Our citrus almond brandy cake is tender, boozy, and completely irresistible—but here's the thing: you absolutely must age it overnight for all the flavors to come together! I know waiting is hard when your kitchen smells this incredible, but please, trust the process.
The secret is in the glaze made with our Blood Orange + Meyer Lemon + Tangerine shrub, which soaks into the warm cake and creates the most complex, tart-sweet flavor. It's beautiful enough for dinner parties, perfect with afternoon tea, or honestly? You'll find yourself sneaking tiny slices every time you walk through the kitchen.
This is truly an any-occasion cake—elegant enough for special moments, but simple enough that you'll want to make it all the time.
Little Apple's Citrus Almond Brandy Cake
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 4 oz (1 stick, or 115g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1 lemon
- 1 cup (115g) almond flour
- 1 cup (135g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon fine kosher salt
- ½ cup full-fat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup brandy
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup (100g) sliced almonds
- 2 tablespoons Blood Orange + Meyer Lemon + Tangerine shrub
- ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar
- Additional powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line an 8-inch cake pan with parchment.
Mix together almond flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In another bowl, mix yogurt, water, brandy, and vanilla; set aside.
Using a microplane, zest the lemon into the sugar and rub it in with your fingertips until it resembles wet sand. Add butter and beat until thoroughly blended, scraping bowl as needed. Add egg and beat until fluffy, then beat in half the yogurt mixture, then half the flour mixture, repeat, ending with flour and mixing just until blended.
Pour batter into prepared pan, top with sliced almonds, and bake for 45 minutes. A skewer may come out with a few crumbs clinging—this is fine. If using a thermometer, pull the cake when internal temperature reaches 205-210°F.
While cake bakes, mix powdered sugar and shrub together. This mixture will be runny.
When cake is done, remove from oven and wait 5 minutes, then pour glaze over the hot cake. It will soak in—this is exactly what you want. After 15 minutes, run a spatula around the edge to prevent sticking. Let cool completely, then WAIT 12-24 HOURS before serving. The cake will firm up and all those lovely flavors will blend together.
Right before serving, dust with powdered sugar if desired. Serve with strawberries or your favorite summer fruit.
Important: Don't skip the overnight aging—it's what makes this cake truly special!
