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I remember when I moved to Sydney when I was 13 and I first met a relative, who was honest to goodness a fabulous cook and baker. I remember the Christmas feast of ’94 or ’95, which still remains the best dinner I ever had. And I also remember his Orange Cake. In fact my whole family remembers that cake, usually with a glassy, dreamlike expression. The orange cake will always be a favourite and amidst all the fantastic desserts that I’ve eaten, I’ve always humbly returned to it more in love than ever.
Sadly the official recipe for my uncle’s god of cakes has been lost and I’ve been on a hunt for replacement recipes to satiate my love. And the recipes all vary – some use more eggs than dry ingredients while others use more almond meal than eggs. So naturally, I’m going to try both versions – the first here is the more egg-centric recipe.
A must for a moist, intensely flavoured orange cake is the absence of flour and butter which tends to either dry out the cake, make it too crumbly, greasy, stodgy or dense or simpy dulls the flavour and aroma of the oranges. Because of the amount of eggs in this recipe, the cake ends up unbelievably moist that it’s almost like a baked custard or wet pudding rather than cake. It’s no wonder that it’s a favourite at Jewish Passover (oops, forgot to mention that the baking powder must be omitted – thanks to a lovely reader Joanna for the reminder!).
As for the citrus, I always prefer the oranges to be boiled, pureed and added to the cake. Frankly the addition of plain old orange juice and/or rind just isn’t enough as I like it to be intense. The boiling method cooks the oranges for about 2 hours or so until it’s soft enough to puree finely and to remove the bitterness. This method also requires you to drain and refresh the water at least 3 times. The reason for this is so the oranges don’t end up re-absorbing the bitterness that has seeped into the water. It’s a bit of a long process but it’s worth it and if you wish you could always do it in advance. Just allow the oranges to cool down completely then place in a bag or container and refrigerate it until you’re ready to bake.
The smell that emanates while it’s baking is simply glorious. The only bad thing when I bake this cake is that it never lasts long. An unfortunate consequence in a family of orange cake lovers.
{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
I have never boiled oranges or made a cake with 6 eggs and no flour. But I will now! Just from reading the recipe, I get a sense as to why this cake is revered in your family. Can't wait to try it out!
I just have one word: Bookmarked.
i made some flourless chocolate cupcakes on the weekend, were amazingly moist & dense! loved it
i have a bunch of oranges at home, will try to make these (if i can find the time)
Ooh boiling the oranges sounds like it would give it the most wonderful, intense orange flavour! I have to try it sometime, and I love the idea of a kumquat cake!
Sounds amazing Karen! I made a cake like this ages ago and have been looking for an occasion to make it again soon but you beat me to it! :)
yum. have always meant to make a flourless orange cake. this version looks great – and thanks to the web, it should never be lost like your uncle's!
This sounds so good right now. I've actually made something very similar to this – a recipe from the Chocolate and Zucchini blog (which also uses ginger).
Thanks for reminding me – I'd forgotten how good and moist it is.
Just so you know, this is not actually appropriate for a “Jewish Passover seder” (as opposed to a Mormon Passover seder?) due to the inclusion of baking powder. Passover foods cannot use any leavening agents.
But that doesn't mean a Passover-observing Jew can't enjoy it the other 51 weeks of the year!
Ive done other flourless cakes but never with oranges, let alone boiled!! This sounds wonderful!
Ooh, this sounds lovely karen! It seems like so much effort, but I guess it's all worth it in the end!
Oranges are my favorite fruit, so I would love to try this recipe.
I just have one question after reading it: what is the best way to remove the pith of the oranges after they've been boiled and have become soft?
Hi 允美 – After the oranges have been boiled and cooled down, just grab a knife and start cutting up the orange as you do normally. Into wedges, then into pieces before putting it in the food processor/blender.
When you've cut up the oranges, just slice off any white bits and pith on the wedges :) Hope this helps!
I love this cake. I have a recipe from Stephanie Alexander but your pictures make the recipe really “come alive!”.
this sounds vvvv lovely!:) and i m getting excited by all those citrusy vibes this is sending me:)
Oh my goodness-this really looks amazing!!
This looks fantastic, I have a plethora of duck eggs right now that I need to dwindle down so I best get out and get me some oranges. I can't wait to try this technique!
