Vegan orange cake using a WHOLE orange including the rind. It's made with only 5 ingredients and is also gluten-free, oil-free, eggless and flourless!
What's a whole orange cake?
A whole orange cake has origins in Sicily, Morocco and the Middle East. It's traditionally made with boiled whole oranges (with their rind and all) and often uses almond flour/meal rather than wheat flour.
Conventionally, a whole orange cake recipe uses up to 6 eggs and is not vegan (or easily veganizable). However, after vigorous testing, I found a way to make an eggless whole orange cake using common ingredients!
Why you'll love this cake
FLAVOR: Sweet, bursting with complex orange flavor, and slight bitter undertone. It tastes just like a non-vegan flourless orange almond cake.
TEXTURE: Moist and dense with a fine crumb. It's not meant to be fluffy like a sponge cake. The texture is like a rich fruit cake, moist French financier or friand.
CUSTOMIZABLE: For fruity variations of this cake, check out my vegan whole lemon cake or flourless strawberry cake. Or if you may prefer my flourless vegan chocolate cake or vegan almond cake.
5 ingredients you'll need
Notes about the ingredients
A whole orange, ideally organic as we're using the rind! I recommend using a sweet orange that has a thin skin otherwise your cake will be too bitter. The orange adds a lot of moisture to the cake so we don't need oil or butter.
I don't recommend replacing the orange with orange juice. A whole orange contains pulp, fiber and rind whereas orange juice is just liquid.
Regular granulated sugar. Coconut sugar will also work but it will make the cake denser and brown in color.
Potato starch (or corn starch). See the next section for why we need this!
Baking powder. I added a little extra to this cake to help the cake bake through. It also helps replace some of the lifting power normally provided by eggs in conventional whole orange cakes.
You'll also need water... but is that even an ingredient?!
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the gray recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Why potato starch: the simple magical ingredient
Potato starch allows us to omit the eggs in this whole orange cake. You can also use corn starch (corn flour). Potato starch is not the same as potato flour or potato protein.
Potato starch has various functions in this recipe:
- It is a great binder and thickener (it's a common vegan egg substitute).
- It is a dry ingredient that adds structure. Unfortunately, chia eggs, flax eggs and aquafaba makes the cake TOO moist, dense and competes with the orange flavor.
- It is tasteless and colorless which allows the orange to shine!
Potato starch isn't a straightforward 1:1 egg replacer in a regular whole orange cake recipe. I had to reduce the liquid and increase the baking powder to make sure the final cake isn't too dense!
You can get potato and corn starch in some major supermarkets, health food stores and Asian specialty stores. In Asian stores, they are very affordable!
Preparing the whole orange
First, we need to boil a whole orange in water. Keep on the rind (or skin) but remove the 'stem' (if there is one). My orange weighed just over 250g but it doesn't matter if yours is 10g lighter or heavier.
The orange doesn't need to be completely submerged in water in your pot. There just needs to be enough water so the orange boils/steams! Your home will smell lovely when you cook your orange... I need to do it more often :).
When the orange is cooked, drain and discard all the water. Roughly chop the orange as it'll be easier to blend/process. And remove any seeds, if any!
Making the vegan orange cake
Use a food processor or stick blender to puree your orange (rind and all). The puree doesn't have to be extremely fine. Any small chunks will add texture to your vegan orange cake.
Next, add ALL the ingredients to the food processor and pulse until combined. The cake batter should be very thick, almost like a paste. If your batter is runnier, I'd recommend adding a little more potato starch.
Normally I wouldn't recommend using a food processor to mix cake batter as over-mixing can create a tough cake. However, gluten is the culprit of tough cakes and this cake is gluten-free so we don't have to worry about over-mixing!
If you don't have a food processor, add your orange puree and all other ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir using a spatula or spoon. The batter will be too thick for a hand whisk.
Scoop (or pour) the thick batter into your cake tin. The surface will be a little rough so just smooth it out using a spatula or spoon.
