Cherry Almond Cake

This gluten-free cherry almond cake also called a buckle features a lemon and olive oil batter with cherries, for an everyday kind of dessert that’s easy to make and enjoy.

I generally try to avoid turning on the oven in the summer, but I will make an exception for dessert.  It just wouldn’t be summer without a baked fruit dessert like a crumble, crisp or pie on the menu.  And while those may be the most obvious choices when faced with an abundance of summer fruit, I also like to make buckle cakes, like this cherry buckle.

What is a buckle?

A buckle is a charmingly rustic dessert that’s in the same family of fruit-filled desserts as pies and cobblers but more cake-like.  It’s like a cross between a southern-style cobbler and a coffee cake; heavy on the fruit like a cobbler, but with a dense crumb more like a coffee cake.  A not too sweet or overly fussy kind of dessert that's also thankfully quick and easy to make since it doesn’t require any rolling of dough.

I always love a simple cake that really lets the fruit take center stage, especially this time of year. My favorite kind of buckle to make right now is a cherry buckle since cherries are at their peak but a mixed berry buckle would be terrific as well and towards the end of the season I’ll be making them with plums.  And if you’re in the mood for a buckle out of season or just don’t have enough fresh fruit on hand, frozen fruit will do the trick.

How to make a buckle:

1. First the rich almond four and lemon batter is whisked together by hand, and spread out onto the bottom of a baking dish.
2. Next the fruit is piled on top and placed in the oven.
3. As the buckle bakes, the weight of the fruit causes the batter to start to puff up and around the cherries, creating pockets of sweet fruit and tender cake.  It’s this rustic, bumpy and “buckled” appearance that gives the cake its name.
4. Serve it with a little dairy-free ice cream on the side for dessert and save the leftovers for breakfast the next morning with a dollop of dairy-free yogurt. 

However you choose to serve it, this summery dessert is a keeper.

More cherry desserts to try:

• Gluten-Free Cherry Berry Almond Crumble (Paleo, Vegan)
• Probiotic Cherry Lime Popsicles (Raw, Paleo)
• Gluten-Free Cherry Frangipane Tart (Paleo)

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Yield: 8-inch cake

Cherry Almond Cake (Buckle)

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 33 minutes

Total Time: 53 minutes

This gluten-free cherry almond cake also called a buckle features a lemon and olive oil batter with cherries, for an everyday kind of dessert that’s easy to make and enjoy.

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Ingredients

For the cherries:

• 10oz/ 285g pitted cherries (fresh or frozen), halved
• 1 Tablespoon/15ml maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon/2g tapioca flour 
• 1 teaspoon/5ml lemon juice

For the cake:

• 1 cup/112g almond flour
• ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons/36g tapioca flour 
• Pinch of fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon grain-free baking powder
• 2 large eggs
• 1 ½ Tablespoons/22ml olive oil or coconut oil, melted
• 3 Tablespoons/45ml light coconut milk 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• ¼ cup/60ml maple syrup

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease an 8-inch cake pan, casserole or pie dish, set aside.

Make the topping:

1. In a medium bowl combine together all the topping ingredients and let sit while you make the cake batter.

Make the cake batter:

1. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, tapioca flour, salt and baking powder. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, coconut milk, vanilla, lemon zest and maple syrup. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients.
2. Pour batter into cake pan and smooth top. Spoon cherry topping over the top of batter, and bake for about 30-33 minutes, or until golden around the edges and set in the center.
3. Let cool on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature with ice cream or yogurt on the side.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Arrowhead Mills Flour Tapioca, 18 oz
• 
  OXO Good Grips Cherry and Olive Pitter, Red

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 186Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 79mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 2gSugar: 10gProtein: 4g

Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.

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Sylvie

Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.