This Gluten Free Orange Almond Flour Cake recipe, made with six healthy ingredients, is one of our favorite gluten free desserts.
Gluten Free Orange Almond Flour Cake
Every time I serve it people are shocked to find out my Orange Almond Flour Cake is made with whole oranges, peel, and all.
Almond Flour Recipes
Using the whole orange adds an incredible flavor dimension to this gluten free cake, as well as healthy bioflavonoids.
This is one of my nutritious almond flour recipes that you don’t want to miss out on.
Gluten Free Cake
Wondering how to make Orange Almond Flour Cake from scratch? All you need is whole oranges, almond flour, eggs, honey, salt, and baking soda. –that’s it!
People tell me it’s the best recipe for gluten free cake they’ve ever had!
Gluten Free Orange Almond Flour Cake
Ingredients
- 2 small oranges, 6.5 ounces each
- 4 large eggs
- ¾ cup honey
- 2 cups blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
- ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Wash the oranges and boil them whole (peel and all) for 1½ hours, or until soft
- Place whole oranges (peel and all) in a food processor and blend until smooth
- Pulse in eggs, honey, almond flour, salt, and baking soda until well combined
- Pour batter into a greased 9 inch springform pan
- Bake at 375°F for 35-45 minutes, until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean
- Cool in the pan for 2 hours
- Serve
Orange Cake Recipe
This easy orange cake recipe is the perfect dessert for holidays such as:
But we love it so much we make this cake all year long! My holiday guests rave about this healthy gluten free recipe.
Orange Cake
If you’ve never had orange cake you’re in for a treat.
I first came upon an orange almond cake recipe in the 1990s in one of Claudia Roden’s cookbooks, The Book of Jewish Food.
Roden is a British cookbook author, food scholar, and cultural anthropologist. She is also one of my heroes.
According to Roden, orange almond cake is a traditional Sephardic recipe commonly served at Passover.
Gluten Free Passover Dessert Recipes
This Gluten Free Orange Almond Flour Cake is perfect for Passover because it does not contain chametz.
As an aside, all of my dessert recipes are Kosher for Passover since they are free of chametz!
Whole Orange Cake Recipe
It seems weird to make a cake with whole oranges.
However, using the orange with its peel is what makes my orange cake with almond flour moist and totally unique.
Yes, as I mentioned, use the entire orange, including the peel! Make sure your oranges are fresh and sweet so the cake is fresh and flavorful.
Make Ahead Almond Flour Cake Recipes
You can make this cake recipe ahead of time, that’s what I do when we’re entertaining.
If I’m having people over for Shabbat dinner, I make the cake Wednesday, let it cool on the counter overnight, then wrap it and store it in the fridge until Friday.
Cuisinart Food Processor
You know I love getting into the kitchen to test recipes for you and enjoy sharing my favorite kitchen tools, including this food processor.
This one is not only affordable, it gets the job done quickly and easily.
Gluten Free Dairy Free Desserts
Using a good food processor blends this cake batter to perfection, making it incredibly smooth.
Still, it’s amazing this cake is so rich and melt in your mouth delicious, given the lack of butter and flour. This is a fantastic gluten free, dairy free dessert.
Chocolate Orange Cake
I’ve always wanted to smother this orange cake in my Chocolate Dairy Free Frosting recipe.
As a kid, I loved chocolate-covered orange peel, and couldn’t get enough of that flavor combo. I haven’t tried it here yet, but I imagine it would be incredible.
Almond Flour Lemon Cake
This paleo cake recipe would be incredible with lemons, though many adjustments would need to be made since lemons are smaller than oranges, not as sweet, and far more bitter.
I tested this orange cake recipe a couple of dozen times to perfect it so I’m not sure how substitutions would work in order to create a recipe for lemon cake.
I wish I had a crystal ball, it would make the process so much easier! If you do experiment with lemons leave a comment and let us know if it works.
Gluten Free Desserts
Thankfully, you really don’t need to experiment with anything, given that I have hundreds of easy recipes for gluten free desserts here on the website and in my three cookbooks!
Gluten Free Orange Cake
But back to my orange cake recipe, which has been shared over ten thousand times on social media –it’s a real deal hit!
When I serve it, everyone loves it –those with diet restrictions as well as folks who can eat anything they want.
Almond Flour Cake
My cakes with almond flour are so popular because they’re rich, dense, and full of flavor.
Almond Flour Baking
Another benefit of almond flour baking is that it’s low carb and healthy.
I love using almond flour rather than the usual high carb wheat flour, the main ingredient in most cakes.
Gluten Free Dessert Recipes
All of the easy gluten free recipes for desserts below are also dairy free cakes.
Gluten Free Coffee Cake
My homemade Gluten Free Coffee Cake is one of my favorite comfort foods. It’s also one of my most popular recipes, with over forty thousand shares on social media.
Made with a base of almond flour, plus five other ingredients, you can throw this low carb coffee cake together in no time.
Gluten Free Carrot Cake
This lightly sweetened nut free Carrot Cake recipe from scratch will blow your mind.
This is one of my favorite cakes made without almond flour.
It’s a nut free cake everyone can enjoy. If you’re allergic to nuts, be sure to check out my Nut Free Recipes page.
Gluten Free Birthday Cake
If you’re looking for a cake that’s chocolate, this family favorite Gluten Free Birthday Cake is a clear winner.
I made this easy cake recipe often when the boys were growing up. Soon they took over and made it for my birthday!
Prefer vanilla birthday cake? Check out my fan favorite Gluten Free Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.
Both of these gluten free cakes are nut free and made with a base of coconut flour.
