Last updated on March 16th, 2026.
A tender Passover Chiffon cake made with almond flour and potato starch for a naturally flourless crumb. Light, moist, and delicately nutty, this cake bakes up soft with a gentle structure and a subtle sweetness.
I don’t like Passover cakes. For obvious reasons.
So I took it upon myself to create one that doesn’t taste like Passover. No dense egg flavor, no dry crumb, and definitely no mysterious potato aftertaste. The kind of cake you can celebrate birthdays with. But also not chocolate flavored like this Flourless Chocolate Cake, or this Marshmallow Cream Cake.
It took a few tries to get there, and the secret turned out to be the right balance of dry ingredients.
Too much potato starch and the cake turns dry and tastes like potato (very on-brand for Passover, unfortunately). Not enough, and the cake collapses the moment it leaves the oven. The solution: almond flour for flavor and volume, with potato starch and tapioca flour for structure.
Both starches absorb moisture and swell as the cake bakes, but tapioca is much stronger and more effective than potato starch, helping the cake hold its structure without turning dry.
For more Passover desserts check out this Concord Cake, and these Almond Meringue Cookies.
Key Ingredients
The complete recipe is at the bottom of the post in the recipe card. Below is a quick recap for the key ingredients, what to look for and flavoring options.
- Eggs. The eggs provide volume, structure and yes, also flavor mostly coming from the fat in the egg yolk. Ironically enough, fresh eggs give a more “eggy” flavor, and smell to the cake. Use the eggs that you have at hand, and simply flavor the cake (see options below) if you have any concerns about the flavor.
- Potato Starch. I love baking with potato starch, it is my secret ingredients and I use it to add a tender texture to cakes. It is not interchangeable with cornstarch, so please do not replace the two. Potato starch’s molecule are much bigger, less compact and replacing it with cornstarch will yield a chewy, dense cake.
- Tapioca flour. It thickens in a way similar to gelatin. Once heated, it swells, trapping moisture and acting like a tiny spring inside the batter, creating the light, slightly bouncy crumb sponge cakes are known for.
- Almond Flour. Or, any other nut flour you wish to use, it can be pistachio, pecan, walnut and hazelnut. It is the best way to add volume and disturb the thick texture coming from the potato and tapioca flour.
Flavoring the cake
This is the fun part, and where your personality can shine. I am a huge almond fan so I falvored the cake with almond extract. But here are some flavoring options:
- Orange Cake – Replace the water with fresh squeezed orange juice. Rub the first amount of sugar (150g) with orange zest from one medium orange, then add it to the egg yolk. Do not add any zest to the sugar you add to the meringue. The oil in the zest will prevent the meringue from forming. (or use lemons instead of orange)
- Funfetti Cake – For the cake recipe replace the almond extract with 1 TBS vanilla bean paste. And fold 3/4 cup of sprinkles into the cake batter right after folding in the meringue.
- Strawberry Shortcake – when baking cake replace almond extract with 1 TBS vanilla bean paste. Spread the layers with whipped cream and sliced strawberries. Frost the cake with more whipped cream.
- Chocolate Cake. Replace 25g of the potato starch with natural cocoa powder. (so a total of 155g. 1/4 cup potato starch and 25g, 1/4 cup cocoa powder).
Make The Cake
This cake is a chiffon cake, and relays on the mixing process. Here are all my tips, details you should pan attention to when baking this recipe:
- Use a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients, especially when it comes to the potato starch as it tends to clump. If you do not have a scale, start by sifting the starch, then use a spoon to scoop it into the measuring cup. The cup should not be rounded.
- Separate the eggs when they are cold, it is the best way to make sure there is no egg yolks in the egg white. Even the smallest drop will prevent the meringue to be whipped.
- Use a hand whisk to mix the egg yolks with the rest of the ingredients, an electric mixer might incorporate too much air. It can deflate the cakes as they bake.
- Whip the meringue to medium peak and no more! This is the most crucial part. Medium peak means that the meringue is opaque and stable but gently curl or bend at the tip, meaning it is elastic to easily fold into batters without deflating too quickly.
- Avoid opening the oven door during baking, it might cause the cake to deflate.
- The syrup is optional, but if you use it: For the best result please make sure the syrup and cake are at the opposite temperature. For example a warm cake, cold syrup.
Storing the Cake
The cake can be stored at room temperature for up to three days, if unfilled or filled with chocolate ganache. If filled and frosted with perishable filling like whipped cream, make sure to refrigerate within two hours.
Tender Passover layered Cake | No Matzah Meal
Ingredients
- 9 Large Eggs, separated and at room temperature
- 1 Cup (240ml) Unflavored oil (canola)
- 1 1/2 Cups (300g) Sugar, divided
- 1/2 Cup + 1 Tablespoon (135ml) Room temperature water, or milk
- 1 1/2 Cups (180g) Sifted potato starch
- 3 Tablespoons (21g) Tapioca flour
- 3 Cups (360g) Almond flour
- 3 teaspoons Baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Almond extract (optional)
Chocolate Ganache
- 2 Cup Chocolate Chips
- 1.5 Cups Heavy cream
- 1/2 Cup Light brown Sugar
Simple Syrup
- 1 1/2 Cups (300g) Sugar
- 1 1/2 Cups (300ml) Water
- 1/2 tsp Almond extract Optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 320F. Line the bottom of 3 8-inch pan with parchment paper, do not grease the pans.
