Orange Almond Cake is a recent discovery. My husband has decided to go gluten-free due to allergies, so we are always looking for good desserts made with almond flour. This one is a winner and a keeper!
Delicious with Orange Syrup
I especially liked pairing this recipe with my Orange Syrup recipe that I made for cocktails. Store bought sweets and desserts are truly lacking in fresh flavor. With a fresh almond cake and freshly made orange syrup jazzed up with Amaretto, you won’t be tempted by lesser quality cakes.
Springform pans are useful for so many European style cakes. My springform pan has a glass bottom which is very handy when serving. After the springform ring is released, you can simply place the cake with the springform pan bottom onto a serving pedestal. However, if you want to remove the bottom of the cakepan before serving, I suggest that you line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper.
A wonderful gluten free cake
This Orange Almond Cake is gluten free, which is a plus for the holidays. Sometimes the gluten-free crowd feels left out! This cake is moist and dense like a sponge cake. It really soaks up dessert toppings like whipped cream or ice cream.
Although you don’t have to make an orange syrup for this cake, I thought it was the perfect touch. Check out my recipe for Orange Syrup here. I added a little butter and Amaretto which was the perfect flavor combo. Of course, you can add whipped cream or ice cream on the side, but the Amaretto flavored Orange Syrup is an unexpected upgrade to this glorious cake.
You might want to make two of these cakes. They will keep for a couple of days in the fridge without going stale as they are very moist. Truthfully, we finished out Orange Almond Cake in record time as everyone asked for seconds!
PrintOrange Almond Cake is a gluten free delight
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Ingredients
1 cup sugar (200g)
Extra butter for greasing cake pan
1–2 tbsp. extra almond flour four dusting (6g-12g)
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (115g)
¼ tsp. salt (2g)
1 ½ tsp. almond extract (7ml)
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract (7ml)
4 eggs, room temperature
1 ¼ cups whole milk ricotta cheese (313g)
1 ½ cups almond flour (144g)
½ cup slivered almonds (48g)
Powdered sugar for dusting
Optional Syrup
2 tbsp. butter (28g)
1 recipe orange syrup (you will need 1 ½ cups/360ml)
3–4 tbsp. amaretto (45-60ml)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325°F (162°C). Grease the interior of a 10″ (25cm) spring form pan with butter. Dust with almond flour.
Using either an electric stand mixer or hand mixer, cream the sugar, butter and salt with almond and vanilla extracts until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, scraping as necessary.
Add the ricotta cheese and continue beating for another minute or so until very smooth. Blend in the almond flour.
In a separate mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter
Spread the batter into your prepared springform pan and smooth out the top evenly. Sprinkle sliced almond evenly over the top. Bake in your preheated oven for 50-55 minutes. The cake will be puffed, golden, and not jiggly in the center. Lay a piece of foil loosely over the top of the cake towards the end of baking if it seems to be browning too quickly.
Allow the cake cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the inner perimeter of the baking pan. Carefully release the springform pan. Allow cake to cool completely/
To make the syrup, melt butter in a 9” (23cm) skillet. Add about 1 ½ (360ml) cups of the orange syrup to the skillet and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the Amaretto and reduce for another 2 minutes until the sauce is thickened. Serve warm with the cake.
Notes
There is no need to remove the bottom of the springform pan from the cake once it is baked. You can use the bottom as a plate for setting on top of a cake pedestal. However, if you wish to remove the bottom, this is more easily achieved when the pan is lined with parchment paper before the batter is added. Trace a circle onto parchment paper with the bottom of the springform pan. Cut out the circle and it will fit perfectly inside your pan.
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