Elana's Pantry

New York Times Bestselling author Elana Amsterdam founded Elana’s Pantry, the go-to website for easy, healthy, grain-free, Paleo recipes, in 2006

paleo orange cake

Paleo Orange Cake

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This Paleo Orange Cake recipe, made with 6 healthy ingredients is one of our favorite desserts. It consists of whole oranges, almond flour, eggs, honey, salt, and baking soda. Yup, that’s all you need to make this easy paleo cake recipe. It is the perfect festive holiday dessert for Christmas, Hanukkah, Easter, and Passover.

I know it seems weird to make a cake with whole oranges. However, using the orange as well as its peel adds a rich dimension of flavor to this cake. Yes, that’s right, you use the entire orange including the peel in this recipe!

Print Recipe
Paleo Orange Cake
Serves:8
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Wash the oranges and boil them whole (peel and all) for 1 ½ hours, or until soft
  2. Place whole oranges (peel and all) in a food processor and blend until smooth
  3. Pulse in eggs, honey, almond flour, salt, and baking soda until well combined
  4. Pour batter into a greased 9 inch springform pan
  5. Bake at 375°F for 35-45 minutes, until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean
  6. Cool in the pan for 2 hours
  7. Serve

The idea for this easy paleo cake recipe came from one of my favorite cookbook authors, Claudia Roden. Her recipe is called Gateau a l’Orange. Nigella Lawson also has a recipe for a citrus cake using both fruit and peel. Her version is made with clementines, rather than oranges.

I think this paleo cake recipe would be incredible with lemons, though I imagine some adjustments would need to be made if experimenting with this sour citrus fruit. I haven’t tried that, if you do please leave a comment and let us know if it works.

Here are some of my other easy paleo cake recipes:

Comments

  1. This cake came out really well. It made my daughter’s day who is on a gluten free, casein free and refined sugar free diet.

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  2. would it be a good idea if I want to do some cashew orange frosting (soak cashews in hot water for 2-3hours; blend it until smooth along with orange zest or some orange juice, coconut oil, mapel syrup, coconut milk, vanilla extract; refrigerate and spread on the cake) for this cake. Thank you!

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  4. Pressure Cooker: for the oranges. Used 1 inch of water with a rack, at pressure for 15 min & then natural cool down . Worked great.

    Baking: 375 F on convection. I opened it at 30 min to put on foil & it was done! Clean toothpick.

    Result: cake was super moist and stayed together perfectly when cut into pieces. Top was golden, anymore time & it would’ve gotten too dark. Everyone at the Passover Seder last night loved it!

    Thank you! This is my first time posting, but I have been using your recipes for many, many years. As a naturopathic physician I am constantly recommending your site. I have your cookbooks, but it is this website that I use the most – whipping out scones or chocolate chip cookies, or a black & white cake on a moments notice. Last night we made Charoset & Matzah & the orange cakes all from here!

    It is an amazing service you provide – creating and testing and posting all of these for us to use. And having a place that people can comment on the changes that they tried – it is a living organism.
    Thank you for all of your hard work & dedication. I really appreciate it and so do the many others who’ve eaten these foods that I’ve made.

    Reply

    • Louise, you’re comment made my day! Thanks so much for letting me know that everyone at your Seder loved this cake and that you’re finding my website and books incredibly helpful :-)

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  5. Hello, would this cake be good served whit whipped cream? I feel like the citrus whit the dairy won’t match.
    Thanks so much!

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    • Natalia, thanks for your comment! Serving whipped cream and citrus together is a fantastic combination that reminds me of a creamsicle :-)

      Reply

  6. I made the orange cake exactly as you said, it was one of the best cakes I have ever made! Gave half to our neighbors (who donated the oranges) and they also loved it. So I decided to try Meyer lemons and made some adjustments based on the comments I read below. I boiled the two lemons (totaled 13oz) and found that they took a far shorter time. At about 40 minutes one had deflated some so I would recommend watching them and only shooting for 30 minutes max. I believe it affected the cake as there was less juice inside the lemon after it deflated, and I had added 1TB coconut flour due to some of the comments. The slight dryness could have been affected by less juice in the lemon or the added coconut flour, I don’t plan to add the coconut flour next time. I also changed the honey straight across to maple syrup to make it Fodmap friendly. It did stick to the pan, the orange cake didn’t, so I would use parchment paper or spray the pan first. The main problem with using lemons is the seeds, they didn’t get pulverized in my food processor like the orange seeds did. I would recommend taking the seeds out before you process the lemons. So for every one who wants to make a lemon version, here are some tried hints. Thanks for the recipe Elana, the orange cake will be my new potluck dessert!!!!

    Reply

    • Karin, thanks for letting me know this is one of the best cakes you’ve ever had and that everyone loved it!

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  7. Baked it for my husband’s 42nd birthday yesterday..was a super hit with the entire family! Thank you so much for an easy healthy wonderful recipe! Followed the instructions as is, baked for 50 min with a piece of foil on top after the first 30 mins.lined the pan with parchment.decorated with powdered sugar, Mandarin orange segments and raspberries..looked so pretty!

