Flourless lemon and almond sour cream cake

A super moist, flourless cake, topped with a zesty icing.

This cake uses almond meal and sour cream to make it so super moist, which matches the tang of the lemon in the cake and the (optional) icing. Kind of like a juicy lemon! Perfect with a cup of tea or coffee, of course.

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Made with home-grown (but not from my home, from the cousin’s home) lemons and a drive to use up some (ngl, kinda old) almond meal.

It baked up pretty much perfectly flat too, instead of sinking like a lot of flourless cakes do. It may look slightly sunken in the images, but that’s due to the fact that I was so intent on using a new-old plate I got from work (it was otherwise going to be thrown out) which was too small. The edges of the cake sat on the lip of the plate, causing the middle to sink to the bottom of the plate because, y’know, gravity.

To be honest, I wasn’t originally intending on making a recipe out of this, but it turned out so well that I had to share. I wasn’t even planning on shooting it but, again, it turned out so well that I simply had to pretty it up and shoot it (hence the lack of type of shots - I did not plan), thus thinking that I might as well develop it into a recipe, especially since I seem to always have an excess of lemon, almond meal, and sour cream. A good problem to have, but a mild problem nonetheless.

I know I’ve already shared a few citrus + sour cream/yoghurt recipe, but I promise they’re all different. Plus, it’s just such a good combo. You’d never complain if someone shared like 15 cookie recipes now, would you? They’re even all completely different, not just variations of the same base recipe.

Though speaking of variations, I’m sure you could do the same with orange instead of lemon. I wonder what an orange and cinnamon version would be like?

This cake does not contain butter or oil, yet still feels rich and moist due to the almond meal and the sour cream. Or you could use Greek yoghurt instead of sour cream, up to you! Would be great if you’re someone who wants to consume more protein I guess?

You could also add some thyme in when combining the lemon zest with the sugar, and/or sprinkle a little on top, for an additional layer of flavour. Feels a little more sophisticated too somehow. Why is that? Why does adding herbs and spices always feel a little fancier?

I promise though, it’s just as good without the thyme.

Also feel free to brush on some lemon syrup (recipe here) for extra flavour and moisture. Honestly, it doesn’t really need it, but you could use it instead of the icing if icing isn’t your jam.

Recipe

For the cake

Makes 1 23cm cake

INGREDIENTS:

• 6g lemon zest

• 200g castor sugar

• 4 eggs

• 125ml lemon juice

• 150g sour cream

• 1tsp vanilla extract

• 400g almond meal

• 1/2tsp baking soda

• 1tsp baking powder

METHOD:

1. Line a 23cm round cake pan and preheat your oven to 180°C.

2. Stir together the zest and sugar until evenly mixed. Set aside.

3. Stir the sour cream to loosen it up until it is smooth, then add in the juice and vanilla. Stir to combine, then set aside.

4. In a large bowl, crack in the eggs and add the sugar/zest mixture. Beat until it has significantly lightened in colour and has increased in volume. Beat on a medium low speed first, then increase to a medium speed (5-6 on a hand mixer).

5. On the lowest speed, beat the sour cream mixture into the egg mixture until combined, then the almond mixture until half combined. Fold with a spatula until fully combined.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool on a cooling rack until fully cooled.

For the icing

INGREDIENTS:

• 200g icing sugar mixture OR pure icing sugar (I find that you need more if using pure)

• 30-50g lemon juice

• zest of 1 lemon (optional)

METHOD:

1. Sift the sugar into a bowl. Add roughly 20g of the lemon juice and stir to combine. Gradually add more lemon juice, a little at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. If it becomes too runny, add more sugar. I found that 40g of lemon juice was enough to allow the icing to drip down the sides but still remain relatively thick.

2. Spread the icing onto the cooled cake and sprinkle with lemon zest if desired.

That’s it!

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.