Hmm hmm you are seriously great with baking! I'd wish to say “I'll try it!” but I'd rather wait for some occasion that “someone” might bring an awesome baked sweet or two hehe. :)
Hi Tangled Noodle – oh yes embrace the boiled oranges! I could never get an intense flavour any other way!
Hi A and N – hope you enjoy it!
Hi Betty – umm….flourless chocolate cake… yarm!
Hi Stephcookie – oh I know! I have to try a kumquat or even just a plain old lemon one day!
Hi Lisa – hehe I hope you still make it and post a beautiful photo of it asap!
Hi Helen – ah yes, the joys of online records! No more lost recipes for sure!
Hi Joanna – oh ginger sounds like a perfect addition! And thanks for the heads up. Oops to the omission of the baking powder! It has all been edited…thanks!
Hi Jennifer – thanks a lot. Hope you try it out asap :)
Hi Betty – thanks sweetie!
Hi Trissa – thanks so much! xx
Hi chocolatecup – thanks lovely and yay for the citrus vibes!
Hi Hungry Dog – aww you're too kind!
Hi Kristen – I hope you enjoy the cake as much as I did! And I can only imagine how much richer the cake would be with duck eggs!
Hi Yas @ hungry.digital.elf – hehe is that a hint? Aww thanks so much!
wow i've never heard of a flourless orange cake before, just flourless chocolate. looks like i will have to try this!
Hi Tia – I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!
I've never heard of anything like this. It looks amazing.
This looks great! is the cake firm enough to be layered though? please let me know…my bf's sister has celiac and can't have anything with gluten, and I want to make a layer cake she can actually eat!
gemini5757 at hotmail.com
Thanks for posting this recipe. I recently tried something similar but it didn't cook through properly after about 4 hours (!) of cooking and it was very bitter. I will definitely give yours a go – your tip about changing the water the oranges are cooked in sounds like a good one, and I like it that you measure the orange puree (I think I added far too much). Thanks again – your blog is wonderful and your pix are just beautiful.
Hello!
I have had this recipe bookmarked forever, and am just now making it for passover. I have a question though about boiling the oranges… Your recipe says to fill the pot with water just so the oranges are covered. My oranges seem to float, so no matter how much water I put into the pot they are never actually covered, since they rise to the top. Is that normal? I can’t even seem to flip them over so the top part gets boiled equally to the bottom – they just flip back over.
Any tips, or is this normal?
Thanks!
Sarah
Hey Sarah! Trying using a slightly heavy heatproof bowl or plate to weigh the oranges down. This will keep them fully submerged. Hope this helps and that you enjoy it! Let me know if you need any more assistance. :)
this is our family “special occasion cake” too! it is one of the best and easiest cakes i have ever made and is always asked for. if you havent tried it yet – get to it! (sometimes i use 9 eggs, 3 oranges and 350g of almond meal to make muffins too :)
Finally!
This has got to be the simplest and most successful recipe so far!
My parents LOVE orange cake and I’ve tried many recipe which just didn’t quite hit the spot.
I did alter this though. I’m rather lazy…so instead of boiling the oranges for 2 hours before pureeing, i simply peeled 2 oranges, pureed them in a blender and used that. I thnk it’s good for those who want something less bitter =)
It still has the orangey punch and is easier (for the lazy like me hehe)
Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Barbara! Thanks for the compliments and glad you enjoyed it! I love a good orange cake too and this one is a firm favourite :D
This might be the silliest question ever, but… what shape is the cake tin meant to be? I’m guessing by the measurements given that it’s best in a round tin? (I really, really want to try this recipe, but I would have to buy a new pan for it since my old ones were lost as I moved, and I want to make sure I get the right one!)
Thanks for posting this! Can’t wait to try it.
I made this cake tonight with tangerines and pecan meal. It’s delicious! Thank you!
I make this all the time! I have many friends who are wheat sensitive and this sends them to heaven every time! I make an orange rum glaze and drizzle it over it or I serve it with homemade blueberry sorbet.
Beautiful cake. I added a teaspoon of ground cinamon and half a teaspoon of ground cardamon to enhance the orange flavour. Also adding cardamon pods to the final water change when boiling the orange gives the cake a lovely balanced orange/cardomon flavour.
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