    Reply

    • Pavi, happy birthday to your hubby! Your cake sounds gorgeous. I hope you’ll upload a photo to Instagram and tag me so that I can see it. Thanks for letting me know this recipe is easy, healthy, and wonderful :-)

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  8. I have made this several times and it is always a big hit. If it starts to darken on top before it is done you can simply set a piece of foil loosely on top, it will continue to bake and won’t burn.

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      • It’s an amazing cake! My father said it’s the best. I gave it this week to my son’s bday in the kindergarten and they all loved it (one toddler came to ask my for the recipe and his mother is making it this weekend). Thanks again Elana!!

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        • Amélie, thanks for your incredible comment! I’m so glad to hear that your father said it’s the best, and that a toddler loved it so much he asked for the recipe :-)

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  9. Thank you for this lovely cake Elana! It has become a holiday tradition in our family. I make it in a festive bundt pan and decorate with a white glaze and small berries, always a big hit at our large family Christmas dinner :)

    Reply

    • Emily, I’m so glad to hear this is always a big hit at your Christmas dinner and I’m so happy to be part of the festivities via this recipe :-)

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  10. I’m just wondering what to do about the seeds? Do we just put whole oranges in the pot and not remove the seeds or cut up the fruit? Thanks so much for your wonderful recipes!

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  11. Omg I am so sad right now! I don’t know why but followed the recipe. Had to take the cake out before 50 minutes because it was about to be burnt! But still it’s no quite cooked inside!! Shoul i have put it on the top rack of the oven? Bake it at 350? Smell good tho :/

    Reply

    • Justine, thanks for your comment! This usually happens when the oranges are too big and weigh more than the 13 ounces combined as specified in the recipe :-)

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    • Foods baked with honey will tend to darken sooner . I always set the timer 5 minutes less and keep a close eye on it at the end. It’s definitely done by 50 minutes. Dropping the temperature just a bit to 360 also seems to help. But Wow! What fantastic flavor. Love, love, love this recipe.

      Reply

  13. I want to try it as I have all the ingredients. What I don’t have is a food processor. I have a vitamix. Do you think it will work? I only have a loaf pan, wonder if that will work as well?

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  15. I baked this product 3 times because I like citrus cakes.
    I use a conventional oven the 1st time exact to the recipe, great results.
    I used a Breville Smart Oven the next 2 times with some challenges. 2nd bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes and the cake burnt almost all the way through except 1″ in the center. 3rd bake at 375 for 40 minutes and the color was brown, not orange and the bottom was burnt 1/8″.
    I wonder if lowering the temp to 350 degrees and bake 40 minutes would solve this problem. Please advise.

    Reply

    • David, thanks for your comment! It sounds like you may need to have the smart oven temperature recalibrated so that it works as well as your conventional oven :-)

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      • That is something I considered, but all other breads ( your bread recipes) and foods don’t have these challenges. And the oven is new.

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        • Thanks David! If you’re certain the oven temperature is perfect, then make sure that you’re oranges weight 6.5 ounces each :-)

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  16. 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.

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    • 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!

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  17. I made this recipe with limes! Yum! Very refreshing! I imagine with a scoop of vanilla ice cream it will be to die for!

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  18. 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

    Reply

        • 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 :-)

          Reply

  19. 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.

    Reply

  20. 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.

    Reply

  21. 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.

    Reply

    • 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 :-)

      Reply

      • 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 :)

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  22. 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!

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  23. 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.

    Reply

  24. 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.

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  25. 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?

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  26. Yummy! Made with 2 large and 2 small eggs, added 1 t. vanilla and 1/2 c. honey. Made in a square 9 inch pan – took 40 minutes. Will definitely make again!

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  27. HI,
    I am a loyal follower of you fantastic site and recipes. Please tell me what brand of almond flour you use. I typically use almond meal from Trader Joe’s. thank you for your reply and for sharing your creativity, suggestions, and stories.

    Reply

  28. Thank you for this, Elana! Very delicious! Made it today for a pre-4th of July family get together and everyone loved it! Even “most” of the little kids. ;) I made the following changes: 1 medium orange instead of 2. And about 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp. of honey instead of 3/4 cup. It cooked in about 35 minutes. I also made a chocolate frosting to put on it after it cooled. (1/4 cup coconut oil. 1/8 cup cocoa powder. 1 tablespoon honey) Then I stored it in the fridge for a few hours for the coconut oil to solidify. Served with vanilla ice cream. Yum!

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  29. This recipe both intrigued and concerned me. Two oranges could weigh half a pound or two pounds! I saw Elana’s comment that they would weigh in at about 1.25 pounds so that is how much I put in. Brought it for Easter dinner. One of the guests is grain free so I always bake with her in mind. My cake turned a little brown (too brown) on the sides… Other than that was lovely. Moist, yes. Orangey, yes. I served w Elana’s whipped coconut creme from her paleo book. Will make over and over again. Would it help to turn down the oven?

