Indulge in the Ultimate Gluten-Free Lemon Raspberry Almond Crumb Cake

Prepare to fall in love with a dessert that’s as delightful to bake as it is to eat: our Lemon Raspberry Almond Crumb Cake. This exquisite cake is a symphony of textures and flavors, featuring a soft, fluffy crumb that simply melts in your mouth. Each bite is an explosion of juicy, vibrant raspberries and the bright, zesty tang of fresh lemon, all perfectly complemented by a rich, nutty almond undertone. To top it all off, a simple yet irresistible crumb topping adds that essential crunch and sweet finish. What truly sets this recipe apart is its inclusive nature – crafted with almond and buckwheat flour, it’s entirely gluten-free and grain-free, making it a wonderful treat for everyone, especially those with dietary sensitivities. Plus, it’s also dairy-free!

Whether you’re looking for the perfect accompaniment to your afternoon tea, a satisfying coffee break indulgence, or a show-stopping dessert for guests, this almond flour cake is an absolute winner. Its straightforward preparation ensures that even novice bakers can achieve spectacular results, and with our helpful tips and substitutions, you can easily customize this crumb cake recipe to make it uniquely yours.

My Summer Baking Adventures and the Birth of This Recipe

Life has a funny way of dictating our priorities, and this past week, the glorious weather took precedence over my usual baking schedule. While I always intend to publish a few new recipes each week, the sunshine and warmth of summer here are fleeting – truly, this past week felt like our entire summer! So, instead of being tethered to a hot kitchen, I embraced the outdoors, enjoying invigorating hikes and peaceful, relaxing evenings on the back deck. It’s all about soaking up those precious moments when they arrive.

But even with all the summer fun, my passion for creating delicious, wholesome recipes never truly takes a backseat. Amidst the outdoor adventures, I found time to perfect this delightful raspberry lemon cake. It’s designed to be an easy snack cake, requiring minimal effort and no fancy equipment. The crumb topping, in particular, is ridiculously simple to throw together, yet it adds an incredible textural and flavor dimension. Trust me, this is one recipe that’s absolutely worth turning on your oven for, even on a warm day. The fresh, bright flavors of lemon and raspberry simply scream summer, making it an ideal treat for the season.

If you find yourself craving more easy-to-make, satisfying snack cakes, be sure to explore some of my other favorites. You might love this equally delicious lemon almond flour cake, which offers another wonderful gluten-free option, or perhaps this light and fluffy blueberry ricotta cake for a different berry experience!

Essential Ingredients for Your Gluten-Free Crumb Cake

Creating this magnificent Lemon Raspberry Almond Crumb Cake requires a selection of fresh, high-quality ingredients that come together to form its unique flavor profile and texture. Here’s a detailed look at what you’ll need:

• Raspberries: Fresh, plump raspberries are key for that burst of juicy, sweet-tart flavor. They soften beautifully during baking, releasing their vibrant essence into the cake.
• Lemon: Both the juice and zest of fresh lemons are essential. The zest provides aromatic oils, while the juice adds a bright, tangy counterpoint to the sweetness of the cake and berries.
• Almond Flour: This is the hero of our gluten-free base, contributing a wonderfully moist texture and a delicate, nutty flavor that pairs perfectly with the lemon and raspberries.
• Buckwheat Flour: While its name might suggest otherwise, buckwheat is naturally gluten-free. Light buckwheat flour adds a subtle earthy note and helps create the perfect crumb structure, especially in the topping.
• Sliced Almonds: These are primarily for the crumb topping, adding an extra layer of crunch and nutty flavor that complements the almond flour in the cake.
• Cane Sugar: Used for both the cake and the crumb topping, cane sugar provides a clean sweetness without being overly refined.
• Cinnamon: A touch of ground cinnamon in the cake adds a warm, inviting spice that enhances the overall flavor profile.
• Salt: A pinch of salt is crucial to balance the sweetness and bring out the depth of all the other flavors.
• Baking Soda: Our leavening agent, ensuring the cake rises beautifully and achieves that desirable fluffy texture.
• Non-Dairy Milk: Unsweetened almond milk (or any other non-dairy milk of your choice) keeps this cake dairy-free while contributing moisture.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: This provides rich moisture and a subtle fruity note to the cake, replacing butter for a dairy-free option.
• Coconut Oil: Melted coconut oil is essential for binding the crumb topping ingredients together, giving it that perfect crumble.
• Egg: A single egg acts as a binder, adding structure and richness to the cake batter.

