This air fryer almond cake is one of the easiest cakes to make. Rich and buttery, this simple cake has minimal ingredients and tastes amazing. The almond flavor really shines in this air fryer cake recipe. [Oven instructions provided.]
Table of Contents
Introduction
I make this almond cake at least as often as I do my pound cake. It’s one of my favorite desserts to make when I need to bring a dessert to a gathering. I always get requests for the recipe. You may also like my pear cake recipe.
I got the recipe from my friend Anne many years ago. I also have a slightly different version of this cake recipe. It uses melted butter instead of room temperature butter.
One of the best parts about this recipe is that it’s simple to make. It’s also hard to mess up. You’ll need to keep in mind that this almond cake is a dense cake. It’s crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside – kind of like a thick almond cookie.
If you’re looking for an airy and light cake, this may not be what you’re looking for. But if you try it, I have a feeling you’ll love it – especially if you like the flavor of almonds.
The only negative about making it in the air fryer is that the cake is pretty small. Because of the size limitations of my air fryer, I can only fit a 7 to 8-inch cake pan. If you want to make a larger quantity you may want to follow the oven directions.
If you’re interested in some other recipes that were tested in the Duo Crisp Instant Pot air fryer, try my brussel sprouts, roasted potatoes, or chicken wings.
Tips and Substitutions
Butter
Use room temperature unsalted butter. I love Kerry Gold butter or Land O Lakes but you can use any brand.
Flour
My favorite brand of flour is King Arthur all-purpose flour.
Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level off with a straight edge spatula or butter knife. Don’t scoop the flour directly from the container.
Temperature
This recipe was tested in the Instant Pot Duo Crisp and Cosori basket-style air fryers. Because the cake is closer to the heating element in the basket style air fryer, I found that the top got darker than in the Duo Crisp.
It still tasted great, but the next time I made it, I reduced the temperature to 340 F, which resulted in a lighter top. Bottom line: keep an eye on the cake to make sure it doesn’t brown too much, especially in the last 3 to 5 minutes.
Cake Pan
I have a 7-inch Fat Daddio push pan which works in both the 6 quart and 8 quart Instant Pots. An 8-inch Fat Daddio push pan will work in the 8 quart. However, an 8-inch springform cake pan won’t fit in the 8 quart. A 7.5-inch springform pan will fit the 8 quart.
Mixer
I use my handheld mixer in this recipe but if you have a stand mixer, feel free to use it with the paddle attachment. You can also use a whisk to beat the batter.
FAQS
This air fryer almond cake is a dense but moist cake. It isn’t supposed to be light and airy.
– Make sure the ingredients are at room temperature.
– Cream the butter and sugar till light and airy.
– Measure the flour by spooning it into the measuring cup.
– Don’t over mix the batter.
Once you remove the almond cake from the air fryer, let it cool on a cake rack for 15 minutes before you remove the cake from the pan.
You should be able to make this recipe in any model of air fryer provided the pan fits in the air fryer. This recipe was made in the Instant Pot Duo Crisp 8 quart air fryer.
Yes, just make sure you have a cake pan that fits in the 6 quart. The 7 inch Fat Daddio pan fits in the 6 quart inner pot perfectly. I haven’t tried this recipe in a 6 quart so I’m not sure if you’ll need to reduce the baking time by a few minutes due to the smaller size. If you do try it out in a 6 quart, please do comment and let me know if you had to reduce the cooking time.
Use a toothpick to poke the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. If it comes out wet, let it bake for a few minutes longer.
The temperature is probably too high. Lower the temperature and let it cook for 5 to 10 minutes longer.
Each air fryer is different. If you find that the cake is too brown on top, next time reduce the temperature to 340 degrees. You may need to increase the cooking time by 2 to 5 minutes.
The temperature may be too low or you may need to increase the baking time.
Glass is an insulator and it takes longer to heat up. Once heated up, the cake might cook faster on the outer edges than the inside. Therefore you might need to add more bake time.
