Flourless Orange and Almond Cake
Well hi there! Today I am blogging from a small town named Dunsborough, one of my favourite places in the world! My family and I have been coming here for years, and as my brother and I get older, we seem to have become more child-like with the idea of a holiday. We get really excited, pack way too many things like fishing rods, bikes, cards, board games, a guitar even came down this year! Oh how I wish I could share a million photos with you but I'm sure you wouldn't find them half as interesting as I do. But later on in the week I'll share some shots of this amazing place.
So coming down here, being on holidays, it's about relaxing and taking time out to do the things you never have time to do. For me, this is photography, cooking new things, playing cards, sleeping in, fishing, and enjoying the outdoors.
When I usually holiday in Dunsborough, I make a cake. It's nice to have a freshly baked home-made cake for morning or afternoon tea. Before I left Perth, I packed up some baking ingredients, all measured out perfectly to make this cake. I knew I wanted to make this cake because there's a special meaning behind it. This cake is a must whenever my mum and I go to David Jones for coffee. We've been ordering if for years but for some reason I have never even thought about making it myself. I had a look around in a couple of books and website sites, and all had the exact same recipe. It's so basic.
This cake is awesome. It's super moist seems to get better the longer it sits out.
FLOURLESS ORANGE AND ALMOND CAKE
2 medium size oranges
6 eggs
250g superfine sugar
250g almond meal (almond flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 handfuls of flaked almonds
Icing sugar, for dusting
Wash the oranges well, then place in a medium saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer then leave for two hours. Remove from water and allow to cool.
Preheat the oven to 190°C. Line a 20 to 28cm baking tin with paper.
Cut out the ends of the oranges (this is optional, but I always find this the most bitter part of an orange). Place the oranges in a food processor and blend until you have a smooth consistency.
In a large bowl, add the eggs and sugar and whisk until sugar has dissolved into the egg mixture. Add the orange mix and whisk again. Add the almond meal and baking powder and mix until all ingredients well combined. Pour the mixture into the lined tin, then scatter over the almond flakes. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours or until a skewer comes out clean. The time will vary depending on the size of your tin. The cake should be golden on top.
Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack, then dust with icing sugar. Serve with a dollop of double cream.
can I substitute the sugar with honey or something else. If so what and how much do I use?
ReplyDeletethat looks delicious :)
ReplyDeleteThe reflection of red in the spoon in the first photo...um, what are you wearing!?
ReplyDeleteSusan - I'm not really sure to be honest. Without testing it myself I can't answer that. It might be worth doing a google to see if someone has successfully made the cake without sugar. :)
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - oh yes, well, while the cake was in the oven I went for a swim at the beach (holidays) and when I got back I straight away had a piece of cake and quickly took photos. So what you can see is my bikini :) whoops.
LOVE IT ....
DeleteI, for one, would love to see those pictures and what you find interesting! :) From the 2nd pic i could almost see how the texture of the cake is. Most certainly tempting to try!
ReplyDeleteI live in Perth!!!! Wow, what a small world!
ReplyDeleteI've been to Dunsborough once and I loved it! Looks like theres 2 of us here in Perth in the food blogging world!
Ps. this cake looks fantastic!
I've only ever made a flourless chocolate cake and it was incredible. I bet this is, too!
ReplyDeleteJust tried this today and it was soooo yummy! Quite time consuming but definitely worth the effort, it was so moist as well! Thanks for sharing :-)
ReplyDeleteI loved it and I am making this cake for the third time. It's delicious and easy. Thanks for sharing with us.
ReplyDeleteI made this cake yesterday and LOVED IT !!! you're a genius :D thanks for sharing the recipe !!!
ReplyDeleteHi I have been making this Passover cake by Claudia Roden for 20 years. Great step by step photos. Well done
ReplyDeleteBut Baking powder is not kosher for passover
DeleteTotally am going to make this. When you say "Wash the oranges well, then place in a medium saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer then leave for two hours. Remove from water and allow to cool." Do I leave the oranges simmering for the entire 2 hours?