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  30. I am embarrassed to say that I have literally made this recipe exactly as listed, 6 times in two weeks and each time it came out perfectly. It leaves my guests swooning and is a hit everywhere I bring it. At Yesterday’s Easter Egg Hunt and Potluck it was a grand success and it will be the dessert on my Passover Seder table later in April. Thank you so much for such a wonderful recipe!

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  31. I made this for the 1st time and used fresh picked kumquats and orange. The combo with honey is fantastic. I’ve been following your recipes for a while. Thanks!

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  32. I made this twice now in the past week after not having made it since my first attempt a while back.
    I made the following changes –
    3 eggs
    2/4 maple syrup + 1/4 honey
    It’s moist but not soggy and I prefer the sweetness. Plus maple syrup is fodmap friendly.
    Delish

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  33. I followed this recipe exactly, using two organic medium oranges. It stuck to the pan when I removed it two hours after baking it as the recipe stated. Also, it was so moist I would describe it as wet. I loved the taste of it! I will make it again and try adding 1/3 cup of coconut flour. Also, I will line the pan with parchment paper and grease the paper. In the meantime, I am going to cover my cake with a vegan chocolate ganache to hide the breaks in the cake that resulted when I turned it out of the pan.

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  34. I wanted to make this recipe as is, but didn’t have all ingredients. Subbed 1 cup fresh pulverized pineapple for oranges, Trader Joe’s Almond Meal for Almond flour, Steen’s Cane Syrup for agave/honey, and added 1 T. coconut flour (it seemed too watery). I oiled and baked in nonstick bundt pan for 40 mins. It’s came out great – a real treat! Only problem was it stuck to the pan. So next time, I really want to try the ‘real’ recipe and will line a cake pan with parchment paper. Thanks for a wonderful recipe base!

    Reply

  35. I made this cake into a firetruck for a Fireman Sam birthday party. I’ve posted photos on my website http://castironveggies.com/a-desert-birthday/ Normally when I make this cake (and we make it often) I use chocolate frosting. However, my daughter did not want a brown firetruck, she wanted a red one, then a yellow one, then at the last minute a pink one. This was so good with coconut frosting. All the kids (and grown ups) loved it. If you haven’t made this yet, I highly recommend it.

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  36. It is a wonderful recipe. I decided I would try this recipe as tea cakes. First time I used 2 medium size navel oranges. Too moist. Yeild 24 tea cakes.
    Yesterday tried 1 med orange, perfection. Yeild 18 tea cakes. I am assuming the amount of orange should weight no more than 1 pound, per Nigela Lawson’s website.

    I did try this with 2 small lemons as well.. I added 1/3 cup poppy seeds to almond flour prior to adding to food processor. Once again perfection.Yeild 18 tea cakes. Unfortunately I added a honey glaze from another chef, which turn out more like a toffee candy coating topping. Next time I will leave well enough alone.

    Elana, have to say I love your Fig Newton recipe as well. One of my all time favorites as a child. I have tried your original recipe and have also changed it up a bit for a diabetic friend. I dehydrated strawberries, and used Cary’s sugarfree maple syrup to make Strawberry Newtons. Turn out wonderful.

    Thank you for your continued dedication to a healthy lifestyle.

    Reply

    • Oh my, failed to mention that today I decided to try the lemon and orange again, without the glaze I used in prior attempt. I don’t know if anyone had any falling center in their cakes as they cooled. I did, sooo I did a bit of investigation, and Nigela, uses baking powder, not baking soda. As well, she stated on her blog that there is gluten free baking powder. Went to my local Whole Foods, and sure enough there is a Hain Brand as well as Dr. Oetker. Grabbed the Hain, and what do you know, no sinking in the middle of my lovely tea cakes. While the little lovelies were baking, I went on line and found a sub for gluten free baking powder, which is far less expensive than what I purchased. 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, to 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda(baking soda). Will have to try that next time. By the way baking these as tea cakes in a nordicware 12 square space pan, was 10 minutes, then rotate pan, and bake an additional 10 minutes. 20 minutes to heavenly goodness. Great recipe Elana.

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  37. Hi Elana

    It sounds like a great recipe!
    Have you, or has anyone you know (of), ever made this with lemons instead of oranges? Can hardly wait to find out!… Of not, i will soon give it a try (and report back)…

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  38. Thanks for a great recipe… I made cupcakes from this recipe for my son’s 2nd bday. And used a basic paleo choc frosting recipe from coconut oil, organic cocoa & organic raw honey. Really yummy. My non paleo guests were impressed. Thanks again.

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    • Courtney, happy birthday to your son! I’m so happy to be part of the celebration via this recipe. Glad to hear it was really yummy :-)

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  39. I made this cake on a Sunday for a dinner invite, which was cancelled. It sat in the fridge until Saturday morning when I used it for a bake sale-and it was still good. I think some cranberries would go really well with the spicy orange flavor.

