gfe--gluten free easily

Living gluten free easily by eating real food and a few gf processed foods

Gluten-Free Orange Almond Cake (Flourless)

Share on Pinterest
For affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Gluten-Free Orange Almond Cake. An absolutely delicious flourless wonder.

Flourless Gluten-Free Almond Orange Cake. A winner from the Almond Board challenge.

You all know how much I love flourless recipes. In my opinion, the ingredients—in this case, eggs, almond flour, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, slivered almonds, and orange zest—always stand out when there’s no highly processed flour getting in the way. 

Are you familiar with this specific recipe on gfe? This Flourless Gluten-Free Orange Almond Cake? Probably not.

When one’s blog has been around as long as mine, sometimes—too many times—some recipes kind of get buried. This is one of those recipes.

I thought it was time to bring it to the forefront as Passover starts tomorrow and this delightful cake is a dessert that is acceptable for Passover. If one uses powdered sugar that is corn-free and kosher. Yes, that may be surprising but cornstarch is usually added to powdered sugar and corn ingredients are not allowed during Passover.

Some examples of brands of powdered sugar (which is also known as confectioners sugar) that are corn-free and kosher are Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Powdered Confectioners Sugar, Simple Truth Organic Powdered Confectioners Sugar, Woodstock Organic Powdered Sugar, Trader Joe’s Organic Powdered Sugar, and Gefen Confectioners Sugar.

This gluten-free Orange Almond Cake recipe comes from Laura Uyemura via the Almond Board of California. The Almond Board hosted a Nutrition Pros Know Best Almond Challenge several years ago and Laura’s cake was one of the winners! (Note: Laura Uyemura is currently the Director of Clinical Nutrition Services at City of Hope in California.)

Having previously shared my own recipe for Double Chocolate Clementine Cake, which features almond flour in addition to clementines, my own love of the combination of almonds and oranges is well known. However, even without a chocolate factor, Laura’s recipe is absolutely scrumptious!

The Almond Board shared her recipe and provided some complimentary almond products (shown below) for me to sample and also sponsored a giveaway for my gfe readers at the time. All of these products are the types of almond products that I use on a daily basis and today’s recipe uses two of them. 

gluten free, dairy free, almond flour, roasted almonds, slivered almonds, giveaway, Almond Board of California

Almond Board of California Products

Finally, if you have lemons on hand instead of oranges or prefer lemon flavor or orange flavor, feel free to substitute lemon zest for the orange zest and enjoy a Flourless Gluten-Free Lemon Almond Cake instead.

More Flourless Recipes and Other Gluten-Free Recipes Suitable for Passover

~ Chocolate Banana Mousse Pie from Gluten-Free Goodness

~ Coconut Meringues from gfe

~ Flourless Brownies from Elana’s Pantry via gfe (ensure all your ingredients are soy-free and corn-free)

~ Flourless Brownies from gfe

~ Flourless Chocolate Banana Honey Walnut Cake 

~ Gluten-Free Matzo Balls (“Floaters”) from Esther + Loretta

~ Grain-Free Matzo from Elana’s Pantry

Flourless Gluten-Free Orange Almond Cake Recipe 

Flourless Gluten-Free Orange Almond Cake dusted with powdered sugar and topped with sliced almonds. Served on a white milk glass cake stand with a twist of orange zest. Recipe from Laura Uyemura, RDcipe

Yield: 12 servings

Flourless Gluten-Free Orange Almond Cake

Flourless Gluten-Free Orange Almond Cake
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Inactive Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 2 Tbsp orange zest
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 1½ cups almond flour or almond meal (see notes)
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 4 large egg whites
  • 4 tbsp sugar
  • Pinch salt
  • Powdered sugar
  • 2-3 tbsp slivered almonds for topping