ReplyDeleteLet me know when you have a second!
.:Marta:.
Yep, leave them simmering for two hours! It seems like a long time, but it breaks down the skin and reduces the bitterness.
DeleteWhat about all the seeds inside. Shouldn’t remove the seeds before blitzing?
DeleteWhen you cook the orange…is the peel left ON? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Arnold, yes the peel is left on. As you can see in the second picture of the orange, I have cut out the core AFTER it has boiled. This prevents extra water soaking into the orange. :)
DeleteHi-do you take the skin off before putting into the food processor? Or are the soft enough to go right in? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteNo, you process with the skin on! Boiling the oranges slowly makes the skin soft gets rid of that bitter orange peel taste.
DeleteWhat size tin/pan did you for your cake?
ReplyDeleteHi, I use a 22cm tin with a removable base :)
DeleteHi Natasha, What about the oven temperature? Thanx
Delete190 degrees Celsius, (375 Fahrenheit).
DeleteWhat size tin/pan did you use for your cake?
ReplyDelete22cm tin for this one.
DeleteIs this recipe available in non-metric? This sounds fabulous and I would love to make it! :) Thanks
ReplyDeleteHi Dazee, there's a conversion chart on the blog which will help with measurements. Otherwise there's heaps of conversion calculators on the internet that you can use. :)
DeleteIs this available in American measurements? It sounds fantastic and I would love to make it. Thanks
ReplyDeleteWhen you say "sugar icing" do you mean to just sprinkle sugar over the cake while warm or is there some special sugar icing recipe somewhere? :)
ReplyDeleteIcing sugar is the same as powdered and confectioners sugar :) Just referred to as icing sugar in Australia.
DeleteThanks for the clarification...I have purchased Almond flour and now can't wait to make this cake :)
Delete250 grams = 1.06 cups.
ReplyDeleteLooks beautiful. Can't wait to try it.
Hi Natashia, I'm also living in Perth :). I would love to try out the recipe too. If i want the height of the cake to be taller by using a smaller baking tin, do i have keep to the same temp but bake shorter time or...? Alternatively if i double the ingredients, do i increase the baking time?
ReplyDeleteHi Phoebe, I'm not 100% on the smaller tin, but yes you'd want to increase the cooking time if doubling :)
DeleteI baked this today. Amazing that it has no butter, flour, artificial coloring!! I used almost half the sugar n it is still good enough for my family...moist n healthy. Love it totally. So worth it.
ReplyDeleteI just made this cake and it tastes great, but I'm uncertain about its doneness. I would describe the centre not as moist, but rather wet. My 22cm square pan was in the oven for an hour when I decided to take it out because the exterior was beyond golden and bordering on burnt. Do I just have a finicky oven, or am I supposed to get a wet centre? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi there, all ovens are a bit different. I've cooked this cake in an oven other than my own before and it had to be in there an extra half hour. It shouldn't be wet, just moist. :)
DeleteIt looks delicious! How far in advance can this cake be made?
ReplyDeleteI think a day or two in advance is enough! It's especially good the next day :)
DeleteI've made this for mother's day. Everyone loved it! It's perfect! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThis looks amazing! Can it be frozen if you're making it in advance?
ReplyDeleteI had some leftover homemade almondpaste from baking cookies and was looking for a recipe online when I came across your great recipe. I used my leftover almond paste instead of the almond meal in ur recipe. Added half cup of flour. Also added a bit of baking soda and 1/4th cup of buttermilk and the cake was sooooo yummy!!! I used less sugar than ur recipe called for n it was still sweet enough. I didn't bake it for 1.5 hr though. After 1 hr the cake was very golden and moved it to the higher baking rack and left it for another 13 minutes. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI just made it it was awesomr but I feel 6 eggs was too much. I'd try with 4 or 5 next time. This is a keeper recipe!
