It was my birthday a few days ago and I made myself a cake – mostly because I make most of the cakes around here, and I knew exactly what I wanted. An almond flour cake, chocolate ganache, and strawberries, refrigerated for a few hours. That’s all. Oh, and our dog, Dexter, singing Happy Birthday along with the gang.
This cake has two parts to it: the cake baking and the chocolate ganache topping and filling. And the strawberries, or berry jam. And you don’t need a special occasion for this cake (smile).
Update: This cake can be finicky, so I suggest if you’re looking for a reliable yellow cake, to try either Simple Yellow Cake and Cupcakes, or Yellow Cake Using Almond Flour.
Refrigerator Cake
I now use this ganache more often, and it's dairy-free as well.
Servings: 8 slices
Calories: 485kcal
Ingredients
Cake
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups blanched almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of salt
Ganache
- 1.5 cups chocoolate chips
- 2 teaspoons yogurt or milk or cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 310 degrees F.
- In a bowl, blend yogurt, eggs, honey, and vanilla together. Next, add 3 tablespoons of melted butter and blend well.
- Add all the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and pinch of salt) to the wet mixture, and blend well.
- Pour the batter into a buttered baking pan (Sometimes, if I'm really paranoid about my baking pan, I also add a circle cut-out of parchment paper to the bottom of the pan).
- Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until the center is not wiggly. The top will be starting to brown and a toothpick will come out clean. Cool completely and then slice the cake into two layers using a sharp, long, carving knife. Set the layers apart and get the bottom layer ready to receive the berries and chocolate gananche.
- Prepare the ganache by adding the chocolate chips, cream (or yogurt), and butter into a bain-marie, or a bowl placed over simmering water. The idea is to melt it all together slowly until you have a chocolate liquid. If the mixture is too thick, add more butter or yogurt (I use creme fraiche instead of heavy cream).
- Place strawberries or other kind of berry across the bottom layer of the cake. Next, pour about 1/3 of the ganache over the strawberries on the bottom layer.
- Now place the top layer over the bottom layer. Pour the remaining ganache over the top layer of the cake and then smooth it out and push some of the ganache slightly over the edges so it starts to drip down the sides of the cake.
- Cool the cake in the refrigerator for as long as you can hold back, and then serve it.
- Store the cake in the refrigerator, covered if possible. Once it is cold, it is easier to slice the cake with a carving knife.
Nutrition
Calories: 485kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 187mg | Potassium: 52mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 377IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 2mg
Hi!
I made this last night and I had the same problem with the cake sinking in the middle. I still put it all together, but it was very difficult to slice in half. In the end the cake tasted great, but I wasn’t able to give it as a birthday gift.
I followed the recipe as listed, but I did see the advice you gave to the Alicia. I just thought I would use your recipe as listed before I changed it up. You advised Alicia to use less honey, so maybe next time use a 1/4th of cup? Maybe bake at 300 degrees?
I really want to try this recipe again:-) I loved all the ingredients and had never baked with almond flour before. It tasted delicious it just didn’t look as pretty as yours!
I would suggest using my yellow cake recipes since I haven’t made this one in quite a while. Sorry you had difficulty with it! It is a finicky recipe. Yes, to less honey, and yes to higher temperature. I definitely think the yellow cake (recipe testing version) is reliable. This one: https://comfybelly.wpengine.com/2012/11/recipe-testing-simple-yellow-cake-and-cupcakes/ OR this one: https://comfybelly.wpengine.com/2011/03/yellow-cake-using-almond-flour/
Thank you! I will give the yellow cake a try. Although I’m going to give this one another try as well;-) thanks!
Hi Erica, I just found your site when I looked for recipes using almond flour. A “comfy belly” is what I am looking for. The cakes look great, but I am a pie person. Do you have a good “almond flour pie crust” recipe that I can use for pumpkin pie or lemon meringue pies which I love. I am gluten free but want to use nut flours instead of rice flours. Thank you.
Mine sunk in the middle after baking it an additional 10 mins. What did I do wrong? Do you use a convection oven?
The batter tasted delicious…
it’s a bit finicky. You can try a few things: baking at a lower temperature slightly longer, reduce the amount of honey you add, bake it in a pan with a larger diameter (flatter, but more evenly baked). Hope that helps!
This cake has became the go to cake in my house! It is good plain,w/ganache, w/homemade vanilla ice cream, w/homemade berry topping, or even dairy free(I used coconut oil, milk, and yogurt). Grain lovers and grain-free peoples LOVE Love this cake! It is easy to make and the batter smells like a yellow cake mix! So good! Thank you!!!
How did I miss this? It looks awesome and I will most definitely be trying it soon!!
M – awesome! thanks so much for sharing. Glad you had a cake to celebrate!
I am hypoglycemic and haven’t had a birthday cake in a few years. I made this cake substituting 1/2 applesauce for the honey and sweetened it with stevia. I found a very low sugar chocolate bar by Lindt and made the ganache with it. It is absolutely delicious. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Thanks Pat!
Thank you for all your time and energy, you are truly appreciated!
I have made this cake (sans frosting) 3 times as it magically disappears. I eat it warmed for breakfast, cold after lunch, warm for an afternoon snack, warmed after dinner and again warmed for a night time snack. It is my all time favorite recipe that keeps me gluten and sugar free. Thank you again for all your fabulous recipes, as they are delicious and keep my belly comfy!
Thank you for all your time and energy, you are truly appreciated!
I have made this cake (sans frosting) 3 times as it magically disappears. I eat it warmed for breakfast, cold after lunch, warm for an afternoon snack, warmed after dinner and again warmed for a night time snack. It is my all time favorite recipe that keeps me gluten and sugar free. Thank you again for all your fabulous recipes, as they are delicious and keep my belly comfy!
Mmm, cinnamon sounds great. Reminds me of Mexican hot chocolate – they add cinnamon and it’s fabulous.
I made this cake for my brother’s birthday last week. I added some cinnamon to the ganache because in this household, we love cinnamon!! The cake was delicious. Great recipe!