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My whole orange cake is a simple yet elegant dessert that needs just 5 ingredients. Naturally gluten-free and ready in no time.
Looking for more simple cake recipes? Try my almond flour cake, lemon blueberry cake, and lemon olive oil cake next.
One of my favorite ways to transform classic desserts into lighter treats is to cut out the flour, and my orange cake recipe is one of my absolute favorites.
Instead, I use orange marmalade, eggs, sugar, and almond meal make up the decadent batter before it’s baked until fluffy and rich. It’s such a simple yet elegant cake that even a beginner cook can make it!
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Perfect texture. Almond flour (or almond meal) is the secret to this cake’s light and fluffy texture.
- It’s diet friendly. It is made with naturally gluten-free and dairy-free ingredients and relies solely on eggs for richness and moisture! No oil or butter is needed.
- 5 easy ingredients. Count them yourself.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“Absolutely delicious. Stayed moist and tasted better over time.”– Neela
Ingredients needed
- Fresh oranges. Fresh organic oranges (rinds and all!) are boiled and then blended into a tasty homemade marmalade. Any kind of small or medium-sized orange should work well for the cake. Try using clementines, navel oranges, or tangerines.
- Eggs. Room temperature eggs to provide structure and stay moist.
- Sugar. Use white granulated sugar or cane sugar.
- Baking powder. To help the cake rise.
- Almond meal. Almond meal or blanched almond flour gives the cake a nice nutty flavor. Please do not substitute this for any other flour, as it won’t work.
How to make an orange cake
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1 – Boil the oranges. Place the whole oranges in a saucepan (orange zest and orange peel, too), cover them with water, and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes or until tender.
Step 2 – Chop and blend the oranges. Roughly chop them into bite-sized pieces. Transfer them to a blender or food processor, then blend until you have a marmalade-like puree.
Step 3 – Beat the eggs and sugar. Add the eggs and sugar to a mixing bowl, and beat with an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Step 4 – Finish the batter. Gently stir the orange marmalade, almond meal, and baking powder in with the sugar and eggs until you have a smooth batter.
Step 5 – Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (a few crumbs are fine).
Step 6 – Slice and enjoy. Wait for the cake to cool completely before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Arman’s recipe tips
- Don’t peel the oranges. Because most of the orange flavor is in the rinds! If you peel the oranges before boiling and blending, your cake will not be balanced and will miss out on the beautiful orange flavors.
- Don’t overmix! Gently fold the dry and wet ingredients together with a spatula. Only mix until everything is just combined.
- Cool completely. The cake needs to be cooled completely before slicing, or else it may fall apart.
- For a more pronounced orange flavor, make an orange glaze combining orange juice and confectioners’ sugar.
- To make a layer cake, double the recipe and bake the batter in two 9-inch round cake pans. Spread a layer of vanilla or cream cheese frosting between the cake layers then slice and serve.
- Make an orange bundt cake by baking the cake in an 8-inch bundt cake pan.
Storage instructions
To store: Cover the cake and store it at room temperature for up to 1 week. It will last for a few days longer in the fridge.
To freeze: Wrap the cake in plastic or keep it in an airtight container, then freeze for up to 2 months.
Frequently asked questions
Any kind of small or medium-sized orange should work well for the cake. Try using clementines, navel oranges, or tangerines.
Yes, you can puree the boiled oranges 1 to 2 days before making the cake. Store the puree/marmalade in an airtight container in the fridge. Just keep in mind that this isn’t a traditional orange marmalade preserved with sugar and citric acid; therefore, its shelf life is much shorter.
More easy flourless desserts
Orange Cake
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound oranges
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 1/2 cups almond flour or almond meal
Instructions
- Place unpeeled oranges in a saucepan. Cover them with water and bring the water to a boil. Boil the oranges for 10 minutes and drain. Repeat this process two times.
- After the third boil, let the oranges cool down. Once cool enough to handle, chop the oranges into 1-inch pieces.
- Add the oranges into a food processor or high-power blender and blend until you have a marmalade-like mixture.
- Preheat the oven to 160C/320F. Line a 9-inch springform pan with baking paper, bottom, and sides.
- Beat eggs and sugar in a bowl. Add oranges, almond flour, and baking powder. Stir until you have a smooth batter.
- Transfer the batter to the cake pan. Bake the cake for 60 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool the cake completely before slicing and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published June 2023, updated and republished April 2024
I was so skeptical of pureeing the whole orange but this turned out AMAZING! Can’t even tell it’s low carb. This time I topped it with sugar free powder sugar but next time I’m going to make a sugar free glaze to drizzle over the top!
Thank you so much for your amazing recipes! Everything I’ve made from your site turns out great!
This looks really refreshing deseert. Myaybe for summer perfect.
I made this orange cake for my daughter since she has many allergies and baking has become a challenge. The recipe was easy to follow and the cake was delicious. My only dilemma was that the cake was very wet and the powdered sugar just dissolved into the cake. I believe it has to do with the fact that my oranges were probably on the larger side. Next time I will choose a different variety of oranges or just use 1.5 servings of the larger oranges.
This looks really interesting. Can I use a sugar free substitute?? I’d love to try it!
You could try allulose 🙂
So i made a big batch of orange ‘marmalade’, how much should I use from this batch?
Can’t wait to taste this cake!! :))
Thank you!
Is it possible for me to try oat flour with this recipe?
Not sure- but you could experiment and see!
This looks yummy, but I’m curious if you’ve tried it with Splenda or Truvia to lower the cals and carbs a bit?
Can I substitute sugar with something else?
You could try powdered allulose 🙂
This recipe looks delicious! I was wondering if you could substitute store bought marmalade instead of making your own? If so, how many cups of marmalade would you add?
You could try- I haven’t tried myself 🙂
Can you substitute the oranges with lemon?
Would it be the same process?
I don’t see why not!
Delicous!
So easy so delious!
Thank you
You are welcome!
Hi there,
Can I subsitute eggs with flax eggs or Chia eggs?
I haven’t tried, but you are welcome to experiment and see!
Can this be made with sugar alternatives ?
Powdered allulose could work!
Can I substitute the sugar for anything?
Not that I’ve tried.