Healthy Cake Recipes
I hope you love these healthy cake recipes as much as we do and that you enjoy all of my gluten free recipes!
Which of these cake recipes will you bake?
This post is an oldie but goodie from the archives. I first shared this Gluten Free Orange Almond Flour Cake in November 2008.
ali says
I made this cake yesterday. I take it to my work and my partners enjoyed it. Delicious. A few days ago I have been diagnosed with lupus and I need healthy recipes.I am not sure if paleo diet is beneficial for me, I am just learning my new lifestyle.
Elana says
Ali, I’m so sorry to hear about your lupus diagnosis but am glad we are on this healing path of eating healthy food together. I’m thrilled to hear that this cake was delicious!
Donna says
I made this recipe with limes! Yum! Very refreshing! I imagine with a scoop of vanilla ice cream it will be to die for!
Elana says
Donna, I’m so happy to hear this was yum! It’s also amazing topped with my Coconut Whipped Cream:
https://elanaspantry.com/coconut-whipped-cream/
Enjoy!
Elana
Lisa says
Delicious. I love this cake!
I took the bold move of using half honey and half maple syrup because that’s better for me. I also used 3 whole eggs and 1 white only. We’re trying not to eat the whole thing before children and grands get here
Elana says
Lisa, I’m so happy to hear you love this cake!
Nathalie says
Hi are you sure that the orange cake is a passover receipe? It contains baking soda!!
Elana says
Hi Nathalie, yes this is a Passover recipe! Leavening agents, such as baking soda are not chametz. Rather, it is the fermented grains that are chametz. Baking soda is used in Passover baked goods made with matzoh meal and in matzoh balls. Happy Passover :-)
Gayla says
Instead of boiling, I used my pressure cooker (1/2 hr., and then they cool on counter). It was quick, easy and delicious! My dh has decided to learn to bake (we are 69yy) and it’s his new hobby.! Imagine that, who says old dogs can’t learn new tricks! Thank you for this easy recipe.
Elana says
Gayla, your comment made my day! I love that you and your husband are enjoying my recipes :-)
Martha Roberts says
I just looked on your website, Elana, and i’m already falling in LOVE with it. I’m planning to make a cake for my dad’s homecoming, and your orange cake seems perfect! Can’t wait to try this out.
Elana says
Awww, thanks so much Martha!
Ann Gimpel says
I used a 9″ round cake pan per the directions, and the cake overflowed badly. Oven cleanup will be a chore. I’ve never had that problem with any of your other baked goods, so frankly I don’t understand it. But you might want to file away that I live at 8K feet. I’m still waiting to see how the cake that’s left in the pan comes out. It has about 20 minutes left to bake.
Elana says
Ann, oh goodness! I haven’t ever had that happen with this recipe regardless of the altitude I baked it at –I often bake at over 8,000 feet when we are in the mountains. I wonder if it’s possible that the oranges you used were very large. In any event, I hope what’s left was delicious :-)
Mrs. Bee says
This happened to me too! As we speak my oven is covered. I read this comment before baking and was sure to measure my oranges with a scale! I am not at high altitude. No idea what happened but next time I am divding this into two pans :)
Elana says
Mrs. Bee, thanks for letting me know :-)
Zoe Lau says
Thank you so much for the recipe! My sister and i have made it twice and we love it! Made a few changes because the cake was slightly moist, other than that we have made variations of this cake. The second time we added raspberries in it and made a beautiful coconut yogurt glaze on top! Absolutely luscious! Thank you we love your recipes!
Elana says
You’re welcome Zoe!
Kim says
I made this earlier this week for my mom’s 70th birthday cake. My mom loves a treat once in a while of orange chocolate, so I frosted this cake with your Paleo Chocolate Frosting. Everyone loved this cake and said it was AMAZING! I made two cakes – one with only one orange because of some of the readers comments saying the cake was too wet, and one with the two oranges as you wrote the recipe. Both were good, but I should not have doubted your recipe….two oranges worked beautifully. Yes the cake with one orange was a bit drier but two oranges was not “wet” just deliciously moist. I think this has become my new dessert to bring to all gatherings. And absolutely easy peasy to make! Thanks again, Elana for another winner.
Elana says
Kim, happy birthday to your mom and so glad to hear this was AMAZING :-)
MamaCassi says
I read about this cake years ago- I think Nigella’s version. And think I may have tried it. Then a friend came over to do her baking for the week and this was her ‘treat’ for the week and I was excited to have an excuse for baking a treat.
It was perfect. I ground and sifted my own almond flour (we didn’t plan ahead fare ouch to have ordered real almond flour) and we doubled the recipe using a vitamix instead of a food processor, and it is definitely on the list of must make again soon!
My kids especially loved it. I came back fm find the middle of the last three slices gone and a guilty three year old begging tearfully for one more piece.
Elana says
MamaCassi, so glad that everyone loved it!
Sasha Cannon says
Thank you for a fantastic recipe (and double thanks for no coconut in it!!) I have never been much of a baker…my cakes are always pathetic, but this recipe worked out beautifully!! The only deviation I made was replacement of honey with Sukrin Gold syrup, and only 1/2 cup since my husband is diabetic. The cake was exactly as pictured, and tasted super delish. You made my day. I will be trying lemon variation for sure. Persimmon, maybe?
Elana says
Hi Sasha, thanks for letting us know this was super delish!
Sasha Cannon says
Frequently do this in a muffin pan — the recipe makes 11 muffins/cupcakes and the cook time is 20 minutes in my (convect) oven. Tonight I made the recipe with lemons instead of orange. Awesomeness…
Elana says
Sasha, thanks for letting me know this is awesomeness :-)