Baking Your Almond Flour Cake: A Simple, Mixer-Free Method

One of the many joys of this Lemon Raspberry Almond Crumb Cake recipe is its incredible simplicity. Forget about dragging out heavy mixers; this cake comes together effortlessly with just a few bowls and spoons, and you can have it prepped and ready for the oven in approximately 10 minutes. It’s truly a testament to easy baking!

You’ll begin by combining all your dry ingredients – the almond flour, buckwheat flour, cane sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt – in a large bowl. Give them a good whisk to ensure they are thoroughly combined. Next, in another bowl, mix your wet ingredients: the non-dairy milk, olive oil, egg, and the vibrant lemon juice and zest. Pour the wet mixture into the dry, and gently stir until all the dry ingredients are just incorporated. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to a tougher cake. The goal is a light and tender crumb.

Once your batter is ready, pour it evenly into a greased 9-inch springform pan. Now comes the star fruit: carefully arrange the fresh raspberries on top of the batter, pressing them gently into the surface a little bit. This ensures they are nestled perfectly within the cake.

To craft the irresistible crumb topping, simply combine a quarter cup each of light buckwheat flour, cane sugar, and sliced almonds in a small bowl. Drizzle in three teaspoons of melted virgin coconut oil and stir everything together with a fork until a lovely, crumbly mixture forms. This blend of ingredients is what will give your cake that delightful crunchy crust. Sprinkle this crumb mixture generously over the raspberries. Bake your cake in a preheated 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for about 35 to 37 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow it to cool completely on a wire rack before carefully slicing and serving. This cooling time is crucial for the cake to set properly and for the flavors to meld beautifully.

Almond Flour vs. Almond Meal: What’s the Key Difference?

Understanding the distinction between almond flour and almond meal is crucial for achieving the perfect texture in your baked goods, especially for a delicate crumb cake like this one. While both are made from ground almonds, their preparation leads to different consistencies and properties.

Almond flour is typically made from blanched almonds, meaning the skins have been removed before grinding. This results in a much finer, lighter texture, almost like conventional flour. The absence of skins also gives it a lighter color. For this cake recipe, almond flour is preferred because its fine texture contributes to the cake’s desired softness and fluffiness, creating a more tender crumb that closely mimics traditional wheat flour cakes.

Almond meal, on the other hand, is made from raw, unblanched almonds, meaning the skins are left on during grinding. This gives it a coarser, grittier texture and a slightly darker, speckled appearance due to the almond skins. While I sometimes enjoy using almond meal in recipes where a more rustic texture is desired, such as cookies or certain bread, I find almond flour truly excels in this Lemon Raspberry Almond Crumb Cake, ensuring a consistently smooth and tender cake crumb.

Optimal Storage for Your Berry-Filled Almond Flour Cake

Because almond flour naturally creates a wonderfully moist and tender cake, proper storage is essential to maintain its freshness and prevent spoilage, particularly when fresh berries are involved. If you’re not planning to devour the entire cake within a day or so of baking, it’s highly recommended to store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

The natural moisture content of the cake, combined with the fresh raspberries, makes it more susceptible to spoiling at room temperature, especially during warmer, more humid summer months. Refrigeration helps to slow down the degradation of the berries and preserves the cake’s delicious flavor and texture for longer, typically up to 3-4 days. Always ensure the container is airtight to prevent the cake from drying out or absorbing odors from other foods in your fridge.

Can You Freeze This Raspberry Almond Flour Cake?

