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Treat yourself to a slice of flourless orange cake, an easy dessert made with 5 gluten free ingredients. This delicate treat is bursting with vibrant citrus flavors while the warm nuttiness from the almond flour makes every bite completely divine.
One of my favorite ways to transform classic desserts into lighter treats is to cut out the flour. Flourless desserts are naturally gluten free and almost always made with healthier ingredients, but still have a light and fluffy crumb and decadent flavors.
You would never know this orange cake was made without flour. Instead, homemade orange marmalade, eggs, sugar, and almond meal make up the decadent batter before it’s baked until fluffy and rich. Every bite features a flawless balance of bright and vibrant citrus contrasted with a warm and satisfying nuttiness.
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Why you’ll love this orange cake recipe
Cooking without traditional baking ingredients, like all purpose flour and vegetable oil, can make it hard to bake cakes with the fluffy texture and moist crumb you already know and love. Not here, though! I’ll show you how to bake this easy orange almond cake using a handful of not-so-traditional ingredients so you can achieve the perfect texture.
- A delicate almond flour cake. Almond flour (or almond meal) is the secret to this cake’s light and fluffy texture.
- Gluten free, dairy free, and oil free. This cake is made with naturally gluten free and dairy free ingredients, and relies solely on eggs for richness and moisture! No oil or butter needed.
- 5 easy ingredients. This is an easy 5-ingredient orange cake recipe you can turn to when you need a sweet treat in a pinch!
Ingredients needed
The ingredients in this short list are all easy to find at well-stocked grocery stores. This is what you need:
- Oranges. Fresh organic oranges (rinds and all!) are boiled, then blended into a tasty homemade marmalade.
Substitute for whole oranges
You can use a quality orange jam made with orange rinds instead of boiling and blending whole oranges (thus saving you plenty of time!). If you opt for this store-bought substitution, just remember to reduce the amount of sugar to ½ cup instead.
- Eggs. A good amount of eggs are needed to help this flourless cake hold together and stay moist.
- Sugar. Use white granulated sugar or cane sugar. For a sugar free alternative, try granulated allulose instead.
- Baking powder. To help the cake rise.
- Almond meal. Almond meal or almond flour gives the cake a nice nutty flavor, which compliments the bright orange beautifully. It’s also key to achieving a light and fluffy cake.
How to make orange cake
Learn how to make an orange cake with almond flour using these simple step-by-step instructions:
Step 1 – Boil the oranges
Place the oranges in a saucepan and cover them with water. Bring the water to a boil, boiling the oranges for 10 minutes before draining the water. Repeat this step two more times.
Step 2 – Chop and blend the oranges
Once the oranges are cool enough to handle, 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
Next, 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
Pour the cake batter into your prepared cake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Step 6 – Slice and enjoy
Wait for the cake to cool completely before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Tips to make the best recipe
- 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.
- Decorate the cake. A dusting of powdered sugar is a simple, yet elegant decoration. For a more elaborate option, drizzle the cake with vanilla glaze or top with candied orange slices, slivered almonds, and/or whipped cream.
- To make a layer cake, double the recipe and bake the batter in two 9-inch cake pans. Spread a layer of vanilla or cream cheese frosting in the middle, on the sides, and on top, then slice and serve.
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.
Recommended tools to make this recipe
- Saucepan. You need a saucepan big enough to boil 1 pound of oranges.
- Food processor or blender. To puree the boiled oranges.
- Spatula. To incorporate the wet and dry ingredients together.
- 9-inch cake pan. To bake the cake. You can also use an 8-inch square pan or a 9-inch loaf pan.
- Electric mixer. To beat the eggs and sugar together.
More flourless desserts to try
Frequently asked questions
Yes, boiling the oranges at least 3 times is the only way to remove the peel’s natural bitterness.
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 ahead of 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.
Using oat flour or coconut flour instead of almond flour may change the baking times and ingredient ratios. Therefore, I don’t recommend making any substitutions.
Orange Cake
Video
Ingredients
- 1 lb 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.
Good morning Arman absolutely love your recipes. Thank you. I made your orange cake recipe. It was a big hit. I was wondering if I could make with lemons instead of oranges? I did see your lemon recipe but I just wondering I can boil lemons like the oranges.
Hortensia 🤗
You can try and see 🙂
Absolutely delicious. Stayed moist and tasted better over time. Can I substitute erythritol for sugar?
You could try!
Hi, your Orange cake looks super and I will certainly make. Question, can I use normal cake flour instead of almond flour? Thanks for great recipes. Clare Grobler
I haven’t tried but let me know if you do, I’m interested to hear!
I enjoy your recipes,thank you for sharing!
Hello, if I were to use a store bought marmalade, how much would I use?
Thank you!
Not sure- Haven’t used it.
Is this gluten free since you use almond flour
Absolutely 🙂
Do you peel the oranges?
Will fix the post- whole orange.
This looks delish! Have you tried the same recipe but with lemons? Similar to the classic lemon torte caprese. Also if you use allulose – is it 1:1 for sugar?
Do you have to peel the oranges first?
Will fix the post- whole orange.
I have been so hungry for orange cake I just can’t wait to make this I will send a new comment once I make it and I get to the store for some ingredients like oranges LOL thank you Arman for being such a great cook!
Is there a way I can make this cake as a mug cake?
I’m sure you can experiment and see
Do you boil the whole orange, or do you peel it first?
Boil the whole orange 🙂