Whole Orange Cake - flourless
User Reviews
4.9
Whole Orange Cake - flourless
Description
This cake utilizes two medium whole oranges boiled three times to reduce bitterness and soften them before pureeing into a thick marmalade-like consistency. The puree incorporates eggs, white sugar, almond meal, and baking powder, creating a gluten-free batter that relies on almond meal for structure and moisture. The preparation avoids conventional flour, yielding a dense, tender crumb with a moist texture.
Baked at a moderate oven temperature in a greased, lined cake pan, the cake develops a lightly golden crust while maintaining moistness internally. Almond meal's finely ground texture imparts a nutty flavor that complements the sweet and slightly tart orange base.
Serve the cake plain to appreciate its natural moistness and flavor, or accompany with Greek yogurt, crème fraîche, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Storage in airtight containers is recommended, with refrigeration advised in warm climates; it can also be frozen for up to three months. The cake can be made ahead, with boiled orange puree prepared the day before.
Ingredients
- 2 orange 600g/1.4 lb total weight, ~300g / 10 oz each orange, ~ 8cm/3" diametre, Note 1, medium, fresh whole with rind on; any type
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 6 egg at room temp (Note 2, large
- 1 1/4 cups white sugar
- 2 3/4 cups almond meal Note 3, or ground almonds
Instructions
Boil oranges:
- Boil 10 minutes: Place oranges in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over medium high heat. Boil for 10 minutes and drain.
- Repeat x 2: Put oranges back in the pot, cover with cold water and boil again for 10 minutes. Drain, then repeat once more (ie. boil oranges 3 x 10 minutes). Shortcut: Boil 40 minutes without draining, keeping an eye on water level. (Note 4)
- Chop: Rinse oranges, then cool slightly so you can handle them. Slice into 1cm / 1/4" slices then dice, removing any seeds. Cool completely.
Batter:
- Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F (140°C fan). Grease and line a 23cm/9" cake pan with baking/parchment paper. (Note 5)
- Blitz oranges: Place chopped oranges in a food processor (Note 6). Blitz on high for 4 x 10 second bursts, scraping down the sides in between, until it's pureed into a marmalade consistency with only a few visible bits of rind remaining. It does not need to be completely smooth.
- Blitz in remaining ingredients: Add almond meal, eggs, baking powder and sugar. Blitz for 5 - 10 seconds on high until combined.
- Bake 60 minutes: Pour into prepared cake pans. Bake 60 minutes until the surface is golden and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Cool: Cool fully in cake pan. Unless using loose base pan, cover surface with baking paper to help you turn it out (cake is sticky so may stick to your hand and tear surface otherwise.)
- Serve: Decorate as desired - I used slices of fresh oranges, rind strips and sprigs of flowers. A dusting of icing sugar / powdered sugar is also lovely. Cut, then serve! See Note 7 for suggestions.
Notes
- Use gluten-free baking powder if gluten sensitivity is a concern.
- For baking, two medium oranges totaling around 600g are ideal; adjust quantity by weight rather than count if oranges vary in size.
- Lemon substitutions are not recommended due to bitterness from pith proportion.
- Almond meal or finely ground raw almonds add moisture and a nutty flavor; almond flour can be used but may slightly alter texture.
- Boiling oranges three times reduces bitterness and softens peel; alternatively, a continuous 40-minute boil can be used while monitoring water levels.
- The cake stores well in airtight containers for up to 5 days or can be frozen up to 3 months.
- Make ahead by boiling and chopping oranges in advance and refrigerating until use.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 12- 16 people
Amount Per Serving
Calories 268 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 268cal | 13% |
| Carbohydrates | 32g | 11% |
| Protein | 8g | 16% |
| Fat | 14g | 22% |
| Saturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Cholesterol | 82mg | 27% |
| Sodium | 32mg | 1% |
| Potassium | 173mg | 4% |
| Fiber | 4g | 16% |
| Sugar | 26g | 52% |
| Vitamin A | 231IU | 5% |
| Vitamin C | 27mg | 30% |
| Calcium | 104mg | 10% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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