Tip: If your batter is sticking too much to your spoon, dip your spoon in water and try again!
Tips for baking the cake
The whole orange cake has a high amount of almond flour so we need to bake it at a lower temperature. Nuts tend to burn quickly so a lower temperature prevents this from happening!
The cake is ready when it is slightly golden brown on top. If you can insert a toothpick into the middle and it comes out mostly clean (a few crumbs are fine). The cake won't rise much at all.
If you have an overly hot oven, your flourless orange almond cake might turn golden brown before it's baked inside. If so, turn down the heat of your oven AND place an oven-safe plate on top of your cake tin (as long as it doesn't touch the cake).
When you remove the cake from the oven, let it cool in the cake pan as it'll be very delicate. The cake will firm up a lot when it cools.
Serving the cake
This eggless orange cake is perfect for morning tea or with your daily coffee! It is delicious with a simple dusting of powdered sugar or can be served with:
- thick dairy-free yogurt
- dairy-free cream or ice cream
- slices of fresh oranges or candied orange peel
If you want to bring this cake to a celebration, you can top the cake with beautiful rose petals and pistachios!
I think the cake is already sweet enough but if you would like to decorate it, I recommend topping it with yogurt. Or make a simple sugar icing such as the one in my lemon pistachio cake (use orange juice instead of lemon to make an orange glaze). I'd say that buttercream is too sweet for this cake.
Ingredient substitutions and customizations
Almond flour is about 15% fat so we need to compensate for this if we replace it with flour. I recommend using a combination of all-purpose flour and neutral oil or light-tasting olive oil (quantities are listed in the notes of the recipe card below). The cake will be fluffier and have a more subtle orange flavor compared to the original.
I haven't tried this but it should work if you cut off the rind. Without boiling the orange, remove some of the orange zest then remove all of the flesh inside. Blend the orange zest with the flesh then use it in the recipe.
Yes either will work!
The cake itself is already full of complex flavor. However, you may add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon of cardamom powder or a pinch of salt.
More easy vegan cake recipes
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Vegan Whole Orange Cake
Ingredients
- 1 x (~250 g) medium-sized organic orange, with the rind still on
- 250 g (2 ½ cups) almond flour / blanched almond meal, (note 1)
- 150 g (¾ cup) granulated sugar, (note 2)
- 85 g (½ cup + 1 tablespoon) potato starch, or corn starch / corn flour (plus more if needed)
- 80 g (⅓ cup) water
- 3 heaped teaspoons baking powder
Instructions
- I recommend weighing the ingredients for this recipe rather than using the cups measurement. Like all of my recipes, this whole orange cake was tested using grams except the baking powder.
Preparing the orange:
- Thoroughly wash the skin of the orange and remove the stem, if it's still on. Add around 4 cups of water to a small saucepan and place the whole orange in it. Over medium heat, simmer the orange for 30 minutes until you can pierce the skin with no resistance. Drain the water and allow the orange to cool.
- Roughly chop the orange and remove any seeds. Place it in a food processor and process until it forms a paste. It's fine if there are little bits of rind in the paste.
Making the cake batter:
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F). Grease or line an 8-inch (20 cm) cake pan with parchment paper (Note 3).
- Add the rest of the cake ingredients to the food processor. Process until the mixture is combined and thick. If your batter is runnier, add 1 tablespoon (7g) of potato starch at a time and mix until it forms a thick batter. If in doubt, err towards a thicker batter rather than thinner batter. For this recipe, a thinner batter will make a denser cake.
- Scoop the cake batter into a your cake tin. Smooth the top with a spoon or spatula.
Baking the cake:
- Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes (Note 4). The cake is ready when a skewer can be inserted into the middle and there is no wet batter on it (some crumbs are fine). The cake isn't meant to rise much or flatten out but it will 'set'. Allow the cake to completely cool in the cake tin.