You can safely store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for three days (if it lasts that long!)
Air Fryer Almond Cake – Ingredients
- Flour
- Sugar
- Almonds
- Butter
- Salt
- Egg
- Almond extract
- Vanilla
More details in the recipe card at the bottom of this post
How to Make Almond Cake in Air Fryer (Step by Step Instructions)
- Cream butter and sugar, add egg and extracts
- Mix in flour and pour in batter into cake pan
- Transfer cake pan to air fryer and air fry
- Test with toothpick and cool
Cream butter and sugar, add egg and extracts
- Stir together flour and salt and set aside.
- Grease and flour a 7-inch cake pan. (Find out how to grease and flour a cake pan.)
- Use a hand mixer to beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula.
- Add egg, almond and vanilla extracts and beat on low speed until incorporated. Don’t overmix.
Mix in flour and pour batter into cake pan
- Add the flour and beat until combined.
- Make sure you scrape the sides of the mixing bowl periodically while mixing.
- The batter should be thick and creamy.
- Evenly pour the batter into the cake pan.
- Use a spatula to gently smooth out the batter and make sure it’s evenly spread.
- Sprinkle almonds over the batter.
Transfer cake pan to air fryer and air fry
- Preheat the air fryer.
- Place cake pan in air fryer (If using Instant Pot air fryer lid, place a trivet in the inner pot and place the cake pan on the trivet.)
- Close the air fryer.
- Program the air fryer to bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes.
Test with toothpick and cool
- When the time runs down, the air fryer will beep and turn off. Open the air fryer.
- Use a toothpick to test if the cake is done. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done. If the toothpick is wet, put the lid back on and bake for another 3 to 5 minutes.
- Use oven mitts to remove the cake pan from the air fryer and place it on a cooling rack for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Turn the cake out onto a cake rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.
Oven Instructions for Almond Cake
To make this recipe in the oven:
- Double the ingredient quantities.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix flour and salt and set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar.
- Add eggs, almond, and vanilla extracts and mix.
- Add flour and mix until combined.
- Grease and flour baking pan.
- Pour batter into baking pan and sprinkle almonds.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until done.
- Cool for 15 minutes on a rack.
- Turn cake out onto a cake rack and cool completely.
See the recipe card below for detailed instructions.
Air Fryer Almond Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- pinch salt
- 6 Tbsp butter unsalted (3/4 stick), room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp almond extract
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp sliced almonds
Instructions
- Generously grease and flour a 7-inch cake pan.
- In a small bowl, use a whisk to stir together flour and salt.
- Use a handheld or stand mixer to beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and creamy. Do not use high speed. Periodically scrape the sides of the bowl using a silicone spatula.
- Beat in the egg on medium speed until combined.
- Beat in almond and vanilla extracts until just incorporated.
- Add the flour and beat until combined. Don't overmix. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl periodically.
- Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 350 degrees F.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Use a spatula to gently even out the batter.
- Sprinkle sliced almonds evenly over the batter.
- Place the baking pan in the air fryer and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes.
- Once the time is up, test the cake for doneness with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out wet or has crumbs on it, bake for another 3 to 5 minutes.
- Transfer the cake from the air fryer onto a cooling rack and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
- Turn the cake out onto a cake rack and allow it to cool completely.
To Make in the Oven, Follow Air Fryer Instructions Except:
- Double all ingredients and use a 9-inch cake pan.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
Notes
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. room temperature eggs, softened butter, etc.
- If baking in a basket-style air fryer (like Cosori), check on the cake at 22 minutes to make sure it’s not over-browning. If you find it’s too brown at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, the next time reduce the temperature to 340 degrees.
- If baking the cake in the oven, follow instructions for the air fryer except you’ll double the ingredients, increase the cake pan size, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour or until done.
- See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips, including some pro tips for success!
Nutrition
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I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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