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. Prepare a 9-inch cake pan or springform pan: grease bottom and sides well.
  3. Cut out a circle of wax paper and fit it into the bottom of the pan. Grease the paper.
  4. Coat the bottom and sides of the pan with almond flour, shaking out the excess.
  5. Beat egg yolks, zest, cinnamon, and 2 tbsp sugar with electric mixer.
  6. Mix almond flour with 2 tbsp sugar and stir into the mixture above.
  7. Beat egg whites, pinch of salt, and 4 tbsp sugar until soft peaks form.
  8. Blend a large spoonful of the egg white mixture into the almond mixture with a spatula. (It will be very stiff so mash it in, and add more whites until it’s soft enough to fold in the rest.)
  9. Fold in the rest of the egg whites.
  10. Pour into prepared pan.
  11. Bake for 35 minutes until tester comes out clean.
  12. Cool in pan, then un-mold and turn onto a serving platter.
  13. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and slivered almonds.

Notes

You can purchase almond flour or almond meal; the latter is ground with skin. You may also grind your own in a food processor or blender, using about 1½ to 2 cups of almonds.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

© Shirley Braden
Cuisine: American / Category: Desserts
Originally published January 27, 2013; updated April 14, 2022.

Free Email Updates to gfe

Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

Comments

  1. Jessica says

    Almonds are one of my favorite treats. I love to mix almond butter with honey and ground flaxseed, and dip veggies in it; like carrots and celery!

    Reply

  4. SherriS. says

    My favorite almond flour recipe is Elana’s Pantry’s chocolate chip scones. They are flavorful and get me through the morning without a blood sugar drop. I’ve changed them up a few times by switching the chololate chips for dried cranberries, adding cinnamon sometimes or right now pumpkin! Love them.

    Thanks for the chance to win a great prize!

    Reply

  7. Claire says

    I love almonds in trail mix and almond flour in chocolate chip cookies. I do think I will haveo to try those samoas too!

    Reply

  10. Jen says

    I have been enjoying almond flour since beginning the Paleo lifestyle over a year ago. It’s been great for the occasional baked Paleo treat. However, my favorite way to enjoy almonds continues to be having them in the form of dark chocolate almond clusters!

    Reply

  11. Angela says

    I love almond flour! I especially love the combination of chocolate and almonds, and I love the dense, European style chocolate almond cakes (still looking for a recipe for that.)
    I have tried your Applesauce muffins, and they are a household regular now – not only are they very tasty and versatile, but they are also so easy to make!

    Reply

  12. Cindy W. says

    I make this amazing pizza that has an almond flour, shredded zucchini and cheese crust. I saw it on a blog and it was delicious.

    Reply

  13. Nicole says

    I use almond flour in almost everything! My favorite almond flour recipe is Elana Amsterdam’s Peanut Butter Cookies… so simple to make, not too many ingredients, and it yields a small amount, which is important when you live in a two-person household.

    Reply

  14. Brandae says

    I’m eating Justin’s Classic Almond Butter right now – with a banana. 🙂 I’d like to try the samoas and pancakes too. Fun giveaway!

    Reply

  17. Sarah says

    I love almonds! I top oatmeal slivered almonds, make my own almond butter and I love baking with them to. I’d love to try making those Intense Chocolate Almond Bites!

    Reply

  18. Kim L says

    I enjoy almonds in homemade granola bars, also mixed with roasted brussel sprouts. I love almond butter too, even add almonds to salads and oatmeal!

    Reply

  20. Cathy P. says

    Where do I start! I love whole almonds stirred into vanilla Greek yogurt, chia seeds and dried apricots. For lunch I love Udi’s Ancient Grains toast with almond butter, and for dessert the Gluten Free Goddess’ banana crumb cake made with almond flour is to die for!!!!

    Reply

  22. Christopher Sorel says

    Started to use almond meal about 1.5 cups with 3/4 coconut oil then press into pan and bake for 20 minutes at 350 for easy quiche or pie crust. Love it

    Reply

  23. Nadine says

    We love sliced almonds on the bottom of the pan of cinnamon rolls (with the brown sugar “goo”) – so when the rolls are flipped out the almonds are on the top. So beautiful and sticky delicious!

