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Boiled Orange Cake (Gluten and Lactose Free)

Enjoy this delightful, ultra-moist cake infused with vibrant orange flavour, achieved by using whole oranges—peel and all! Boiling the oranges removes the bitterness from the pith, leaving just a hint that enhances the real orange taste. This simple yet impressive cake is perfect for gatherings and is both gluten- and lactose-free, making it enjoyable for everyone. The almond adds a lovely, nutty depth, keeping the cake exceptionally moist and full of flavour.

Recipe by Caroline Cary

Yields1 Serving
 2 Medium Oranges
 1 ¼ tsp Baking Powder
 6 Large Eggs
 4 tbsp Maple Syrup
 300 g Almond Meal or Ground Almonds
1

Boil 10 minutes: Place oranges in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over medium high heat. Boil for 10 minutes and drain.

2

Repeat x 2: Put oranges back in the pot, cover with cold water and boil again for 10 minutes. Drain, then repeat once more (ie. boil oranges 3 x 10 minutes). Shortcut: Boil 40 minutes without draining, keeping an eye on water level. 

3

Chop: Rinse oranges, then cool slightly so you can handle them. Slice into 1cm / 1/4" slices then dice, removing any seeds. Cool completely.

4

Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F (140°C fan). Grease and line a 23cm/9" cake pan with baking/parchment paper. If you have one of the liners that is even better. 

5

Place chopped oranges in a food processor. Blitz on high for 4 x 10 second bursts, scraping down the sides in between, until it's pureed into a marmalade consistency with only a few visible bits of rind remaining. It does not need to be completely smooth. Make sure there are no pips in the oranges before you blitz them as they will make the cake very bitter. 

6

Blitz in remaining ingredients: Add almond meal, eggs, baking powder and maple Syrup. Blitz for 5 - 10 seconds on high until combined.

7

Pour into the prepared cake tin. Bake 50 minutes until the surface is golden and a screwer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

8

Cool fully in cake pan. Unless using loose base pan, cover surface with baking paper to help you turn it out (cake is sticky so may stick to your hand and tear surface otherwise.)

9

Decorate as desired - I used red-currents, blueberries and passion fruit but you might like to use slices of fresh oranges, rind strips and sprigs of flowers. A dusting of coconut sugar or similar is also lovely.

10

General Notes:

Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free baking powder if needed.
Sweetness: Not overly sweet; can substitute maple syrup for 1 - 1 ¼ cups of sugar if preferred. 

  • Oranges: Aim for around 600g (1.2lb) total. Smaller or larger oranges work; if larger, expect a moister cake.
  • Large Eggs: Standard large eggs, 55-60g (2 oz) each.
  • Almond Meal/Ground Almonds: Finely ground raw almonds used instead of flour for a nutty, moist, gluten-free texture. Almond flour can be substituted for a slightly lighter texture.
Category

Ingredients

 2 Medium Oranges
 1 ¼ tsp Baking Powder
 6 Large Eggs
 4 tbsp Maple Syrup
 300 g Almond Meal or Ground Almonds

Directions

1

Boil 10 minutes: Place oranges in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over medium high heat. Boil for 10 minutes and drain.

2

Repeat x 2: Put oranges back in the pot, cover with cold water and boil again for 10 minutes. Drain, then repeat once more (ie. boil oranges 3 x 10 minutes). Shortcut: Boil 40 minutes without draining, keeping an eye on water level. 

3

Chop: Rinse oranges, then cool slightly so you can handle them. Slice into 1cm / 1/4" slices then dice, removing any seeds. Cool completely.

4

Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F (140°C fan). Grease and line a 23cm/9" cake pan with baking/parchment paper. If you have one of the liners that is even better. 

5

Place chopped oranges in a food processor. Blitz on high for 4 x 10 second bursts, scraping down the sides in between, until it's pureed into a marmalade consistency with only a few visible bits of rind remaining. It does not need to be completely smooth. Make sure there are no pips in the oranges before you blitz them as they will make the cake very bitter. 

6

Blitz in remaining ingredients: Add almond meal, eggs, baking powder and maple Syrup. Blitz for 5 - 10 seconds on high until combined.

7

Pour into the prepared cake tin. Bake 50 minutes until the surface is golden and a screwer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

8

Cool fully in cake pan. Unless using loose base pan, cover surface with baking paper to help you turn it out (cake is sticky so may stick to your hand and tear surface otherwise.)

9

Decorate as desired - I used red-currents, blueberries and passion fruit but you might like to use slices of fresh oranges, rind strips and sprigs of flowers. A dusting of coconut sugar or similar is also lovely.

10

General Notes:

Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free baking powder if needed.
Sweetness: Not overly sweet; can substitute maple syrup for 1 - 1 ¼ cups of sugar if preferred. 

  • Oranges: Aim for around 600g (1.2lb) total. Smaller or larger oranges work; if larger, expect a moister cake.
  • Large Eggs: Standard large eggs, 55-60g (2 oz) each.
  • Almond Meal/Ground Almonds: Finely ground raw almonds used instead of flour for a nutty, moist, gluten-free texture. Almond flour can be substituted for a slightly lighter texture.

Notes

Boiled Orange Cake (Gluten and Lactose Free)

Recipe by

Caroline Cary

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