Gluten-Free Orange Olive Oil Cake (Almond Flour)

This gluten-free olive oil cake is made with almond flour for an extremely tender and moist cake. It has a delicious bright orange flavor from the zest of an orange. The best part is this cake is perfect for anyone on a gluten-free or low carb diet.

Why This Gluten-Free Olive Oil Cake is the Best!

How often can you enjoy a rich flavored, moist and tender cake with out feeling guilty? If you are thinking never, well you need to make this olive oil cake. Trust me you will thank me especially when you see this cake has only 12 grams of carbs! You can enjoy a slice of orange olive oil cake for breakfast with your morning coffee or for brunch with mimosas. It really is perfect for any time of day!

The best part is that this simple cake is light with just enough sweetness. It is versatile enough to make any time of year whether in the spring for Mother's Day or just for a sweet treat to make for an after dinner dessert.

Key Ingredients

almond flour- is made from ground almonds. Fine almond flour works better in baked goods than almond meal which has a courser texture.

olive oil- Because olive oil is the key ingredient in this recipe it is important to select the best olive oil. You do not have to go with the most expensive bottle but definitely not the cheapest. Make sure the bottle is labeled extra virgin olive oil because this distinction means that it is less processed and will still have the distinct olive flavor.

eggs-Eggs are essential in baked goods made with almond flour. Eggs will help bind the ingredients and act as a leavening agent.

orange zest- Use a Microplane to zest the top layer of your orange. The zest will give the cake an amazing citrus flavor. You can substitute lemon zest if you prefer lemon flavor.

Step-By-Step Instructions

You will want to preheat your oven to 325 degrees. The reason why we want to bake this olive oil cake at a lower temperature is because almond flour tends to bake faster and brown more.

Baked goods made with almond flour also tend to be a bit more fragile so to make this easier to remove from the pan, cut a piece of parchment paper long enough to use as handles to lift and remove the cake. Once the parchment is fitted into the bottom of the pan grease the parchment and sides of loaf pan well with olive oil. You could also use a springform pan which has removable sides.

Start to make the cake by mixing the almond flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl mix together the olive oil and sugar by using a hand mixer or a wire whisk. The sugar will not completely dissolve in the oil.

Allow the eggs to come to room temperature before making the cake. Add the eggs, zest and orange juice to the olive oil mixture and beat to incorporate the eggs. The mixture will be very thick.

Scrap the wet ingredients into the the flour mixture and stir together with a wooden spoon. Be careful to not over mix and just stir until no white streaks of flour remain.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth cake batter with spoon. Bake the cake for 40-45 minutes and test with a toothpick or cake tester for doneness.

To remove the cake from the pan run a butter knife around the corners of the cake to release the cake and then carefully lift the cake using the parchment as handles. Allow the cake to completely cool before slicing. This will help the cake hold together and prevent it from crumbling when it is sliced.

Serving Suggestions

You can serve this cake just the way it is with no topping. I like to decorate the cooled cake with a little sprinkle of powdered sugar on the top of the cake. A simple glaze with citrus zest would also be delicious drizzled over the top.

Expert Tips

If you have never baked with almond flour, remember that it is just ground almonds. It will bake differently from whole wheat or all purpose flour because it does not contain any gluten.

• lower the oven temperature
• let the cake cool completely before slicing
• do not be tempted to add extra liquid if the batter seems thick because almond flour contains more moisture than regular flour

Substitutions and Variations

Any citrus flavor will work in this recipe. I used navel oranges but you could use a blood orange or even meyer lemons for a bright lemon flavor.

There are several different flours that are gluten-free but I can not recommend using oat flour or coconut flour for this recipe. Almond flour is more moist and absorbs liquid differently than other gluten-free flours.

While this is a dairy free cake it does contain eggs. The egg is what helps bind the almond flour together and I can not guarantee that flax eggs would work as well in this recipe.

If you prefer to use coconut sugar you can substitute regular sugar in equal amounts with little difference in the overall flavor.

FAQ

What is almond flour made of?

Almond flour is made of blanched almonds that have had the skins removed and ground to a fine flour like consistency.

How does almond flour affect cake?

Because of the fat content in almond flour it adds a lot of moisture to the cake. You can enjoy the cake for several days without worrying about it drying out like cakes made with all purpose flour.

How do you make almond flour cake rise?

Because almond flour does not contain gluten this cake will not rise as much, however using eggs and baking powder will work as a binder and help the almond flour rise slightly.

Does almond flour bake the same as regular flour?

Almond flour has a higher fat content that makes the flour more moist than whole wheat flour. Because of this it is not necessary to add the same amount of oil or butter that you would normally use.

Also almond flour contains no gluten which is what helps bind baked goods together during the baking process so you will need to rely on eggs to hold the ingredients together. This cake is not adaptable for a vegan recipe.

Looking for Other Gluten-Free Desserts? Try These!

Gluten Free Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Almond Flour Crepes (Gluten-Free)

Gluten-Free Almond Flour Lemon Cookies

Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies {Gluten-Free}

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