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  40. I better clear up I”m not “The” Elana! Ha! I made this tonight with some changes. I did not boil the oranges. I used 1 large orange and 3 clementines. I used the peel and discarded some of the white area because I didnt want any bitterness. I put the peel and oranges in my vitamix and blended it together. I then added 1/4 honey and 1/2 cup Lakanto all natural zero glycemic sweetener ( sold on amazon) it bakes exactly like sugar yet there is NO spike in blood sugar and zero calories. I also added 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Added the other ingredients as listed and baked in a 9 inch square pan that was greased and floured with almond flour. I baked this for 50 minutes and cut into 16 squares. It baked perfectly. It turned out a dense cake that is just delicious. I like mine with a small dollop of whipped cream or a person could use whipped coconut cream. Excellent recipe. Thanks!!

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  41. So I made this tonight and it was FABULOUS. I was worried it was going to be a bit better because of all the orange pith, but it wasn’t. I used my own almond flour (because I have a vitamix and love using it) and it was a little soggy, more like a pudding in the middle. But I’m going to assume that is my fault because of the flour. Didn’t matter anyways, because, again, it was FABULOUS. I’m going to use it as a birthday cake for my Aunt this weekend. She isn’t gluten free, but I am. And if I’m baking the cake it is going to meet my dietary restrictions ;)

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  42. Hi, I was just wondering what the nutritional info is for this cake. Especially calories, I am on a very strict diet and calorie count is crucial for me ight now. Thanks. I’ve already made it, and can’t wait to try it!

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  43. I love whole orange cakes, they’re just so….orangey! Thanks Elana for this recipe, I just made it and it has come out beautifully! So moist and delicious. I will be serving it with some Paleo ice cream for dinner guests this evening – provided I don’t eat it all before then!

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  44. I just used this recipe as the cake part of a plum upside down cake. Heaven! I served it with some homemade heavy cream yogurt cheese, which tasted a bit like crème fraiche and finished it by drizzling some of the plum sauce from the plum reduction. I’m so grateful for your fabulous baked goods recipes. It is making being on the SCD diet so much more approachable and successful!

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  45. I made this, and it’s my new favorite recipe … it’s so easy. I doubled the recipe and froze 1/2 of it … it freezes very well. Think it was done in 35 minutes .. depending on size of pan and if it was on top or bottom oven shelf.
    It is really moist but that’s what makes it delicious.

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  46. Made this with 3 small clementines and a couple of tablespoons of cocoa powder, also used golden syrup..not so healthy but fabulous cake!
    The texture was very like ginger cake so next time I will try with some molasses and ginger..it is really lovely, THANK YOU !!!!!

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  47. I topped mine with a glaze made from powdered sugar and fresh orange juice and then we served the cake with sliced, fresh strawberries. Very good!

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  48. Has anyone tried this recipe w grapefruit?? Am going to try but if anyone has experience please do share!

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  49. The cake was out of this world! It’s new FAV. I was skeptical about putting the rind in but it is wonderful! My cake starting too dark too after about 30 mins. so i covered mine with foil. :)

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  50. I didn’t have two oranges to spare or the time to wait for them to boil so… I made a pineapple upside-down cake instead. I just replaced the oranges with half of a small pineapple thrown right into a blender. I placed a thin layer of agave, followed by a few slices of pineapple, and some no sugar added maraschino cherries in juice. It is still hot but a sneaky-taste-test-before-it-is-ready says it is going to be AMAZING! Next time I make this, for I am sure I will, I plan to take some of the pineapple juice out as it interfered slightly with the baking process. The cake is cracked versus whole because of it. Just a thought.

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  52. Thanks for the great recipe! I used 3 small organic juice oranges (1 lb total), and substituted honey for agave. I baked it in an 8×8-in. pan instead, at 350 for 50 mins. My husband and I both loved how moist and orange-y the cake is. The bottom of the cake stuck just slightly to the 8×8 pan after cooling for close to 2 hrs.

    I calculated the approximate nutritional info using Myfitnesspal and above ingredients (1 lb oranges with peel, and honey):
    Calories Carbs Fat Protein Fiber Sodium
    Total: 3140 331 131 78 45 2183
    Per Serving: 196 21 8 5 3 136

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  53. I have made about 4 of these in the last 5 days and they vanish quite quickly. The last one I made I decided to try adding a tsp of coconut flour and a half tsp of almond extract. It has added so much depth to the texture and the flavour. Sprinle flaked almonds over the top and it’s orange cake perfection :) My friends were fans before of the gluten free creations I replicate from this site, but now they are putty in my hands!

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  54. I made this today for friends and they were all blown away (as was I!) It was so simple and totally delicious! Thank you so much. This has made a lot of people in London very happy!

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  55. I made this Saturday and it came out perfectly.