ReplyDeleteLoved the cake! Would like to make in muffin tins. How long do you think I should bake them for?
ReplyDeleteI've made these in loaf tins, and from memory it was around 30-45 mins. Just keep an eye on them and test them with a skewer - it some come out clean when done.
DeleteI tried this recipe today and was very excited about it but it burned on the top within the first 15 minutes though I did bake it at 190 Celsius then I lowered the temperature a little bit but it kept burning. Don't know why. Very disappointed.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear that! I find most of the time if anything I need to keep this cake in my oven a bit longer. All ovens are different so heat temps can range, but I could never imagine this cake burning after 15 minutes. If you do decide to try it again, maybe just keep an eye on the top element of your oven - fan forced if definitely the way to go.
DeleteHmmmm, interesting. I actually saw this very same recipe in Claudia Roden's "Everything Tastes Better Outdoors"
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of that book before, but I do know this recipe is everywhere, and an original author is unknown. It's an absolute classic!
DeleteNatasha, this cake taste great and moist. Amazing there is no butter make it delicious. Doesn't need powered suger sprinkled to give sweetness unless if you want to decorate. The oranges I used were quite big. So I used only little less than 1 1/2 orange in the recipe. I was afraid it will get too watery! May be, you can tell us how much smooth orange to use in the recipe? I added a two drops of almond extract I had. At 375, my cake was done in about 50 minutes. Next time, I will try with Apple in the place of orange! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
ReplyDeleteMeera.
Absolutely delectable. ��☕
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely delectable. ��☕
ReplyDeleteNot a cook at all but this is what my daughter wants to make. DobI simmer the oranges for 2 hours?
ReplyDeleteDear Natashia,
ReplyDeleteI just have to say: I absolutely LOVE this recipe! I have made it once now, last week, and the cake was deliciously moist and full of flavor. Honestly, I was a little hesitant about putting the entire orange, without the ends, into the blender, but I could not have wished for a more beautiful end to our dinner party! This is a recipe for the generations!
Thanks, and take care,
Kamran
Thanks Kamran for the message! It's a great simple recipe, and the whole oranges do seem strange at first, but works so well. It's a classic this one.
DeleteHi there,
ReplyDeleteI want to know if you would recommend preparing the oranges a couple of days in advance? It's our Canadian Thanksgiving and I would love to prep this in advance, in this case, just the oranges. If the oranges can be prepared in advance, can they be left out in a container, or should the puree be refrigerated?
Yes you can make it in advance, probably a couple of days is best, but you can also freeze the puree if that makes it easier!
DeleteHow many days in advance can this be made?
ReplyDeleteThe cake will hold well in a fridge for a couple of days before serving.
DeletePlease help - I tried this cake three times, the first time it was a bit bitter (I did not remove the edges of the orange) but otherwise it was delicious and looked great. The second and third time, the middle fell in and i don't know what caused the cake to fall in the middle....
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear it hasn't been a great experience for you! I would assume the reason the middle fell in because it wasn't cooked long enough. That's the last area to cook, so maybe keep it in there a little longer. All ovens differ with temp and heat distribution, so the time is a guide only. When you see the cake has a nice dome on top which when skewed comes out clean then it should be right and not collapse.
DeleteCan I use less sugar? The same amount of sugar & almond flour. I will try this cake this weekend.
ReplyDeleteHello, I am curious if you peel the oranges at all?
ReplyDeleteNo skin and all! I just remove the ends after boiling cos I find them a bit too bitter.
DeleteI just made this cake and it is fabulous! I substituted maple sugar for the regulat and loved the results. Also added 1/2 tsp almond extract.
ReplyDeleteI made this cake last weekend and it came out perfect! Super moist and flavorful. I cut the sugar in half. I have to make it again this weekend at the request of my family and co-workers! I would like to try it with lemons and raspberries. Thank you for a lovely recipe.
ReplyDelete