    Reply

  25. Lara says

    I eat a handful of raw almonds almost every day, and love making my own almond milk as well. I also like almond butter on gluten free toast. And I’ve started trying recipes with almond flour as well – muffins, pie crust, and I’m looking forward to trying the recipe links you included here! Thank you for the great compilation!

    Reply

  26. Debra says

    Love,love, love Bacon Chocolate Chip cookies made with almond flour! Just finished a bowl of blueberries, sliced almonds, and almond milk!

    Reply

  28. Lois says

    Being a Diabetic, I cannot eat regular bread – it makes my blood glucose skyrocket so I make a “breadless bread” from Meghan telpner’s website that used almond flour and some nuts and seeds. It is delicious and extremely satisfying — a small slice and a salad and maybe a cup of soup makes a great meal. I also make my own almond milk weekly! thanks for the opportunity to enter your wonderful give-away!

    Reply

  29. Cheryl Harris says

    What a fun giveaway, and thanks so much for sharing my cookies! I will also be trying those cocoa dusted almonds for sure. Please don’t enter me–I’m working my way through all the almonds I won still. 😉

    Reply

  30. Susan Jonell Roragen says

    I love almonds but haven’t used them in a long, long time since I can’t get any GOOD ones here. But if I won, I would definitely start baking again, and your Orange Almond Cake would be first on the list!

    Reply

  32. Jenny says

    I know this may not be your typical response but I use almonds/almond meal when making Penny her doggie treats…they are loaded with almonds, peanut butter, sweet potatoes, tumeric, and egg to hold them all together. She goes crazy for these treats and paces in the kitchen until they are cool enough for her to eat.

    As for human food…I love baking cookies with almond flour…so delicious!

    Reply

  37. Terrie Swanson says

    Back in October, I purchased a case of clementines for $3.00. I made a Clementine Cake from Almond Flour. OMG!!! It was moist and nutty and citrusly, everything I love. No one could believe it was gluten free. I love nuts but almonds has got to be my favorite.

    Reply

  40. Carolyn says

    I love almonds fixed any way I can think of. Here is one of my favorite recipes, from you, Shirley: Almond Banana Carrot (ABC) Muffins

    Reply

  44. Jacqlin says

    I love, love, love almonds alone or in salads, cookies, and cereal. A favorite recipe is an almond gf crust my daughter uses with her tofu cheesecake-YUM!

    Reply

  45. Lisa says

    We love frangipane, it was our family tradition to have a galette des rois for Three Kings Day every year on January 6th. It signaled the end of the Christmas season and was a fun tradition; the Mardi Gras king cakes are based on this. Our son’s celiac diagnosis 6 months ago meant that we didn’t have it this year and it felt like we missed out on a beloved tradition. With almond flour not being cheap, I hated to experiment with some kind of gluten free version especially as I’m already feeling overwhelmed with the transition to gluten free foods. Fortunately, the frangipane itself is gluten free and so very tasty, wish we could eat it by itself! 🙂

    Reply

  46. Karol says

    I love to just snack on almonds. But I’ve really been wanting to make my own roasted almonds with cinnamon and sea salt. I think I’ll have to try making that soon.

    Reply

  47. Sharon Baridon says

    Shirley! My sister has been using almond flour for years in her cakes. Just in the past year I have started using almond flour, in, well, about everything. LOVE the texture it gives to cakes. I use almond butter in my smoothies, and love toasted almonds in a Carmel Popcorn I have made, and let me not forget the crowning glory on my Almond Joy candy!!. Let’s just say a big ole YUMMY! I think up next is the Orange Almond Cake! As always, thank you! You are the best! And I just ran out of almond flour!

    Reply

  48. Kathy says

    Love almonds! Almonds on top of pineapple cake or nutty apple granola ( almonds, pumpkinseeds, and sunflower seeds apples and cinnamon, no grains). Yum!