    SUBS:

    – Instead of 2 oranges, I used 1 orange and 2 lemons. (Lemons boil to softness more quickly than stiff organic oranges, BTW.)

    – No cake pain available, I used a 10-inch steel skillet, lined with parchment paper.

    – I reduced agave by 1/8th and added a hard shake of stevia. Too sweet for me, I’ll reduce Agave by 1/3 next time and not add stevia.

    I LOVED the citrus puree and could eat that plain! Great base for moist cake.

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  57. I made this recipe with Meyer Lemons today and did not change a thing. (I had about 3/4 cup of ML puree) It’s absolutely fab. Since the Meyer Lemons are “sweeter” than regular lemons, it had enough agave for my tastes. I’m so happy I found a lemon cake recipe that’s GF, tasty and easy to make! Thank you Elana, once again!

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  58. Hi everyone. I must admit that I have never left a comment regarding recipes before. Not for a lack of word, but for a lack of time. I have type 1 diabetes and Hoshimoto’s thyroiditis so my M.D. told me to completely eliminate gluten permanently. I have purchased 25lbs of almond flour and now bake everything on Elana’s website :) My children are happy, my husband is happy and now I can eat yummy sweets with them.

    This orange cake is unbelievably moist, decadent and easy to make. It tastes so moist that my husband said that it was not done when he was cutting it with the knife. I had to hide it from him after 3 pieces LOL. I wonder what the proportions would be for pumpkin, carrot or squash instead of oranges. There would be less liquid than you would get from oranges. I will try to make it with other veggies and fruits and post a comment.

    Thank you so much Elana for your tasty and easy recipes.

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  59. Hi Elana,
    I love your site! I’ve had success with a few of your cupcake recipes and the coconut frosting was a huge hit! I’m going to try your orange cake recipe for a family party this weekend. I would like to try and use a bundt pan– I was wondering what you thought of that idea, do you think I would be able to get it out of the pan smoothly after the cooling?
    Thanks!

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  60. I’ve made this cake a couple fo times, with oranges and with other citrus, and it is always fabulous! I have to share that I just ran into big bags of organic oranges (I will not go near non-organic citrus) on an amazing clearance rack at my local supermarket and am doing cartwheels of joy!! Guess I’m baking lots of orange cake this weekend – maybe muffins and mini-loaf cakes too for Christmas presents!!

    Also, I’m going to boil most of them then freeze the puree in portions so can just thaw out and use as needed – yayyyyyyy!!!!

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  61. In a jet lagged stupor, I made a double recipe of Orange Cake for Thanksgiving…but with a few modifications.

    I had 5 juice oranges so I used them all. I used a combination of 1 cup Splenda (to reduce the carbs) and 2 squirts of agave. I measured a little more salt than double…caught myself before doubling the doubled recipe.

    And here’s the Big Booboo…I measured out 32 oz of Honeyville almond flour (double the doubled recipe)! I thought the batter was thicker than it should be, but proceeded anyway.

    It baked in about the same time as the original recipe.

    Best of all, it was terrific! The taste (glad I used that extra orange) and texture were just fine. It was not as moist and more cake-like.

    Being diabetic, I love this cake and am happy to have stumbled onto a modification that gives me a choice of textures.

    Thanks for the recipe!

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  63. I made some modifications to this cake – I found the original recipe too moist.

    1 orange – boiled for 45 mins
    3/4 coconut sap as sweetener (powder form, like sugar only better!)
    2 eggs

    bake in 8×8 square pan

    still delish, but less moist

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  64. Anise.

    Add a small amount (1/4 – 1/2 tsp) of anise for a nice counter balance flavor. It will be hard for folks to pinpoint the flavor but it brings a bit of an earthiness.

    -Amy

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  65. I made this for a friends birthday last weekend and it was sooooo good! As it was a special treat I topped it with a frosting of mascarpone, whipping cream, orange juice, and confectioners sugar (not healthy but it was oh so good on the cake). Served with sliced strawberries over it and it was very pretty.

    Elana your website has made gluten-free baking fun and delicious, thank you very much!

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  66. Hey Elana-

    i’m planning on making this orange cake for my mom’s birthday-

    do you have any thoughts or suggestions for an icing or frosting that would work with this cake? in an effort to make it more “birthday-ish”-

    it’s awesome on it’s own, btw!!

    any advice is gratefully appreciated-

    david from chicago

    Reply

    • Actually I was thinking of an orange glaze. Using some of the orange puree that was made (use 1 or 2 tablespoons) and adding conf. sugar and just using it sparingly on cake.

      Reply

  67. Just made this for our Passover Seder (I am newly GF), and it turned out looking and tasting WONDERFUL! I didn’t have time to look into any extras for it – glaze or anything else – but I definitely will be making this again, and not just for Passover. Thanks for this recipe!!

    Reply

  68. This was delicious! Made for guests and hubby loved too. However, we think it is best the next day cold. Thanks for the recipe Elana!

