon on the syrup and them let the cake sit for 30 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed and the cake releases easily from the pan. Flip the cake onto a serving plate and serve.

Notes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 cup bundt pan liberally with cooking spray. Crumble the almond paste into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add 1 ½ cups sugar and process until the mixture looks like coarse sand. Add the butter and process until the mixture starts to ball up in the processor. With the machine running, add the eggs one at a time, letting the machine run for a few seconds between each addition. Add the vanilla. Turn the machine off and add the flour, salt and baking powder. Process until the batter is combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. While the cake is baking, combine the remaining ½ cup sugar with ½ cup water and bring to a boil, stirring to melt the sugar. Remove from the heat and stir in the almond extract. Let cool. When the cake is done, spoon on the syrup and them let the cake sit for 30 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed and the cake releases easily from the pan. Flip the cake onto a serving plate and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 384kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 5gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 122mgSodium: 238mgPotassium: 168mgFiber: 1gSugar: 48gVitamin A: 425IUCalcium: 83mgIron: 0.9mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owner’s. This blog accepts free manufacturers’ samples and forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation. Affiliate links may be included in this post.

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23 Comments

  1. Ina gawne says:

    I love pound cake – and yours looks perfect! I have never heard of Solo Almond Paste – sounds delicious!

  2. Helene says:

    It turned out looking so good.

  3. Donna says:

    Fantastic! I am making this for a brunch coming up with my in laws, thanks!

  4. InTolerant Chef says:

    What a lovely variation on the pound cake indeed! This was the first cake I learnt to make too :) Always a classic!

    1. Gluten Free & More says:

      Thank you so much!

  5. gay says:

    can you use honey or agave nector in place of the sugar and if so how much would you use?

    1. Gluten Free & More says:

      For the syrup just substitute the agave for the sugar in equal amounts. For the cake I would cut back by 1/4 cup, lower the oven tenperature by 25 degrees and cook it longer – not sure exactly how much longer, just test it. I hope this helps!

  6. Jana says:

    Wow, this is fantastic. I too am a big pound cake fan but have not had one sice going gluten free. Thanks for this!

  7. Renee Cook says:

    I just ate a warm piece of this pound cake and it is Amazing !! Love at First Bite !! thank you Carol xo

    1. Gluten Free & More says:

      So happy you enjoyed it! My hubby is begging me to make another one already!

  8. moonsword says:

    Many thanks for sharing this recipe! Pound cake was my absolute favorite as a kid and yes, in college too! With berry sauces or ice cream or just a monolith-sized chunk on its own, all full of rich pound cakey goodness. Cheers!

    1. Gluten Free & More says:

      You are very welcome! Enjoy.

  9. Heather says:

    it is in the oven baking right now!!! I am going the honey route with the syrup and cut back on the sugar. I know it is going to be AMAZING! Thanks for this great recipe Carol!

    1. Gluten Free & More says:

      Thanks – keep me posted!

  10. Marilyn says:

    I made this almond bundt cake for the second time and I have to say it is the best cake esp. being gluten free. I brought some into work and gave to my girlfriends and they were blown away by how delicious it was. They would never have guessed it was gluten free. Thank you for this recipe!

    1. Gluten Free & More says:

      Thank you Marilyn, so happy to hear this!