- Sift potato starch (180g), and mix it with the almond flour (360g), tapioca flour and baking powder (3 teaspoons) until you no longer see any white lumps.
- Place the egg yolks (9) in a large bowl, and the egg whites (9) in a separated large bowl.
- Mix the oil (240ml) with the egg yolk until smooth, mix in the water (135ml) along with 1 1/4 cup (250g) of the sugar.
- Mix in the vanilla extract (1 teaspoon) and almond extract (1 teaspoon) if using.
- Add the dry ingredients mixture and set aside while you make the meringue.
- Using a stand mixer, or an electric mixer, whip the egg whites until foamy , about 30 seconds.
- Gradually add the remaining of the sugar (50g, 4 tablespoons) while mixing, one tablespoon at a time. Waiting about 10 seconds between each addition.
- Whip until a medium meringue is formed: it forms peaks that stand up but gently curl or bend at the tip. The structure is stable but still elastic, which makes it easy to fold into batters without deflating too quickly.
- Mix in about 1/4 of the meringue into the egg yolks mixture.
- Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in 1/2 of the meringue followed by the rest.
- Divide the batter into the pans (aprox. 500g each) and bake for 45 minutes over the middle oven rack. The cakes are ready when the top is lightly golden and set. Do not open the oven door mid baking.
- Remove the cakes from the oven, cover them with a kitchen towel and set a aide to completely cool before inverting and assembling.
To make the Ganache
- Place heavy cream and brown sugar in a pan over the stove.
- Measure the chopped chocolate (340g) in a a large bowl.
- Cook the heavy cream and sugar over medium heat while stirring, until the sugar has dissolved and you notice small bubbles forming on the sides of the pan.
- Pour the warm liquid over the chocolate chip and cover with a lid or a plastic wrap for a few minutes.
- Remove the lid and slowly whisk the mixture from the center to the sides until you get a smooth frosting.
- Set it a side to set into a spreadable consistency.
To make the simple Syrup
- Place ingredients in a pan over a stovetop.
- Over a medium heat, while occasional stirring allow mixture to boil. Remove from the stove.
To assemble the cake
- On a cake board or a serving dish, place the first layer of cake.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the cake with 1/3 of the simple syrup.
- Spread about 1/4 cup of chocolate frosting and repeat with the remaining layers.
- Cover the cake completely with the remaining of the frosting and decorate with the toasted almonds.
Notes
- Separate the eggs when they are cold.
- Make sure the eggs whites are clean of any egg yolks, otherwise the meringue will not whip.
- Ig filling and frosting the cake with perishable filling like whipped cream, make sure to refrigerate it within two hours.
- Store the cake at room temperature for up to 3 days. To freeze: gently wrap each cake with plastic wrap, then pile them on one of the pans. Wrap the pan with aluminum foil and freeze for up to two weeks. When ready to use, unwrap and set it at room temperature to defrost.
Hi. It seems that there is no oil in the recipe. Is that intentional?
Correct, there is no oil in the cake, it gets the fat from the eggs.
I have to be gluten free, and I don’t live in a place that would have gluten free cake meal. I do have gluten free matzoh meal. I wonder if I tried to pulverize it with my Cuisinart, I might get a semblance of cake meal? Oh, and my life is without flour now so I may have to think of something else to torture myself about. Have a lovely Passover!
Hi Alene, you can definitely process gluten-free matzah and use it as a cake meal. I recommend that after you measure the precessed matzah mix it with 1 tbsp of potato starch and process it again for a finer crumb and a softer texture.
Re: oil in the recipe. It says 1 cup of oil.
not sure what is the question.
Hi, I love your recipes. Can I substitute AP flour for the cake matzo meal?
If you don’t have any restrictions, I would bake a regular sponge cake and soak it with the amaretto and ganache.
Do you think we could sub coconut flour for tapioca?
I would say yes, but keep in mind I did not try it so I can’t say how well it will turn out.
I bake a lot for friends and family, and I always bake for Passover. I was so excited to make this recipe. The only issue I had with the cakes themselves is that two of them stuck slightly to the side of the pans. They took a very long time to cool in the pans with the dish towel on top. They did come right out, except for the slight place where they stuck in 2 of the pans. Finally, I made the ganache, which is easy I followed all instructions exactly. My ganache never got thicker or it got slightly thicker. It was definitely not frost and consistency but after about an hour and a half I was getting very late so I decided to frost it anyway and they ganache just booed everywhere. I finally put it after putting it between the layers. I put it on top of the cake and let it drip down the sides and spread it that way it was just everywhere. I have a picture of my final cake and no one would know that that happened, but a bunch of the ganache is still sitting in the pan because I found they gave up because the consistency was so loose. It just dripped everywhere. I’ll let you know tomorrow when we have this for Seder dessert whether it’s still sliding off the plate.
Hi Robin, sorry to hear you had issues with the cake. The sides supposes to stick the the pan, this is the best way to make sure the cake bakes tall with no risk of the sides collapsing to the sides. Running a knife through around the cake will release the cake with no issues. About the ganache: it sounds like it needed some extra time to set, next time youc an either increase the amount of chocolate, or place it in the refrigerator to set. I hope everyone enjoyed the cake despite these issues.
This cake was amazing. My daughter’s birthday falls during Pesach some years and so does my sister-in-law’s. Everyone loved it. I did chocolate lentils on one half of the outside because the kids don’t like almonds but didn’t feel like something that’s kosher for Passover at all!
Thank you Stephani! Love the chocolate lentils addition, what a childhood nostalgic treat!