    Reply

  69. I just made this cake, and it was a huge hit! I will be making it again today for a friend’s birthday. One thing I did differently was to add two dried vanilla beans to the batter when processing the orange and agave. It added beautiful vanilla specks, and an awesome orange/vanilla flavor. Love it! Thanks for this recipe!

    Reply

  70. Hi,
    My husband has Type I diabetes. These recipes look like they would be great for him, but I was wondering, is there any way to get the nutritional information, especially the amount of carbs per serving, since that is how he determines how much insulin he gives himself?

    Thank you,
    Jacqueline

    Reply

  72. Elana,
    This cake is absolutely breathtaking I am soo pleased with the results in fact it was so good I turned right around and made a second one before the oven was cool haahha…Love it thank you so much….My 14 yr old and I changed our diet about 3 months ago (he lost 26 lbs and I lost 36 lbs and still counting) We feel so much better not only because of the weight loss, but because we are no longer putting junk in our bodies….Your website (although I do use others) is my main resource for cooking and baking. Cindy from Kansas

    Reply

  74. I love your website and have made many of your recipes. The orange cake sounded good so I followed your recipe, but the idea of boiling the oranges didn’t sit well, so I tried it again. I zested the oranges, and used all the rest except for some of the pith. I just blended the raw oranges and zest in my Vitamix and then added the other ingredients. Much better, fresher tasting, not as bitter. Same consistency too. Like an orange cheese cake, almost.

    Reply

  75. This cake is wonderful, dense, fulfilling. I adapted this and Lawson’s recipe and made it with 8 clementines. Fantastic.

    Reply

  76. This cake has now become my family’s favorite! I have Insulin Resistance and can’t have carbs at all, except nuts & beans, so this is perfect. I can’t have agave but the natural sugars in the oranges don’t seem to bother me. I used Splenda and to combat that “sugarless” feel on the palate, I added the juice of 1/2 lemon, rind from 1/2 lemon, 1 tsp vanilla. No one could tell it was “sugar-free”.

    Absolutely delicious!

    Reply

  77. Amazing! The first gf cake I’ve made that doesn’t taste gf. Mine was done cooking at about 35 min and only about half of it cooled in the pan for for the full 2 hours:) So glad I found your site Elana

    Reply

  78. Dr.Cynthia,

    I have many allergies besides the gluten. I cannot use corn, but am doing well with agave. Sometimes I add a little pure maple syrup, too, for flavoring.

    I would love to have your book when you are finished.

    Reply

  79. Hi Elana!

    I have been wanting to make this for so long, and after I saw yours I decided to dig in. I referenced your recipe as well as two cookbooks that I used. Thanks for turning me onto Claudia Roden’s books. I love the history of food and culture.

    Reply

    • Hi Elana,
      I’ve just made this and absolutely love it. I was just wondering if you would recommend changing anything in order to make it into cupcakes?
      Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
      Mary

      Reply

  81. Dear Dr. Cynthia, what you are doing sounds fantastic. I will contact you to discuss this question :-)

    Reply

  82. I love recipes that are gluten free by nature, and almond meal cakes are a great example. The orange flavour must be beautifully intense with whole oranges included. You’ve taken a lovely picture too!

    Reply

  83. As soon as I found this recipe last night, I dashed into my kitchen and made this cake. I didn’t have blanched almond flour, so I grinded my own almonds (not blanched, however). I didn’t grind the almonds fine enough but even so the cake was DELICIOUS! Next time I will splurge on blanched almond meal. Thanks for such a delicious treat!! Perfect orange flavor.

    Reply

  84. I have been looking for a recipe like this since starbucks came out with their cake. I just bought the last seasons worth of valencias from the farmers market sat and am super excited to make this cake. Maybe tonight…

    Reply

  85. Elana – have you tried the new Starbucks Gluten Free Valencia Orange Cake? It's a copycat of your recipe. in a muffin form with sliced almonds and an orange syrup on top. All in an individual wrapper. Truly fabulous! They should re-name it Elana's Gluten Free Valencia Orange Cake! So nice to have a gluten free alternative at Starbucks.

    Reply

  86. ~M,

    Hmmmmm. My guess would be that 2 oranges would weigh in at more than a pound, not sure exactly how much more though. Maybe go for 1.25 pounds? I have been meaning to make this cake with lemons (of any and all sort) and bet it will be amazing with the Meyers.

    Let me know how it goes :-)

    Elana

    Reply

    • Elana? Have you made this recipe with lemons? Any adjustments required??
      I have all your cook books and love them.

      Reply

      • Linda, thanks for your comment and nice to meet you here! I haven’t made this recipe with lemons in place of the oranges so not sure how that would go :-)

        Reply

  87. Hi Elana,

    I’m starting to audition Pesach recipes and bought some Meyer lemons (on sale!) to make a version of this cake. I weighed out the Meyer Lemons to be 1 lb because Nigella’s version calls for 1 lb of citrus. Would you say that the 2 oranges you used are equal, more, or less than 1 lb? I hope you are enjoying the navel oranges over there as much as we are over here! Thanks!