    Reply

  50. Venessa says

    I love to use Almond flour in pancakes, pie crust, & muffins. I love almond anything! Thanks for this awesome giveaway! 🙂

    Reply

  52. vickie says

    Almonds are my go to nut. I put them on hot breakfast cereal to salad to making a crust for pie or fish. Almond flour mixed with other ingredients for topping on cobbler or muffins. Almonds with chocolate or butter or spices can do a lot for any baked good and their great all by themselves! I like eating raw almond butter from the jar. Can’t do without them.

    Reply

  55. Betty says

    Almonds are my favorite desk snack! As a baking ingredient, I make an almond loaf with dates, fruit and coconut that’s a favorite for weekend breakfasts. 🙂

    Reply

  56. Susan says

    I’ve never cooked with Almond Flour, but would love to try it. I love snacking on almonds — they taste great and contain good fats.

    Reply

  58. Amanda says

    We love snacking on them, but we also use them for pancakes and cookies. We eat more than are probably reasonable.

    Reply

  59. Ina Gawne says

    Shirley – the recipes look fabulous. I love love almonds! I always use pan roasted almonds in homemade pesto sauce – so good. Tamari almonds are great for snacking and so healthy too. I also use ground almond flour in my homemade granola – very filling.

    Reply

  60. Liz @ The Good Eatah says

    Oh my. All of those recipes look amazing! My go-to almond recipe is Elana’s Pantry chocolate chip cookies. They’re so simple and tasty. I must try that intense chocolate one though. In fact, I think I’m going to make it today!

    Reply

  61. Lily says

    I love everything almonds. Recently I tried a very delicious “sugar cookie” with almond flour, almond extract, honey and ghee. That is my favorite cookie now!

    Reply

  62. April says

    I loved the cocoa dusted almonds. My husband is a HUGE dark chocolate lover, but he enjioyed these. Intense chocolate almond bites will be the next one I try.

    Reply

  64. Donna Strickler says

    Hi Shirley,
    I love almonds, and I love using almond flour. One of my favorite recipes is Elana Amsterdam’s Carrot Cake from her Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook – it is absolutely delish! I’m definitely going to try the Orange Almond Cake this weekend! Thanks for continuing to bring us great info and great giveaways – you’re the best :-)!
    Donna

    Reply

  65. Donna Strickler says

    Just wanted to let you know that I tried your “Flourless Peanutbutter Cookie” recipe this weekend, and they were wonderful!!! My husband and son ate them, and couldn’t even tell that they were gluten-free :-)!

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Yay, Donna! You know that I absolutely LOVE hearing that news, right?! Gluten-free recipes done right should not taste any different and should always taste fantastic. That’s why naturally gluten-free recipes rock so much! 😉 You’re following the gfe approach … hooray for you! 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

  66. Kim - Cook It Allergy Free says

    Wow, Laura’s Orange cake looks amazing. It reminds me of a cake my Mom used to make all of the time when I was growing up. Of course, back then, she had to make her own almond flour… 🙂
    Loving all of the recipes you linked to. I love Almond flour. I use it in most of my baking these days.
    xo
    k

    Reply

  67. Michelle says

    I love everything almond! I have converted from coconut milk to almond milk and will not look back! I have transitioned to using almond flour in most of my recipes and love love love them more!

    Reply

  70. Alisa says

    Ooh wow, that cake looks lovely Shirley! I’m still hoping Tony welcomes another try of almonds one day. I miss them – so easy to bake with!

    Reply

  71. Dee says

    I haven’t baked much with almonds, but I’d love to try almond flour. I do love eating almonds on yogurt with fruit.

    Reply

  72. Yvonne says

    I love (Marcona) almonds fried in olive oil and sprinkled with coarse salt. And here in the Netherland we have a cookie filled with an almond paste – delicious!

