Almond Orange Cake - flourless

Flourless Orange Almond Cake with a slice cut and an orange slice garnish on top with orange blossoms.

5 from 12 votes

Almond Orange Cake - flourless

This wonderful ultra-moist cake gets that intense orange flavor by using whole oranges - rind and all! Boiling the oranges removes the usual bitterness from the white pith. It's an easy cake to create that's perfect for any gathering since it's also gluten-free and everyone can enjoy eating a slice. The nutty almond flavor combines beautifully with the citrus taste.

Prep Time5

Cook Time1 30

cooing time30

Total Time2 5

Course: Cake dessert, Holiday dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 429kcal

Author: Marisa Franca @ All Our Way

Equipment

Ingredients

2 medium oranges fresh whole with the rind on - any type (see notes )
1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
6 large eggs at room temp (see notes)
1 ¼ cups white sugar
2 ¾ cups almond flour/ground almonds/almond meal I used almond flour

Instructions

Boil oranges:

Place oranges in a deep saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 10 minutes and drain.
Repeat the boil and drain 2 more times. Put oranges back in the pot, cover with cold water, and boil again for 10 minutes.
Drain, then repeat once more.
You will boil the oranges 3 times at 10 minutes each time.
(ie. boil oranges 3 x 10 minutes).
A quicker version is to boil the oranges for 40 minutes without changing the water. You do have to keep an eye on the water level.
Rinse the oranges, then let them cool slightly so you can handle them.
Slice into 1cm / ¼" slices then dice, removing any seeds.
Cool completely.

The cake batter:

Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F
Grease and line a 23cm/9" cake pan with baking/parchment paper.
Place chopped oranges in a food processor. Pulse on high for 4 times in 10 second bursts.
Scrape down the sides in between bursts until the orange is pureed into a marmalade consistency.
It doesn't have to be completely smooth.
Add in almond meal, eggs, baking powder, and sugar. Pulse on high for 5 - 10 seconds or until combined.

Baking the almond cake:

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan or pans.
Bake for 60 minutes until the surface is golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool the cake completely while still in the cake pan.
If using a springform pan you may remove the sides.
If using a regular cake pan, cover the top of the cake with baking paper before trying to flip the cake out of the pan. Then, place the cake on a serving plate and dispose of the baking paper. (This is necessary because the cake is sticky, and it may stick to your hand, tearing the cake's surface. )

Decorate the cake:

You may decorate by dusting the cake with confectioners' sugar or using fresh orange slices, rind, and a dollop of whipped cream. Cut and serve

Notes

Gluten-free baking powder -- use this type if you want the cake to be 100% gluten-free.

Oranges - the cake is fine with smaller or larger oranges, but aim for around 600g/1 ⅓ pounds in total.

This does not work well with lemons. The white pith makes the cake bitter.

Large eggs - are considered to weigh 55 - 60g / 2 oz each.

Almond meal/ground almonds are the same thing which are finely ground raw, whole almonds in powder form.

This is used in place of regular flour to add a delicious nutty flavor to cakes, making them ultra-moist and gluten-free.

You may find it in the grocery store's dried fruit and nut or health food section. Making your own: 250g/9 oz whole, raw, unsalted almonds, blitzed until powdered.

Almond flour is slightly different and is what we used. The cake texture is slightly lighter (almond flour is made with blanched peeled almonds).

Cake pans - you may also use 2 x 8" cake pans. Bake the cake for 50 minutes in the oven. I like a taller cake so I used just one 9" springform pan.

Food processor -- is best for ease of use. You can also use a blender but it's a bit more difficult to scape out the batter.

How to serve -- the cake is so moist and flavorful that it's delicious as is, but a dollop of whipped cream, vanilla Greek yogurt, creme fraiche, or warm with vanilla ice cream is also tasty.

Storage -- During cooler weather, the cake is kept for 5 days in an airtight container in the kitchen or in the fridge when it's hot. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

Make ahead: Oranges can be boiled, chopped the day before, and refrigerated. Bring to room temp then use per recipe.

Nutrition