    Thanks so much, as always!
    ~M

    Reply

  89. I modified the Orange Cake recipe yesterday to make a Lemon Poppyseed Cake. I used 6 small lemons in place of the oranges. Everything else I kept the same, except that I added 20 drops of stevia and 1T poppyseeds. It turned out well, very moist and tasty. Not too tart, not too sweet and very filling. Thanks for the inspiration!
    Kristin

    Reply

  91. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe. I decided it would also make beautiful carrot spice muffins – so I went with your original recipe and added cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg alone with a few grated carrots and a couple of handfuls of raisins. You may need to increase the almond flour by 1/2 cup. They were fabulous and very moist.
    Next up – banana cranberry oat muffins using this as the basis and certified GF oats. Thankyou!

    Reply

  93. Duh, I just read you and Shirley last posts. Thanks for the tip. I’ll try it again. The smell of warm citrus was amazing!

    Reply

  96. Just a note to Carolyn, Elana gave you a solution for this cake :-), but I just wanted to mention that you can still flour your pans even if GF. After you grease them, you just pour a little of your GF flour into the pan and tilt it and turn so the flour will go over the greased area. Then dump out the excess. (It shouldn’t be much left to dump out, if any.)

    Reply

  97. carolyn,

    Thanks for your comment. I changed the instructions to read “cool the cake in the pan” after you left it. I think this will do the trick. Let me know how it goes.

    Elana

    Reply

  98. I tried making this on Thanksgiving and I almost had it, except that when I tried to transfer the cake from the pan to the cooling rack it broke in half:( I was really disappointed, but I want to try it again, even just for the smell of warm citrus. What can you recommend for me so that this doesn’t happen again. In the old days I would have “floured” my pan, but that’s not a possibility anymore. I’d really appreciate the input. Thanks!

    Reply

  100. Elana – Thank you so very much for this yum recipe! Our whole house smells like lovely oranges – I added whole cloves and a cinnamon stick to the boiling water to really take advantage of the citrus fragrance :)

    Reply

  101. Kim -I bet that smelled amazing, though sounds as if it might taste a little too strong –did it work?

    Chris -I haven’t posted a pumpkin apple soup recipe, though wish I had one, it sounds divine.

    Reply

  102. Someone wrote that they loved your pumpkin apple soup recipe. Could you post or send it to my e-mail. I’d love to serve it at our thanksgiving meal.

    Thanks for your website and fabulous recipes!

    Reply

  103. I just made this cake, and my house smells wonderful. When I boiled the oranges, I threw in half a dozen whole cloves. When everything was done boiling, I tossed the cloves in the food processor too – not sure if they’ll make a difference in the cake since I probably boiled all the flavor out of them, but I couldn’t help it. It’s just such a lovely combination of flavors and scents. I can’t wait to try the cake! I’m taking this and another non-GF cake to work tomorrow for my birthday – let’s see which one goes faster! :) Thanks, Elana!

    Reply

  104. fran -I take it you are not baking in the U.S. You can go to this website for conversions; I found it by googling “convert ml to cups.” For the exact weights of specific ingredients I would weigh them on a scale and then use the aforementioned chart to convert the recipes, though if you don’t have a cup to measure out the ingredients, then this wouldn’t work so it might not be a helpful suggestion. You could always post this question in my forums, there are lots of helpful folks over there and many from Europe.

    MamaBear -Thanks for your lovely comment; I also enjoy connecting with people passionate about food.

    Reply

  105. Looks fantastic! Can’t wait to make it :) Thanks for all your recipes. I love that they are wholesome, flavorful & satisfying. I’m always looking forward to browsing through all of them, both old and new! I’m grateful to find other people who eat similarly & are as passionate about food as I am.

    Reply

  106. I finally found agave nectar in a health food store, but could someone please tell me how much ml 1 cup of agave nectar exactly is?
    And does anyone know how much grams are in 1 cup of almond flour, I think it is around 100 grams per cup. It would be greatly appreciated if i could get the precise numbers ;)

    Reply

    • I would like to try this recipe with another fruit puree—passionfruit.

      How much does the two pureed oranges measure out, so that I could make an equivalent substitution?

      Reply

  107. ~M -Thanks for your comment and for inspiring me to post this recipe. I am looking forward to trying it with other citrus!

    Pat -Your lemon version sounds delicious.

    Chrissy -Hope you liked it as much as we did :-)

    Veggiegirl -Thanks!

    Ruth -Peel and all; thanks for pointing out that the instructions weren’t clear enough, I edited that to be more straightforward.

    Sue -Peel and all :-)

    Robin -I like the chocolate drizzling idea.

    Laurinda -Yup, peel and all; you are welcome!

    Cate -You are welcome, and no, don’t peel the oranges.

    Miranda -Yes the whole thing; glad you found us here :-)

    Mariella -You are welcome; thanks for your comment.

