Spanish Almond & Orange Olive Oil Cake
A flourless almond-orange cake, moist from olive oil and whole citrus, with real protein and no refined flour.
Best for A wholefood, flourless dessert with almond protein and heart-healthy olive oil, low in refined sugar
This is the Spanish almond cake I make when I want dessert to actually feed me — flourless, built on a full bag of ground almonds so every slice carries real protein and healthy fat. Whole simmered orange (peel and all) folds in a bittersweet citrus depth you never get from juice alone, while fruity olive oil keeps the crumb tender for days. It's honest, grown-up, and just sweet enough.
Ingredients
- 1 Whole orange , scrubbed, plus zest of a second orange
- 250 g Ground almonds
- 4 large eggs , room temperature
- 90 ml olive oil , fruity, plus extra for the pan
- 100 g honey , or maple syrup
- 8 g Baking powder
- 2 g fine sea salt
- 1 g ground cinnamon (optional – can be omitted)
- 20 g flaked almonds , for the top (optional – can be omitted)
Instructions
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1
Put the whole scrubbed orange in a small saucepan, cover with water, and simmer until a knife slides through the peel with no resistance, about 40 minutes. Drain, cool briefly, then cut in quarters, remove any seeds, and blend the entire orange — peel, pith and all — to a smooth purée. You should have roughly 150 g.
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2
Heat the oven to 175°C and line the base of a 22 cm springform pan with parchment, then brush the sides with olive oil. Whisk the eggs and honey together until pale and slightly foamy, about 2 minutes, then whisk in the olive oil, orange purée and the extra zest until glossy.
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3
Fold in the ground almonds, baking powder, salt and cinnamon until just combined into a thick, spoonable batter. Scrape into the pan, level the top, and scatter with flaked almonds. Bake until deep golden and a skewer comes out with only a few moist crumbs, 50–55 minutes; tent with foil if it browns too fast.
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4
Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then release and cool fully on a rack — the crumb firms and the flavor deepens as it sits. Serve at room temperature, dusted with a little extra ground almond if you like.