If you love citrus and cake, you are going to want to give this moist Gluten Free Orange Almond Flour Cake a try. I am crazy about the fresh orange and almond flavors in this gluten free orange cake recipe. This orange almond cake would be perfect for brunch, or any get-together!
We like to make cakes a lot in the Fearless Dining household. If you like to bake, you will love these gluten free cake recipes!
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(*This post was sponsored by California Grown. All of the opinions are my own. This post was updated from an older 3/2018 post with more information and details on making this cake.)
I am so excited to work with California Grown and share how much I use California Grown foods on a daily basis! Our family is lucky to live in California, and have easy access to delicious fresh foods. We shop at our local farmer's market here every week, but you can find California Grown product and products in your grocery stores too!
I used California Grown oranges and almonds to make an incredibly moist show stopper Gluten Free Almond Flour Cake! You can also use oranges to make this delicious Gluten Free Orange Streusel Muffins!
One of the missions of California Grown is to connect people to the farmers who grow our foods. If you shop at your local farmer's market, stop and talk to the farmers. They all have a story, and even great recipe ideas!
There is one vendor who has lots of fresh asparagus. I spent about 15 minutes talking to the farmer. I had no idea that once you plant asparagus, that bed of plants can produce for up to 20 years. I learn something new every time I shop at the market.
At this time of year, citrus is king in the markets. I have wanted to perfect my gluten free almond flour cake recipe but add a special twist. I was able to find a vendor with several varieties of fresh oranges. I bought a few different ones to test out the flavors. My orange cake recipe uses both navel oranges and mandarin oranges!
This gluten free orange cake recipe is completely redone to be a much healthier version of pound cake. My recipe is refined sugar-free, dairy-free, and full of protein thanks to the delicious almond flour.
You will find this doesn't look like a typical gluten free cake recipe because it is denser. Don't worry because this cake is as moist and delicious as any pound cake out there!
How to make homemade almond flour:
If you have been following me for a while, you know I like to add nutrition in my baked recipes when I can. I added almond flour to this recipe, first to add some protein to balance out the sugars in this recipe, and second because almond flour adds moisture to keep this delicious cake moist.
With a Cuisinart or food grinder, you can even grind almonds down to make your own almond flour!
To make almond flour from scratch, add 1 cup raw almonds to your grinder. Grind until your almonds are flour-like. Be careful not to over grind or you will end up with fresh almond butter!
I wanted to make this gluten free pound cake recipe even better so I used coconut oil instead of butter so that it would be dairy free too!
I can't wait to hear what you think! If you are excited about this cake recipe, give this delicious Gluten Free Date Nut Cake recipe a try too!
Instructions:
Add your dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk to blend.
Add your wet ingredients and orange zest to a bowl and whisk to blend.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.
Top tip:
Mix your cake ingredients until they are "just mixed". If you overmix your cake, the cake will be denser because overmixing pops the natural bubbles that form when you mix the ingredients.
Spread out orange slices in a greased cake pan. Sprinkle the oranges with one tablespoon coconut sugar.
Pour the cake batter on top of the orange slices and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
How do you get the cake out of the cake pan?
My favorite way to get the cake out of the pan is to liberally spray the pan with coconut oil before adding the cake batter.
You can also use a thin knife to cut around the edges of the pan to release the cake. Lastly, you can bake the cake in a springform pan and then it would be easy to release the sides and flip the cake upside down.
How do you know when the cake is finished baking?
Use the toothpick test to determine if your cake is finished baking. To use this method, insert a toothpick into the middle of the cake. If crumbs or cake batter comes out on the toothpick, your cake needs to bake longer. You want the toothpick to come out clean, which will happen when your cake is baked.
More delicious cakes made with almond flour:
- Gluten Free Light and Fluffy Strawberry Muffins (CA strawberries would be delicious in this!)
- Gluten Free Lemon Layer Cake (Lots of lemons are grown in CA!!)
- This Gluten Free Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is crazy good!
Tools:
- A mini Cuisinart Food Processor like what I used, or a grinder.
- Gluten Free Flour Blend (*note, make sure your gluten free flour blend contains Xanthan Gum. If not, please add 1 teaspoon.)
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave me a rating and a comment. I LOVE hearing from you!! You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest to see even more delicious recipes!
📋 Recipe
Gluten Free Upside Down Orange Almond Flour Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten free flour blend
- 1 cup almonds or almond flour
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar (separate out 1 tablespoon)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1/3 cup coconut oil melted
- orange slices
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
- In a food processor or grinder, grind 1 cup of almonds into almond flour.
- Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk to blend.
- Add wet ingredients to a bowl and whisk to mix.
- Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Spray a cake pan with coconut oil. Spread orange slices on the bottom. Sprinkle the 1 tablespoon coconut sugar over the oranges.
- Add cake batter on top of the orange slices.
- Bake for 45 minutes until done.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack. Turn the cake upside down on a plate and serve.
Nutrition
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Gina H
This cake looks wonderful! Do you think it would work baked in a cast iron skillet?
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Gina, I do think it would turn out well in a cast-iron skillet...though you won't be able to flip it to get the oranges on top.
Jules Shepard
I am all about oranges recently and this looks so delicious! Pinned it!
Sandi Gaertner
You are so sweet, thank you so much Jules 🙂
Eve
It looks so deliciously. Can almond milk be substituted by goat milk?
Thanks!
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Eve, In theory, goat milk should work. I have not tested dairy in this recipe so if you try it, please let us know how it turns out 🙂
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This cake sounds absolutely perfect. Love that it doesn't have any refined sugars.It's also very pretty to look at. I will need to try this soon!
Sandi Gaertner
Thank you so much Stephanie 🙂