    Magma -Removing/substituting even one ingredient in a recipe will change the entire recipe and you may need to make significant adjustments when doing so –as you are basically experimenting and will achieve varied (and not always good) results. In this case, I would just recommend rolling the dough in a bit more almond flour to make it drier. This is generally the trick for oily dough (no matter what type of flour you are using).

    ~M -Thanks.

    Sarah -Thanks for your comment. Have fun baking sans the xanthum.

    Hayley -That sounds delicious!

    melissa -Thanks for your comment. I would first get an oven thermometer to see if your oven is baking correctly at the temperature it is set to. If it is, then I would remove the cake at 35-40 minutes and reduce the baking time, rather than turning down the heat. Also, you could try to bake it on a lower oven rack than you did the first time…Hope this helps and let me know how it goes.

    Shirley -Thanks for another great comment. Enjoy the cake!

    Terri I like the idea of using a mild olive oil in place of the grapeseed. Thanks for sharing your substitution tip.

    Reply

  108. I’ve made at least half of the recipes on this site and only use Oliovita delicate and mild olive oil for baking rather than the grapeseed oil and love it. The oil is so light and basically has no taste.

    Reply

  109. As soon as I saw this, I immediately thought of Nigella’s recipe which I have always pondered, but never tried. Yours looks easier. I have two oranges that I bought to make wassail for my support group’s open house tomorrow (that recipe is from Stephanie’s A Year of Crockpotting blog, http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/), but I am very tempted to make this recipe this evening and buy more oranges tomorrow morning. ;-) Not sure if I have enough almond flour though. :-( Ordering that is on my “to do” list. If not, I will make this VERY soon. Thanks!

    Reply

  110. the flavor of this cake is great. but the outside burned a bit t 375 for 45 minutes. to prevent this, would i turn the oven down and bake longer? thank you.

    Reply

  111. This cake looks so moist, perhaps some fresh cranberries and toasted walnuts? A drizzle of icing would be perfection.

    Reply

  112. Wow Elana,
    This sounds simply yummy. I love that you used almond flour and it intrigues me that it doens’t need other GF flour combinations to make it work. so simple! Plus, no xanthan gum. wow. This is such a healthy and yummy looking cake for the holiday season. thank you so much. You have sold me on almond and coconut flours – gonna order some soon.
    thanks,
    sarah

    Reply

  114. Hello,

    I was excited to find your beautiful website which is very similar to the way I need to eat (minus so much sugar). I made your fig newton recipe, without the sencond sweetener, and was dismayed to find how oily the cookie “dough” was. Have you tried it with less oil? I did use your recommended brand of almond flour.

    Magma

    Reply

  115. Sheer bliss! We all adore oranges or anything citrus-related. This recipe many times simplified reminds me of Sicilian almond cake sans marzipan.
    Mmmm, I’m trying it this weekend….Thank you so much for sharing.

    Mariella

    P.S. Love your photography!

    Reply

  116. Hi there! I’ve just found your site and I can’t wait to try *everything*. My step-mother is on a gluten-free diet, I’m diabetic, and we’re both very much into healing through food.

    Before I dive in to this one I wanted to make sure:
    when you say boil and process the oranges “whole” you mean peel and everything?

    Thanks!
    Miranda

    Reply

  117. Hi Elana-
    First I want to say I made your chocolate chip cookies(the ones with the grapeseed oil) the other day and they were FABULOUS! Thank you!

    Question: In this recipe did you peel the oranges?

    Reply

  118. This sounds great & the picture looks irresistable! One question, though, do you blend the oranges with peel & pith? Thank you for all the wonderful recipes!

    Reply

  119. This looks so wonderful and simple! I am going to try it this weekend. I am dreaming of a chocolate drizzle on top…. yum…

    Reply

  120. Just making sure… since you’re cooking the oranges whole, I assume you put the whole orange (unpeeled) into the food processor??
    Thanks.

    Reply

  121. Oooohhh.. My boys love orange.
    When do you peel the orange? Or does the whole
    orange, peel and all, go into the blender?

    Reply

  124. I make this same (almost) cake, using 1 2/3 c. almond flour. Also I use three eggs, but mix the egg yolks and sugar first, then add the fruit puree and almond flour, and then the stiffly beaten egg whites. I make it frequently using two or three lemons. I don’t make any other changes, but it is tart!

    Reply

  125. Don’t forget Pesach! :) I made it for Pesach last April with meyer lemons and used 1.25 cups sugar instead of the 1 cup + 2T sugar for oranges. You could probably even sweeten it less with meyer lemons (as opposed to regular lemons). I’ve also made it with satsumas. I think lime, lemon-lime, or even grapefruit could be excellent, too! I love the smell of the citrus simmering! By the way, this seems to be a very “forgiving” recipe since I used relatively course almond meal (with the skins on) and it worked beautifully and tasted great, albeit rich!

    Thanks so much for posting this!

    Reply

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