- To serve, dust the cake with powdered sugar (Note 5). Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day, in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Notes
- The total amount of almond flour can be substituted with 1 cup (125g) all purpose flour and ½ cup (125g) light-tasting oil. We have to add oil to compensate for the natural fats normally found in almond flour.
- This amount of sugar creates a mildly sweet cake. You can decrease the sugar to ½ cup (100g) but it will create a more dense cake that may be a little bitter.
- The cake bakes very well in muffin tins and can be divided into smaller cake tins, of course with different baking times. However, baking the whole quantity of the cake in a smaller tin (for example 15 cm or 7 inches) may cause 'dense streaks' throughout the cake.
- If your oven is too hot, your cake may be cooked on the outside but still unbaked inside. If so, turn down the oven temperature and cover the cake pan with an oven-safe plate, as long as it doesn't touch the cake.
- Alternatively, you can also:
- Drizzle a simple syrup on the cake. Combine ¼ cup (80g) orange juice and 2 tbsp of sugar in a small saucepan and heat until the sugar has dissolved. Drizzle on the cake while it's warm.
- Top the cake with a simple icing, such as the one in this recipe (but substitute the lemon juice with orange juice). Wait until the cake is completely cool before you ice the cake.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in November 2017 and updated a few times since then. Vegan baking science has grown a lot over the years!
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Angela says
All your creations are pretty wonderful Anthea but I do love the colour of this cake so vibrant and (have to use the same word again) pretty : )
Thanks for another lovely recipe, I have all the ingredients especially a whole tree with organic oranges and two mandarin trees! so I think that I might have to get into the kitchen on this gloomy day.
Oh can I substitute xylitol for the sugar? I know that there isn't much sugar in the recipe but I'm such a sugar addict and it doesn't take much to send me off on a bender : (
Anthea says
Aw thanks soo much Angela! It's such a gorgeous and simple cake - I was chuffed when I first removed it from the oven :). I'm so jealous of your orange and mandarin trees!! I'd be baking constantly if I had them haha.
Also yes, one of my other readers used xylitol instead of sugar and it worked well! I hope that helps 🙂
Jen says
Can I use a regular orange or does it have to be a mandarin?
Anthea says
Ooh sorry, it's meant to say orange (not sure how that happened)! Yes, definitely use a regular orange 🙂
Melanie says
This recipe is amazing! I’m not the best at baking but this was super simple with only 5 ingredients. I used corn starch instead of potato and it still turned out great.
Anthea says
I'm sooo happy to hear that and that you found the recipe approachable! Thanks soo much for your feedback x
Orla Hyland says
I'm really looking forward to trying this out, whole orange is one my favourites. I try a version with added poppy seeds too. Yum! Thank you for doing all the ground work.
Anthea says
Thanks for your comment Orla! Ooh poppyseeds would be delicious too! Let me know how you go if you make it 🙂
Diane says
Thank you sooo much Anthea for posting this! I haven't made a whole orange cake in at least 6 years! I used to make the Planet Cake version of this and stopped after going Vegan! I cannot wait to give this a try! I can already smell the sweet perfume of boiled orange filling the house! Thanks again!
Anthea says
It's my pleasure Diane! I hope you enjoy the warmth and coziness of the cake, especially when boiling the oranges! Let me know how you go 🙂
Nikita Tiwari says
Hi Anthea,
I too have been baking the Almond Orange cake for long with eggs but when I moved close to my parents, it was different. They don't eat eggs and hence, was looking for an alternative to it. Also, it's very difficult to get vegan options here, such as, gluten free flours. They are OK with dairy and hence, if I have to make the cake (only) eggless but with dairy, what will be the substitutes, especially with flour? Can I just use All purpose flour instead of almond flour? If yes, whats the replacement ratio?
Anthea says
Hi Nikita, thanks for your comment! I haven't tried this particular cake with all-purpose/plain flour but from experience, it will work with a 1:1 replacement ratio. However, the flavour and texture will be different because the almonds are a key part of an orange almond cake! Hope that helps!
