Almond Raspberry Cake {gluten-free, delicious, and healthy, too!}

There’s nothing quite like fresh berries in the summertime, but what happens when you miss the short window that they’re available at the store? Or if you constantly lose them because they go bad so quickly? One piece of advice I give to my clients all the time is to utilize frozen fruit and vegetables at the store, and especially frozen berries! Enter this perfectly sweet, naturally gluten free almond raspberry cake, dotted with raspberries…frozen raspberries that is.

This blog post is sponsored by the Washington Red Raspberry Commission and all reviews and opinions expressed here are based on my own personal views. Be sure to check out redrazz.org for more ideas on how to bake with red raspberries. And also, be sure to get baking with frozen raspberries this summer for a chance to win $500 from @red_raspberries! Enter by sharing a pic of your creation on Instagram using #RazzYourBaking for a chance to win. Contest ends July 31, 2022. Visit redrazz.org/razzyourbaking for more details on how to enter.

Benefits of Frozen Raspberries in Baking

Frozen raspberries are picked at the peak of ripeness, ensuring the fruit’s integrity, flavor and nutrition value, so you can use this delicious and nutritious fruit year-round.  One of the best parts of using frozen raspberries is that you don’t run the risk of your berries going bad or getting moldy. Using frozen raspberries ensures that you are able to get your money’s worth at the store and reduces any chance of food waste! 

You all know that I live up here in Seattle. In the cool, marine climate of the Pacific Northwest, Washington produces approximately 90% of the nation’s frozen red raspberry crop. By freezing raspberries within hours of being picked at the peak of ripeness, Washington raspberry producers preserve the fruit’s integrity, flavor and nutrition value, so you can enjoy this delicious and nutritious fruit year-round. I always recommend frozen fruit and vegetables to my clients as an easy way to have them on hand. Frozen fruit can easily be tossed into smoothies or oatmeal in the morning and vegetables can come together in a nutritious soup or stew in no time. 

Health Benefits of Raspberries

These little ruby gems may be small, but they certainly pack a punch. Filled with fiber to support healthy gut function, cancer fighting anti-inflammatory  antioxidants like quercetin and ellagic acid, and a whopping amount of vitamin C, raspberries are the perfect addition to almost any meal. In fact, one cup of raspberries can provide over 28% of the daily value for vitamin C per cup. 

Raspberries are surprisingly fiber rich, with about 6 grams per cup. Fiber is the nutrition darling because of its well researched benefits. Including plenty of fiber in your diet can help support healthy gut function, and feeds your gut microbiome. Research has shown that fiber and the way it supports your natural microbiome is associated with reduced risk of chronic diseases and some kinds of cancer. 

The Top 10 Facts About Frozen Raspberries

• 80 calories per cup
• Excellent source of fiber (6g per cup, 21% Daily Value)
• One of the lowest in natural sugar content compared to other berries
• High in vitamin C, providing 28% Daily Value per cup
• Frozen at the peak of ripeness, preserving its flavor and nutrient integrity
• One cup of frozen raspberries is a good source of folate
• Offer convenience and consistent quality right out of the freezer
• Freezing helps to reduce waste and spoilage
• Available year-round
• Contain no added sugar or preservatives

How to Bake with Frozen Raspberries

Swapping in frozen raspberries for fresh is easy to do in almost any baked good, but here are a couple of tricks to ensure that your berries don’t bleed during the process.

• First, don’t thaw your berries! They contain a lot of water content so the minute you begin to thaw them, all of the water will melt out, resulting in a juicy mess. Instead, keep your berries frozen and add them immediately into the dough or batter.
  
• Another trick to avoid the color bleeding from your raspberries is to lightly toss the berries in something absorbent, like flour, arrowroot powder, tapioca or cornstarch. The flour or starches help to absorb any liquid that might start to melt out from the berries as they begin to melt. 

Frozen berries can also slightly alter your bake time. Since they are cold when going into your batter or dough, this can drop the overall temperature of the mixture. For cakes or muffins, this may mean you need to keep your eye on the timer, and add a couple of minutes to the overall bake time. For pies made with a lot of frozen berries, you may need to add upwards of 10 minutes to the bake time.

