After making rich molten chocolate cakes last week, I was in the mood to lighten things up with some seasonal citrus. Several years ago, when I suffered from chronic gastrointestinal issues, I discovered the New York Times’ clementine cake, which contains no gluten and a simple and short list of ingredients. The cake was beautifully moist, easy to make and bursting with the citrusy flavor of the clementines. At the time, I was rarely able to eat dessert, so being able to enjoy a cake like this was game-changing.
This winter, I decided to adapt this whole orange cake recipe to create a blood orange cake with cardamom. The dramatic color of blood oranges makes for a stunning glaze and the added cardamom lends the cake a warmth and subtle floral note to balance the brightness and acidity of the oranges. This recipe uses entire oranges, which gives it a strong orange flavor. The cake is entirely gluten free and uses almond meal in lieu of wheat flour. I toasted the almond flour before incorporating it into the cake to add a deeper, more toasty flavor to the base of the cake.
This blood orange cake with cardamom is perfect as an afternoon tea cake but also makes for a wonderfully light dessert. Leftovers are also excellent to enjoy for breakfast. It’s not too sweet, has a light crumb, loads of moisture, and a zingy yet comfortingly warm flavor. The icing makes for a stunning cake, naturally colored by the blood orange juice, but you can easily just top the cake with a little powdered sugar instead.
Blood orange cake with cardamom (gluten free)
Course: Cakes and custardsDifficulty: Quick bake1
9-inch cake19
minutes1
hour1
9-inch cake20
minutes1
hourThis blood orange cake balances the zesty sweetness of blood oranges with freshy ground cardamom and toasted almond flour for warmth and a subtle floral note. The cake is topped with a stunning blood orange cardamom glaze and candied blood oranges. This is the perfect gluten-free treat to enjoy for dessert or with a cup of tea in the afternoon.
Ingredients
3 medium-sized blood oranges (about 375-400g total)
2 cups (192g) almond flour
6 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
3/4 tsp diamond crystal kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp morton kosher salt)
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground cardamom
- For the glaze
3/4 cup (85g) powdered sugar
2 tbsp blood orange juice
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
Candied orange slices for garnish (optional, see note)
Instructions
- Rinse the oranges well and place in a large pot. Cover with cool water, bring to a bowl. Cover and simmer on low heat for approximately one hour. Strain out the water, cut the oranges in half, and let cool to room temperature.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F and spread out the almond flour in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and toast for about five minutes or until a light golden color, tossing/stirring halfway through. Allow to cool.
- Roughly dice the oranges and add to a food processor or large blender. Blend until the oranges have reduced to a pulp or paste-like consistency. Use a spatula to scrape the sides and pulse a couple more times. It’s okay if there are very small bits remaining. Then add all of the remaining ingredients and pulse briefly until just combined and there are no more flecks of almond flour visible–you may need to scrape the sides a couple of times.
- Grease a 9″ cake pan or springform pan generously with butter. If using a pan that doesn’t have removable sides, cover the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Then pour the batter into the pan and bake at 350F for approximately one hour, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for about 10 minutes, run a knife around the edges, and remove from pan. Let cake cool completely on wire rack.
- Once cake is completely cooled, you can dust with powdered sugar before serving or glaze it by stirring together the blood orange juice, powdered sugar, and ground cardamom in a bowl. Then pour over the center of the cake and tilt and rotate the cake to help encourage the icing to travel to all of the edges. This recipe makes a very thin layer of icing—-if you prefer a slightly thicker layer, you can make 1.5x or 2x the recipe. Add candied oranges to the top if desired.
Notes
- To make candied oranges, at least 24 hours in advance, add one cup of granulated sugar and one cup of water to a large skillet. Place on medium high heat and stir until the sugar is fully dissolved. Then, wash and scrub one blood orange, cut both ends off, and slice into very thin slices–as thin as you’re able to. Once the sugar is dissolved, carefully add the slices to the saucepan and lower the heat until it is simmering/just slightly boiling. Allow to simmer for about 45 minutes to one hour, or until the white pith between the outer skin and the flesh turns translucent. Remove the orange slices and place on a wire rack to dry for at least 24 hours.
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