    Reply

  73. Sarah says

    I love handfuls of almonds, coconut, and mini chocolate chips. Best snack ever 🙂 Although I can’t wait to try Almond Flour Cinnamon Roll Pancakes and Intense Chocolate Almond Bites
    – those look great!

    Reply

  74. Heather @Gluten-Free Cat says

    I promise I’m not trying to be a brown noser here, but my absolute favorite thing to make with almond flour is your Brazilian Un-Cheese Biscuits. They are amazing!!! In fact, I’m becoming such a fan of almond flour that I haven’t purchased other gluten-free flours in ages.

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Heather–Oh, you brown noser, you!!! Who said brown nosing is not allowed on gfe? LOL The winner will be selected via the giveaway tool I use from my web person, Jennette Fulda, and it’s a random selection so this comment won’t help you in that regard, but I do LOVE that feedback. I wish more folks would try the Brazilian Un-Cheese Biscuits/Rolls. I think those biscuits are so easy, but yet wonderfully addictive. 😉 My favorite way to use them is for sandwich rolls. 🙂 And I agree on almond flour ruling, too. I’ve been out of my ingredients for gf ap flour for a while now, but haven’t missed it.

      Shirley

      Reply

  76. Marsha A says

    I eat a handful of almonds as a snack everyday. I have just started using almond flour and find that I really like it.

    Reply

  77. connie i says

    I have never baked with almond flour but i would like to start. I eat almonds every day for a snack in the afternoon.

    Reply

  78. Karin Goodman says

    I do not have very many recipes with almond flour, but the muffins and cookies I have tried are amazing. I love how good for you almond flour is.

    Reply

  81. Debi says

    I’ve been using almond flour for the crust of my current experiment. 😀 And I’ve been eating a lot of dark chocolate with almonds. Who needs the mess of actually melting the chocolate and coating the almonds? hehehe

    Reply

  82. dee m says

    I use almonds in..granola bars or granola, almond pizzelles, biscotti and oat snack cake. I also love to sprinkle them in my salads and eat them as a snack. All your posts look amazing. Looks like I will be doing some baking this week. 🙂

    Reply

  83. Carrie says

    I need to win the give-away — yes, need. I *need* to make all of these gorgeous recipes that have me drooling! Thanks for sharing them!

    Reply

  84. Andrea says

    I have just gotten into baking more with almond flour. I have made some different types of cookies with almond flour and am looking forward to trying new recipes out. Thanks for all the recipes you posted!

    Reply

  85. Mary Brinton says

    The orange almond cake looks heavenly! It would fit my cooking repertoire just fine. I use almond meal as part of the flour in my cornbread. My friends are addicted to it. I also like to toast almonds and add them to the green beans.

    Reply

  86. Lenee says

    I love almond flour! I use it for all my gluten free baked items. Almonds are delicious and my whole family loves them! Thanks for sharing this group of recipes.

    Reply

  89. KarenO says

    I eat almonds every day! Either whole, or raw almond butter, or almond flour in a recipe. Love, love, love them! This is am awesome giveaway, thank you!

    Reply

  90. Emily says

    I use almonds in some form almost every day – slivered on salads and in granola, flour as thickener, whole almonds and chocolate for desserts. I used to eat smoked almonds by the container when I was pregnant so I’m sure my daughter will love them too!

    Reply

  91. C.M. Cole says

    I’m learning more about baking with almond flour again. I used to use it briefly a few years ago to coat meats, but never for baking, so it’s quite fascinating to discover all the things that it can go in, and make them healthier (and make me healthier in the process). I am so glad I’m not allergic to tree nuts.

    Reply

  92. dianna williams says

    I love almonds and like to eat them right out of the bag. I have also started using almond flour in my recipes. They are a great snack to control hunger. Thanks for all the great recipes.

