French Orange and Almond Cake

Deliciously moist with undeniable orange flavor, that’s the only way to describe this French Orange and Almond Cake.  The best part?  It uses almond meal, not flour, so you’ll get less guilt in every bite of this flourless orange cake!  Yum!

If I want a flavor-packed moist cake, this flourless orange almond cake is what I make – all the time.  

It’s got the intense aroma and flavor of the oranges, subtle nuttiness of the almonds, and just the perfect amount of sugar to keep everything balanced.  

It’s excellent with wine for after-meal dessert, and if by any chance you’ve got some left, this orange and almond cake is light enough to serve for breakfast!

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Ingredients

• Oranges – you will be using the juice and the skin for this orange and almond cake recipe, so you need to look for really good fresh oranges.

• Sugar – regular granulated sugar is all you need.

• Almond meal – not almond flour.  Almond meal is not as refined as almond flour in texture.

• Eggs – medium-sized eggs (63 to 73 grams per piece) and at room temperature.

• Baking powder – just use your favorite brand.

• Almonds – you need slices of almonds to top this flourless orange cake.

Preparation

Start preparing your flourless orange almond cake by using a medium-sized saucepan to boil the oranges over medium-high heat — add enough water to submerge the oranges (photo 1).

Adjust the heat to medium-low when the water boils and simmer for about two hours.

Drain the oranges.

Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).

Prepare an 8-inch baking pan by greasing it with butter and dusting it with flour.

Slice the oranges into quarters, remove the bitter part in the middle, and the eye in the center (photo 2).

Place the sliced oranges in a food processor (photo 3).

Pulse until you get a smooth puree (photo 4).

Add almond meal and sugar; mix (photo 5).

Add eggs and baking powder.

Mix until you get a smooth flourless orange cake batter (photo 6).

Pour batter into the greased and floured baking pan (photo 7).

Use a spatula to even out the top of the cake mixture.

Sprinkle sliced almonds on the flourless orange almond cake (photo 8).

Place the baking pan in the lower part of the oven for fifty-five to sixty minutes.

Set aside to cool for thirty minutes, then remove the cake from the pan.

Serve your flourless orange and almond cake with some powdered sugar or more chopped almonds.

Helpful tips

• For this recipe, I used two medium-sized oranges, not large ones.

If you want to be sure, check that the orange puree is about 1 & ½ cups.  More than that, and I noticed that the cake is a bit too wet for my taste.

• Try to stick to a 7 or 8-inch round baking pan.  Anything bigger than that will result in a flourless orange almond cake that is too thin.

• Dust the baking pan with all-purpose flour, not breadcrumbs. Breadcrumbs will make the edges darken too much.

• Always place the baking pan on the lower half of the oven to avoid burning the almonds on top.

FAQs

• WHAT TO SERVE WITH THIS?

In colder months, I only sprinkle it with powdered sugar.  But from spring onwards, I always serve this orange and almond cake with some whipped cream – YUM!

In colder months, I only sprinkle it with powdered sugar.  But from spring onwards, I always serve this flourless orange cake with some whipped cream – YUM!

Oh!  As to what to pair it with?  Tea, coffee, wine … anything goes. 🙂

• WHAT CAN I SUBSTITUTE FOR ALMOND MEAL?

In case you’re wondering if you can use almond flour as a substitute. Don’t.  It doesn’t work.

Almond meal works because its texture is coarser than almond flour.  

If you are having a hard time looking for almond meal, just make it from scratch by blanching and grinding the almonds in the food processor – the same way as when you do homemade marzipan.

• CAN I REALLY USE THE WHOLE ORANGE?

Yes.  But make sure you remove the bitter bits.

I have a friend who likes that bitter flavor in there, so she dumps the entire orange in the food processor.  

I tried that, and I ended up adding tons of sugar in the mixture (before adding the eggs, of course).

• DO I NEED TO SIMMER THE ORANGES FOR THE ENTIRE TWO HOURS?

Yes.  Simmering for two hours makes them less bitter; perfect for this flourless orange cake.  

Once I drained the oranges after only simmering for an hour and a half, I kept all things the same (i.e., the amount of the rest of the ingredients) – the result turned out slightly bitter.  Unless this is what you want, keep them there for two solid hours.

If you notice less water left, just add more, and continue simmering.

So how about it?  Try preparing this flourless orange and almond cake this weekend!

📖 Recipe