Milly says
Love this!! Used a commercial gluten free flour with this. Had all the other ingredients on hand and baked it in 2 ramekins because i have a small counter top oven. Will make again.
Anthea says
So glad to hear Milly! And glad that your gluten free flour worked for you too. Thanks for your lovely comment 🙂
Caroline says
I’ve been wanting to find a vegan version of almond citrus cake - this is it! So delicious and easy! I also freshly ground the almonds, leaving some slightly largely pieces for extra nuttiness. Simply divine. Cake for breakfast anyone?
Anthea says
Aw that's the best news! Breakfast sounds perfect. Thanks for your feedback Caroline!
Steph says
Such a simple and yummy recipe... it will be on high rotation in our house 🙂
Anthea says
That's great to hear! Thanks Steph 🙂
Jaksha says
Hi Anthena,
Looks delicious recipe.. I'm going to try.. I was wondering would mejdool date paste work as a sweetener weetener?
Anthea says
Thanks Jaksa! If you use medjool date paste, it'd make the cake very heavy as it's already a dense cake. Let me know how you go if you use it!
Jaksha says
Hi Anthena!! I finally nade this cake and used tge dates.. In terms if texture I dont thinknitvwas an issue.. I did add little bit if more water due to dates to get right consistency.. I did a mistake, I had orange juice so used it as a liquid too and the cake is slightly bitter and all tge sweey lovers I rexkon maple syrum will be better than dates.. But otherwise I think its a treat, though I'd like bit more orange flavour.. Thxx
Anthea says
Thanks for letting me know your experience and glad it worked with dates! Oh yep maple syrup would be lovely too. Thanks again xo
Ixora says
Thanks Anthea, It’s turned out AWESOME... thanks so much for sharing the recipe.
Loved it!
I’ll share the pictures with you on email.
Anthea says
Thanks Ixora! Sooo glad you enjoyed it and I hope you enjoy eating the rest! Looking forward to seeing your pictures!!
IXORA says
Hi Anthea, I will be trying the recipe soon; you have mentioned to preheat at 170C but while baking for 40-50 mins what’s the ideal temperature??
Thanks
Anthea says
Hey! Leave the oven at the preheated temperature - the oven needs to be a relatively low temperature as the almond meal burns easily!
Elsa says
Hi Angela I didnt do the frosting and the cake was still really moist, tasty and sweet enough..One thing I would suggest is for you to include a description of how much water to use when simmering the mandarin e.g cover the mandarin or cover half the mandarin etc . I didnt use enough water initially and had to simmer another mandarin seperately for more fragrant liquid and then had the challenge of doing it quickly enough so the cake was still warm enough for the syrup to soak in properly. Thx for the recipe though - deliciious
Anthea says
So glad that it worked for you Elsa! My apologies about simmering the mandarin - I've updated the recipe to include the amount of water. In the future, if the water evaporates too much, simply adding more water to the pot will work as the flavour is usually intensified when the water decreases (that's what I did anyway and it worked). Glad you enjoyed eating it!
Angela says
Another wonderful and visually stunning recipe Anthea. Thank you : ) My problem is I have a tree full of mandarins.......how many cakes can I make? how many cakes can we eat? : ) : )
Anthea says
Thanks Angela! I have another mandarin recipe coming up which uses more mandarins so keep your eyes peeled for that!
Jesse-Gabriel says
Wow, großartig, vielen dank!
Grüße,
Jesse-Gabriel
Aria says
I love to eat cakes; it looks so yummy and beautiful!!I’ll definitely try to make one Thanks for sharing.
N says
First time visiting your blog. AMAZING PICS 😀 !!! I'm drooooling!!!
Anthea says
Aw, thank you!
Jennifer says
What a work of art! This is my first time visiting and commenting on your blog and I'm totally LOVING it! All of the glorious colors! Delightful! Mind if I link you on my sidebar? Swing by and let me know if you can! Thanks!