Best Italian Almond Cake Recipe (Gluten-Free)

This divine Italian almond cake - torta Elvezia - is made with almond-meringue layers (almond dacquoise) alternated with buttercream and toasted flaked almonds. Serving up to 12 people, the cake makes a perfect celebration. What's more? It is gluten-free!

This almond dacquoise cake is the obvious appearance on the blog after cashew dacquoise cake Sans Rival, its pistachio version - Pistachio Sans Rival, gorgeous coconut dacquoise, and beautiful pistachio dacquoise.

Italian almond dacquoise cake Elvezia, or torta Elvezia, is a typical Mantuan dessert with a Swiss name. The correct spelling of the cake is "Helvetia," the Latin name of Switzerland.

It was invented by Swiss confectioners - the Samson  Putscher family, when they moved to the Italian Province of Mantua from Switzerland in the late 1700s.

So, this Italian almond cake is a beautiful combination of Swiss pastry techniques with Italian ingredients. As per Giallo Zafferano, it is a cake "with a Swiss heart but born in Italy."

Italian almond cake recipe

• Italian almond layer cake is extraordinary in every bite. It consists of three almond dacquoise layers sandwiched with the buttercream and generously sprinkled with sliced almonds.

• It is one of the best Italian almond cake recipes, along with almond ricotta cake.

• The cake made with almond flour is gluten-free (no wheat flour is added). It serves a crowd of 12 with and without gluten intolerance.

• The cake is perfect for a morning cup of coffee, an afternoon cup of tea, and anytime during the day.

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

• Eggs: use an egg separator to separate the egg whites from the yolks while the eggs are chilled. Then make sure to bring them both to room temperature.

• Sugar: use caster sugar or process granulated sugar in a food processor for a few seconds to make the sugar superfine.

• Almond flour: the recipe calls for blanched, finely ground almond flour to make the cake. Try to avoid coarse almond meal made out of whole raw almonds.

You can replace almond flour with homemade ground almonds. For best results, use blanched almonds and blitz them in the food processor until they have the right "sandy" texture. But be careful not to turn them into almond butter!

While measuring almond flour or ground almonds, spoon it from a container gently into a measuring cup. Please, do not pack or press it down.

• Rice flour: use white rice flour.

• Acacia honey is the most neutral honey among others. Replace it with glucose if desired.

• Butter: use unsalted softened butter. Take it out of the fridge 1 to 2 hours before you start.

• Vanilla bean brings a beautiful flavor to the buttercream. Use Madagascar vanilla beans. You can replace it with vanilla or almond extract for a more prominent nutty almond flavor.

• Sliced almonds: use store-bought toasted sliced almonds or toast nuts yourself in the oven at 300°F (150°C) for 10 to 15 minutes.

• Icing sugar: make it yourself with a coffee grinder or use store-bought powdered sugar to dust the ready cake.

Recipe variations

Authentic Elvezia cake combines almond dacquoise, tasty zabaglione, and a delicious cocoa buttercream. 

The Italian almond layer cake recipe below is the adapted version of the Elvezia cake created by Italian pastry chef Luca Montersino.

Nowadays, different versions enriched with hazelnut flour, whipped cream, and chocolate chips also exist. So, you are free to experiment.

How to make Italian almond cake

Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Prepare three parchment paper sheets and draw three 8.5 inches/22 cm diameter discs. Flip these paper sheets so that the drawn circles will be facing down.  

Make the almond dacquoise

Place egg whites and ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon (185 g) caster sugar in a saucepan and beat with a hand whisk. Continue whisking and bring the mixture over low heat to warm up (photo 1).

Remove the egg whites/sugar mixture from the heat and beat slowly with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer.

Gradually increase to medium speed and whisk for about 5-7 minutes, then finish the meringue at high speed (photo 2).

Place almond flour, ¾ cup +2 ½ tablespoons (205 g) caster sugar, and rice flour in a bowl of the food processor and crush the dry ingredients until homogeneous.

Add the flour mixture to the meringue in two-three times and gently mix with a rubber spatula (photo 3).

Transfer the preparation to a pastry bag fitted with Ateco plain pastry tip 809 and pipe three dacquoise disks in a spiral shape within the pencil marks (photo 4).

Alternatively, spread the meringue mixture with an offset spatula instead of making a spiral with a pastry bag and a tip.

Bake in the middle position of the oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Then, remove the dacquoise disks from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack (photo 5).

Expert tip: Do not try to peel off the biscuit when it is hot: it breaks easily.

Make buttercream

Place egg yolks with the scraped vanilla seeds in a stand mixer's bowl and whisk.

In a saucepan, place water, honey (warm it up in a microwave for a few seconds in advance), and granulated sugar and bring to a boil.

Once the syrup reaches 250°F (121°C) - use a candy thermometer - pour the sugar syrup into the egg yolks while whisking. Continue to whisk for the mixture to cool down and become whitish (photo 6).

Add the softened butter cubes, one at a time, and continue whisking till the cream becomes smooth and homogeneous (photo 7). 

Assemble the cake

Cut the dacquoise disks' edges with a knife to get the right circles. Cover the first dacquoise disk with the buttercream, and sprinkle with toasted almonds. Place the second disk and repeat the operation (photo 8).

Finally, put with the third disk and cover the cake's top and edges with buttercream.

Sprinkle the cake with the flaked almonds (photos 9 - 10). Dust the top of the cake with icing (powdered) sugar. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Expert Tips

1. Don't overmix the dacquoise mixture: it must remain airy before baking.
2. Roast flaked almonds in the oven at 300°F (150°C) for 15 minutes.
3. Serve the cake at room temperature: take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving.
4. Make ahead option: Bake dacquoise disks in the evening and keep them in a cool place. Assemble the cake the next day.

Storing and freezing

Store the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.

You can freeze the cake or individual slices covered with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil for up to 1 week. To thaw, bring the cake to the fridge overnight. To serve, let it stay at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Recipe FAQ

Love Italian desserts? Try these next!

If you like this delicious Italian almond cake, you may love other Italian desserts on the website.

• Italian Carrot Cake
• Italian Sponge Cake
• Authentic Italian Tiramisu
• Torta Paradiso
• Browse all the cake recipes

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Recipe card

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was originally published on November 8, 2018. It has been revised to include improved content and photos. All the posted pictures are mine.