Claudia Roden’s Orange and Almond Cake

By Moira Hodgson

Updated Oct. 11, 2023

Claudia Roden’s Orange and Almond Cake
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
3 hours
Prep Time
2 hours
Cook Time
1 hour
Rating
5(3,349)
Comments
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Moira Hodgson rooted this classic out of Claudia Roden’s terrific cookbook, “Everything Tastes Better Outdoors,” and brought it to The Times in 1987: a flourless orange and almond cake that goes beautifully with blueberries or peaches, and is the perfect thing to carry along on a picnic. Extremely moist, it consists of two seeded oranges (peel and all), ground almonds, sugar and eggs – and no flour. Baked in a hot oven, it will be done in just about an hour or so, longer if the orange pulp is extremely wet. Opening the oven door to check will not harm it.

Featured in: FOOD; COOKIES OR CAKE WHEN BERRIES AREN'T ENOUGH

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Ingredients

Yield:10 servings
  • 2large oranges
  • 6eggs
  • ½pound ground almonds
  • ½pound sugar
  • 1teaspoon baking powder
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)

274 calories; 14 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 32 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 27 grams sugars; 8 grams protein; 73 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Wash the oranges and simmer them, unpeeled, in water to cover for 2 hours. Cool, cut them open and remove the seeds. Puree the oranges, including the peel, in a food processor.

  2. Step 2

    Heat oven to 400 degrees. Beat the eggs in a food processor or large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, including the orange puree, and mix thoroughly. Pour into a buttered and floured cake tin, with a removable base if possible.

  3. Step 3

    Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan before turning out.

Tip
  • This is a very moist cake and goes especially well with blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, peaches, plums, apricots and nectarines.

Ratings

5 out of 5
3,349 user ratings
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Comments

Myokyo

Twice in three weeks, I've made this fail-proof cake, the second time with 3 Meyer lemons instead of the two oranges called for. Both times I used only 5 large eggs, 1 cup of sugar and 1 1/2 cups of ground almonds.

Mary O

I appreciate the comments standardizing this recipe, and will add mine:

• preheated oven to 375 degrees, not 400.
• 9" springform pan
• 5 extra-large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups ground almond meal -- from Trader Joe's (easy & fast!)
• added 1/2 tsp salt, otherwise following the recipe w the oranges and baking powder
• Baked 55 min.

A simple, excellent cake. Sprinkled powdered sugar, rasperries and strawberries on top of slices. Will make again!

Judy

A little known secret.. Zap the two oranges in water on high in your microwave. 15 minutes would do it. This marvellous cake is awesome!!?

Meg

I studied the notes, adjusted temp to 375, eggs to 5, used 1/2 almond flour, 1/2 ground slivered almonds, added 1 Tbsp orange liqueur. I also put the oranges in the MW to cook, mostly covered with water, but it took closer to 25-30 min for the peel to get a bit spongy-soft, which I figure is how it should be. I also scraped some of the pith from the peel before processing, as well as the pithy inside stem. Super moist & delicious!

Olivia G

This was easy and resulted in a very moist cake, but was not my favorite. It just felt like it was missing something. I’m wondering if it could have benefited from salt.

KaraVT

Made per original recipe except 375 for 50 min. Cake was quite dark-feared I overcooked but was perfect tasting! Used 9 inch spring form pan. Weighed the ground almonds (used combination of slivered and sliced almonds in pantry) Wouldn’t change a thing.

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