French Orange and Almond Flourless Cake

Deliciously moist with undeniable orange flavor, that’s the only way to describe French Orange and Almond Flourless Cake.  And since it’s got almond meal, not regular flour, you also get less guilt in every bite!

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If I want a moist cake, this is the one I make – all the time.  

It’s got an intense orange flavor, subtle almond taste, and just the perfect amount of sugar to keep everything balanced.  

It’s great 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!

Ingredients

• Oranges – you will be using the juice, as well as the skin for this French orange cake recipe, so you need to look for really good fresh oranges (not the dried ones).

• Sugar

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

• Eggs – at room temperature.

• Baking powder

• Almonds – you need slices of almonds for topping this flourless orange cake.

Preparation

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

When the water boils, adjust the heat to medium-low, keep simmering for two hours, then drain oranges.

Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and prepare an 8-inch baking pan by greasing it with butter and dusting it with flour.

Slice the oranges into quarters and remove the bitter part in the middle, as well as the main eye in the middle.

Place the sliced oranges in a food processor (photo 2).

Pulse until you get a smooth puree (photo 3).

Add almond meal and sugar; mix (photo 4).

Add eggs and baking powder, then mix until you get a smooth cake mixture (photo 5).

Pour cake mixture into the greased and floured baking pan (photo 6).

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

Sprinkle sliced almonds on top of the orange cake (photo 7).

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 cake with some powdered sugar or more sliced almonds on top.

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 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!

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 bitterness flavor in there, so she just 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 them 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 noticed that there’s less water left, just add a bit more, and continue simmering.

For another orange cake recipe to try, check out Italian Orange and Carrot Cake!

OR IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR OTHER FRENCH RECIPES, THEN YOU WOULD LIKE THESE POSTS:

• Easy Blueberry Clafoutis
• Quick & Easy Yogurt Cake
• French Cauliflower Soup
• French Lemon Poppy Seed Cake