Making the Almond Raspberry Cake Recipe 

This Almond Raspberry Cake recipe has it all- the fruity punch from the raspberries, the warm nuttiness from the almond flour and a kiss of floral sweetness from the honey. But the best part about this recipe? It’s 100% gluten free, naturally. This cake uses almond flour as its primary flour, which keeps it gluten free. I love using almond flour in baked goods because it brings in a signature chewiness that you just don’t get with all-purpose wheat flour. Plus, there’s about 10 grams of protein in each serving. 

Prepare the pan

For this recipe, preheat the oven and prepare your chosen dish by greasing it with butter or oil and lightly dusting it with your almond flour. Doing this helps prevent your cake from sticking. This recipe calls for a round cake pan, but if you don’t have one of those don’t worry! You can easily make this in a springform or loaf pan.

Prep the batter

While your oven is preheating, prepare the batter. In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, sea salt and lemon zest/lemon juice. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Once the wet ingredients are well combined, pour them into the larger bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir well with a spatula until there are only a few clumps remaining. 

Be sure to follow the tips from above to prevent the frozen raspberries from bleeding their beautiful red color by tossing them in either arrowroot powder or cornstarch, then gently fold them into the batter at the very last moment. You only need to stir the batter 2 or 3 times to combine it with the berries- this prevents them from breaking and staining the rest of the batter red.

Bake your almond raspberry cake

Place the dish in the middle of the preheated oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the top of the cake is golden brown and the center feels springy and firm to the touch. If you use a loaf pan, you may need to increase the bake time slightly, so begin checking around the 40 minute mark and increase the time as necessary. 

Mine started to get a little brown around the edges so I covered it with foil for the last 5-10 minutes.

Almond Raspberry Cake FAQs

This recipe is easily adaptable for allergies and preferences. Luckily, it’s already gluten free but what about if you’re vegan or have an egg allergy? Here’s how you can adapt it to your needs. 

How do I make this cake without eggs?

The easiest way to replace eggs in a recipe is to make a flax egg. Combine 1 tablespoon of ground flax and 3 tablespoons of water in a small bowl and let sit on the counter for a couple of minutes. The flax will absorb the water creating a gel-like consistency. Following this recipe yields one egg substitute. 

What if I’m vegan and don’t eat honey? 

If you are vegan and don’t consume honey, try swapping it for molasses. This will give the cake an earthy, lightly sweet flavor that will pair perfectly with the almond flour and raspberries. 

What can I substitute for frozen raspberries? 

Don’t have frozen raspberries on hand? Fresh raspberries, or any berry will do in a pinch! You can even omit the fruit entirely, just reduce the bake time by about 10 minutes. Alternatively, you could try baking this cake with blackberries or strawberries. 

How can I make this recipe if I’m allergic to almonds?

If you’re allergic to almonds, this recipe is completely adaptable to your flour of choice, whether that’s a wheat all purpose flour, or another favorite gluten free blend. 

I hope you’re inspired to start baking more with frozen red raspberries and also to make this gorgeous almond raspberry cake! Definitely drop me a comment below if you try it! 

Like this recipe? Try my Fresh Strawberry Rhubarb Cake, Healthy Blackberry Oat Crisp, or Mandarin Cranberry Bundt Cake. 

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a circular 9-inch cake pan with oil or butter and dust it with almond flour.

• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

• In another bowl, whisk together the vanilla, eggs, honey, olive oil, lemon zest, and a tablespoon of lemon juice.

• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Stir just until there are a few clumps remaining.

• In a small bowl combine the frozen raspberries and arrowroot powder, lightly tossing and stirring the berries to coat them completely. Gently fold the berries into the batter two or three times.

• Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.

• Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and the center is firm to the touch. Place the cake on a wire rack to cool to room temperature.

• Once the cake is out of the oven, combine the remaining lemon juice with 1 teaspoon honey in a small saucepan. Warm it over medium heat, while stirring, just until the two are completely combined. Brush the lemon-honey glaze over the warm cake; it should soak right in.

• Once the cake is cool, use a sharp knife to slice and serve.

Serving: 1g | Calories: 385kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 2.7g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Fiber: 4g