    Reply

  94. A Borders says

    I love almonds! I eat them plain, use almond flour and almond butter in my pancakes, use almond flour in most of my cake recipes. Make my own fresh almond butter. I even glaze almonds sweet or spicy and give away to my friends.
    Almonds are one of mother natures best treats!

    Reply

  95. Nancy says

    I love to mix almond butter, coconut butter, vanilla powder, stevia and butter for a really tasty treat. Not firm enough to be fudge. Would likely make a great frosting. As it is, I eat it off the spoon.

    Reply

  96. Amelia says

    Chocolate covered almonds are always a delicious treat, but I also like slivered almonds in chicken salad…mmm. I substitute almond milk into a log of my baking, and I’ve been wanting to try baking with almond flour, but haven’t scouted out a good deal on it yet. Thank you for the chance to win some almond goodies!

    Reply

  97. sea says

    Hey Shirley,

    Long time no see!

    I have been loving almonds lately, and cooking my way through Elana’s first almond flour cookbook…again!

    Besides her recipes, I like using almond butter to make an un-peanut sauce kale recipe.

    http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/gluten-free-vegan-almond-kale-recipe-and-calafio-palo-alto-review-8652.html

    I use slivered almonds for an oatmeal-free carrot cookie:
    http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/gluten-free-vegan-carrot-raisin-un-oatmeal-cookie-recipe-7068.html

    And I love to add 1/4 cup of almond flour to any baked good for extra protein and nutrition.

    -Sea

    Reply

  98. Cat says

    It wasn’t until this actually made me stop to think about it, but I use almonds and almond flour a lot more than I thought! For starters, I use almond butter in smoothies… I use almonds (usually sliced) in salads and in cookies… and I have a recipe for crackers that has very few ingredients + almond flour – oooh, are they yummy, light and crispy, and buttery tasting. I would *love* to win this prize!

    Reply

  100. Mia L says

    I love toasted slivered almonds on pretty much everything (or just by themselves)! The Intense Chocolate Almond Bites look super awesome too!

    Reply

  101. Josiane says

    My favorite recipe using almonds is Celine Steen’s vegan and gluten-free Amaretti cookies – they’re amazing! The recipe can be found on her blog, http://havecakewilltravel.com/, and in “The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions”, one of her cookbooks (which includes a gluten-free chapter). Oh, and the marzipan rice pudding, another of Celine’s recipes, is truly fantastic, too!

    Reply

  102. Ttrockwood says

    Lately ive been making my own almond milk with soaked almonds and just blending and using that for my overnight oats

    Reply

  104. Johanna B says

    Does almond butter count? I like to put it in my spinach smoothies. It’s really yum. Love to bake with almond flour and have a couple of good cookie recipes.

    Reply

  105. Bri says

    I love almond butter in my oatmeal. It’s a classic. But I also love almonds in some homemade trail mix. The crunchiness with the chewiness of raisins is a winning combination for me. Throw in some dark chocolate pieces and you’re golden 🙂

    Reply

  107. Holly Ellerton says

    I love using almond flour in Elana’s Paleo bread and to make a GF Bakewell tart. This is an English treat made with an almond flour crust, raspberry jam, almond paste which I make from the almond boards recipe, and an almond flour cake topped with a glaze. It is awesome!

    Reply

  109. Beth says

    I probably eat more almonds than I should everyday. They are my go to snack with raisins. I also live making my own almond butter.

    Reply

  110. Gina Sengupta says

    Jeanette’s Cocoa Dusted Almonds look heavenly, I will have to try that. I am in the process of trying to create gluten-free, sugar-free vegan cookies and I have used oat flour, but almond flour sounds much more inviting and it has protein! That’s my next endeavor…

    Reply

  111. Claire says

    Thanks so much!! I am very excited that I won! I cannot wait to make those Samoas as my Girl Scout troop is very busy selling cookies.

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Claire–You are welcome! And how perfect that will be to use Elana’s recipe to have safe and delicious Samoas and not be “deprived”! 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Skip to Recipe