Chocolate Almond Cake is the best, soft and moist, light and fluffy upside-down cake perfect for any occasion. The caramelized almond topping adds a crunchy texture to every bite.
Why you'll love this recipe
- This chocolate almond cake is super easy to make.
- Basic and simple ingredients from your kitchen are used.
- This is a moist, rich chocolate cake with a crunchy, caramelized almond topping.
- Chocolate almond cake is perfect for special occasions, from birthday anniversaries to holidays like Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, or even for your summer potluck or picnic.
This chocolate almond upside-down cake is featured in betty crocker and is a proud moment for me. While you are here, also check out peach upside down cake, pineapple upside down cake.
Ingredients
Butter, brown sugar, honey, and sliced almonds: Only four ingredients are used to get that caramelized and crunchy almond topping for the cake.
Chocolate cake mix: I have used Immaculate Baking Co.™ Chocolate Cake Mix in this recipe. You can use any chocolate cake box mix or make it from scratch using my best homemade chocolate cake recipe.
Eggs: Room-temperature eggs are always good while baking.
Whole milk: I have used whole milk for its rich flavor.
Butter: I like the flavor the butter adds to your cake. I melted the unsalted butter in the microwave for approx 15 to 30 seconds.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Variations and Substitutions
- You can use coconut milk, oat milk, buttermilk or almond milk instead of whole milk.
- You can use the same amount of vegetable oil or coconut oil instead of butter.
- You can substitute almonds with pecans or pistachios.
- If you are not a fan of upside-down cake, simply prepare the cake as per instructions and pour chocolate ganache on top of it or you can even serve the cake as is, along with a scoop of ice cream, and impress your guests.
Step-by-step instructions
For the crunchy caramel almond topping
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan.
- To this pan, add melted butter, brown sugar, and honey, and mix well. Spread sliced almonds and gently press them into the sugar mixture.
Prepare cake batter
- Whisk together melted butter, milk, and eggs in a large mixing bowl until well combined.
- Add the cake mix and whisk gently until the cake mix gets incorporated with the liquid ingredients.
- Then whisk on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Transfer the cake batter to the pan - thereby covering all the almonds.
Bake
- Bake in a preheated oven for 45-55 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Remove the pan from the oven, run a knife through the edges to loosen the cake slightly, and flip over a serving platter immediately.
- Gently tap the pan and platter together on the kitchen working surface a couple of times, and carefully remove the cake pan. Let the cake cool for about 30 minutes before you slice it.
- Serve along with a scoop of ice cream if desired, and enjoy.
Tips
- Melt the unsalted butter in the microwave for approx 15 to 30 seconds or on a stovetop on medium flame.
- The important part about this upside-down cake is you will have to flip it while it's still hot. If some caramelized almonds stick to the bottom of the cake pan, reheat by putting it back in the oven or heat on low flame on your gas burner so that it loosens up. Scrape and put any excess back onto the cake.
Recipe FAQs
Typically, I bake my upside-down cakes in a regular cake pan. But a cast iron skillet is the best to achieve crispy edges. If you happen to possess a non-stick cake pan, you can use it.
Like any other cake, you can make an upside-down cake in advance. If you warm the refrigerated or frozen cake slightly just before serving, it will taste as fresh as it was made on the same day.
It is said that chocolate and almonds complement each other because they share multiple flavor compounds.
More chocolate recipes to love
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Recipe card
Easy Chocolate Almond Cake | Best Upside-Down Cake
Equipment
- 9 inch cake pan
Ingredients
For the crunchy caramel almond topping
- 5 tablespoon Butter, melted
- ⅔ cup Brown sugar
- 3 tablespoon Honey
- 1 ⅓ cups Sliced almonds
For the cake
- 1 box Chocolate cake mix (I have used Immaculate Baking Co.™ Chocolate Cake Mix)
- ¾ cup Butter, melted (1 ½ sticks)
- 1 ¼ cup Whole milk
- 4 Eggs
Instructions
For the crunchy caramel almond topping
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan.
- To this pan, add melted butter, brown sugar, and honey, and mix well. Spread sliced almonds and gently press them into the sugar mixture.5 tablespoon Butter, melted, ⅔ cup Brown sugar, 3 tablespoon Honey, 1 ⅓ cups Sliced almonds
Prepare cake batter
- Whisk together melted butter, milk, and eggs in a large mixing bowl until well combined.¾ cup Butter, melted, 1 ¼ cup Whole milk, 4 Eggs
- Add the cake mix and whisk gently until the cake mix gets incorporated with the liquid ingredients.1 box Chocolate cake mix
- Then whisk on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Transfer the cake batter to the pan - thereby covering all the almonds.
Bake
- Bake in a preheated oven for 45-55 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Remove the pan from the oven, run a knife through the edges to loosen the cake slightly, and flip over a serving platter immediately.
- Gently tap the pan and platter together on the kitchen working surface a couple of times, and carefully remove the cake pan. Let the cake cool for about 30 minutes before you slice it.
- Serve along with a scoop of ice cream if desired, and enjoy.
Notes
- Melt the unsalted butter in the microwave for approx 15 to 30 seconds or on a stovetop on medium flame.
- The important part about this upside-down cake is you will have to flip it while it's still hot. If some caramelized almonds stick to the bottom of the cake pan, reheat by putting it back in the oven or heat on low flame on your gas burner so that it loosens up. Scrape and put any excess back onto the cake.
Elizabeth
I love a chocolate and pecan pie, so a cake version sounds delicious! Excited to give it a try! Thanks for the share!
Cathleen
I love a good upside down cake, and this one is a winner. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe 🙂
Jamie
Oh my, this chocolate almond cake is such a masterpiece! It looks incredibly delicious and yummy! The softness and fluffiness make this cake so enticing and tempting! Plus the caramelized almond on top boosts its taste and flavor!
Amy Liu Dong
Almond cake is one of my favorites. This one is so delicious and I can't wait to make this for everyone.