While the convenience of freezing baked goods for later enjoyment is often appealing, this particular raspberry cake is truly best enjoyed fresh. I’ve experimented with freezing individual slices, defrosting them overnight in the refrigerator, and unfortunately, the results weren’t ideal. The delicate crumb topping, a highlight of this cake, tends to lose its crispiness and can become soft and somewhat soggy after freezing and thawing. Additionally, the fresh berries, while still flavorful, often turn mushy, compromising their texture and appeal within the cake.

For these reasons, I generally don’t recommend making this cake far ahead of time with the intention of freezing it. Its magic truly lies in its fresh-baked state, where the crumb is perfectly tender, the topping is delightfully crisp, and the raspberries burst with their original juiciness. Enjoy it within a few days of baking for the ultimate experience!

Additional Tips and Customization for Your Lemon Raspberry Almond Crumb Cake

This recipe is incredibly versatile, allowing for various adjustments to suit your preferences or what you have on hand. Here are some extra tips and substitution ideas to help you make this cake truly your own:

• Buckwheat Flour Varieties: Buckwheat flour comes in two main varieties: light and dark. For this recipe, especially for the aesthetic of the crumb topping and a milder flavor, I highly recommend using light buckwheat flour. If you opt for dark buckwheat flour, be aware that your cake and its topping will have a noticeably darker hue and a slightly more pronounced, earthy flavor.
• Sugar Alternatives: If cane sugar isn’t available, you have excellent alternatives. Coconut sugar or brown sugar can be used interchangeably for both the cake batter and the crumb topping, adding a lovely caramel-like depth. For the cake batter specifically, you can also use regular granulated sugar. However, for the crumb topping, stick with a coarser sugar like cane, coconut, or brown sugar to ensure that delightful textural crunch.
• Experiment with Other Berries and Fruits: This cake is a fantastic canvas for other seasonal produce! Feel free to use what you have readily available. Blueberries, cherries (pitted, of course), or blackberries are all wonderful options that pair beautifully with lemon and almond. Each will lend its own unique flavor profile to the cake.
• Using Frozen Berries: Don’t let the lack of fresh berries stop you! You can absolutely use frozen berries in this recipe. Just be sure to thaw them completely and drain any excess liquid before folding them into the batter or arranging them on top. This prevents the cake from becoming too wet or dense.
• Citrus Flavor Variations: For a delightful twist, consider swapping out the lemon for another citrus fruit. Using orange juice and zest instead of lemon will give the cake a sweeter, sunnier disposition, while lime would offer a sharper, more exotic tang.
• Alternative Baking Pans: While a 9-inch springform pan is ideal for easy removal and presentation, this cake is forgiving. You can also successfully bake it in a high-rimmed pie plate or even a cast iron skillet of similar size. Adjust baking time slightly if using a pan with different heat retention properties.
• Knowing When Your Cake is Done: The cake is fully baked when it’s golden brown around the edges, the crumb topping is crispy, and a wooden toothpick or cake tester inserted into the very center comes out clean. If it comes out with wet batter, continue baking for a few more minutes.
• Preventing Over-Browning of the Crumb Topping: If you notice the crumb topping browning too quickly before the cake is fully cooked, simply tent the cake loosely with aluminum foil for the last few minutes of baking. This will protect the topping while allowing the cake to finish cooking through.
• Aesthetic Touch with Icing Sugar: For a lovely visual finish, a light dusting of icing sugar (confectioners’ sugar) over the cooled cake before serving is a nice touch. However, keep in mind that most icing sugars contain cornstarch to prevent caking, which means if you’re strictly avoiding grains, this step would make the cake technically no longer grain-free.

If you’ve fallen in love with this delightful raspberry cake, you might enjoy exploring some of these other fantastic recipes from Crumb Top Baking:

• Raspberry Lemon Chia Buckwheat Muffins
• Raspberry Chocolate Chip Nice Cream Pops
• Berry Citrus Kale Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Pin this Lemon Raspberry Almond Crumb Cake to make for dessert!

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