Orange Zest Almond Cake

Name: Orange Zest Almond Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, softened, at room temperature; ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar; 3 large eggs, room temperature; 2 tablespoons (12 g) fresh orange zest, finely grated or zested from 2 medium oranges; ¼ cup (60 ml) fresh orange juice; 1½ cups (150 g) blanched almond flour; ¾ cup (95 g) all-purpose flour; 1½ teaspoons (7½ g) baking powder; ¼ teaspoon (1½ g) fine sea salt; ½ teaspoon (2½ ml) vanilla extract

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A tender, fragrant Middle Eastern almond cake infused with bright orange zest and a delicate crumb. Ground almonds replace some flour for rich flavor and moisture, while eggs and butter create a light yet substantial cake. Perfect with coffee or tea, and naturally gluten-free friendly.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 35 min
Wait: 15 min
Total: 1 hr 5 min
Makes: 1 cake (8 slices)

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Steps

Before you start

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) for at least 15 minutes
Use room-temperature eggs for even mixing
Butter and flour your 9-inch (23 cm) round cake pan or line it with parchment paper
Zest the oranges before juicing so you capture all the fragrant oils

1
Cream butter and sugar
- In a large bowl, whisk together softened butter (115 g) and granulated sugar (150 g) until light, fluffy, and pale—about 2–3 minutes by hand or 1–2 minutes with an electric mixer.
- The mixture should resemble frosting and increase slightly in volume.
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Ready when: mixture is pale, fluffy, and doubled in volume
Tip: Softened butter incorporates air much faster; cold butter will take longer and may result in a denser cake.
2
Add eggs one at a time
- Add the three room-temperature eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition until fully incorporated before adding the next.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl between additions.
- The mixture should remain smooth and emulsified.
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Ready when: each egg is fully combined before the next is added; mixture is smooth and pale
Tip: Adding eggs slowly prevents the batter from separating or becoming grainy. If the mixture looks curdled, add a tablespoon of the almond flour to help stabilize it.
3
Mix in orange zest and juice
- Whisk in the orange zest (12 g) and orange juice (60 ml).
- Combine until the zest is evenly distributed and the juice is fully incorporated.
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Ready when: zest is evenly visible throughout and juice is fully mixed in
Tip: The bright flecks of zest will add both flavor and visual appeal to the crumb.
4
Whisk dry ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour (150 g), all-purpose flour (95 g), baking powder (7.5 g), salt (1.5 g), and vanilla (2.5 ml).
- Make sure there are no lumps of baking powder or salt; they should be evenly distributed.
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Ready when: no visible lumps and ingredients are uniformly combined
Tip: Mixing the dry ingredients separately ensures the baking powder is distributed evenly, so the cake rises uniformly.
5
Fold in dry ingredients
- Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients in three additions, folding gently with a spatula after each addition until just combined.
- Do not overmix.
- The batter should be smooth but still slightly airy.
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Ready when: no streaks of dry flour visible; batter is uniform and smooth
Tip: Overmixing activates gluten and makes the cake dense and tough. Stop as soon as you don't see dry flour.
6
Pour into prepared pan
- Pour the batter into the prepared 9-inch (23 cm) round pan.
- Gently smooth the top with a spatula so the batter is even.
- Tap the pan lightly on the counter once or twice to release any large air bubbles.
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Ready when: batter is level and fills the pan two-thirds to three-quarters full
Tip: Do not tap too hard, or you'll deflate the air you've worked in; a gentle tap is all you need.
7
Bake until goldenOven 350°F / 175°C
- Place in a preheated 350°F (175°C) oven and bake for 35–38 minutes.
- The cake is done when a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- The top should be golden brown and the cake should smell fragrant with orange.
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Ready when: toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs; top is golden brown
Tip: Check the cake at 33 minutes; ovens vary, and a cake overbaked will be dry. The slight moisture in the middle ensures it stays tender as it cools.
8
Cool in pan and turn out
- Let the cake rest in the pan for 15 minutes.
- This allows the structure to set so it doesn't fall apart when removed.
- Then run a thin knife around the edges and turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely (about 30 minutes to 1 hour before slicing).
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Ready when: cake is firm enough to hold its shape when turned out; completely cool before serving
Tip: Turning the cake out onto a rack (not a plate) allows air to circulate all around, so the bottom doesn't steam and become soggy.

Good to know

Tips

Room-temperature eggs emulsify smoothly with the butter and sugar, creating a lighter crumb. Let eggs sit out for 30 minutes before baking.
Almond flour is naturally moist and adds richness, so this cake doesn't need oil and uses a modest amount of regular flour. Don't substitute regular flour for almond flour one-to-one, as it will throw off the texture.
For a more indulgent cake, dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar or drizzle a thin orange glaze (powdered sugar mixed with fresh orange juice) over the top.
This cake is naturally gluten-free if you replace all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend (adjust baking powder by ¼ teaspoon if the blend already contains it).

Make ahead

The baked cake keeps well for 2–3 days at room temperature, loosely wrapped. You can also prepare the dry ingredient mixture up to 1 day ahead; store in an airtight container.

Storage & reheating

Room temperature (covered): up to 3 days. Refrigerator (wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container): up to 5 days. Freezer (wrapped in plastic wrap, then foil): up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature for 2–3 hours before serving.

Substitutions

blanched almond flour → finely ground blanched almonds (pulse raw almonds in a food processor until flour-like). Homemade almond flour gives the same result; avoid store-bought almond meal, which is coarser.
fresh orange zest → lemon zest or a combination of lemon and orange zest. Lemon will be brighter and slightly tarter; use the same amount and adjust orange juice to 3 tablespoons if using lemon alone.
all-purpose flour → white whole-wheat flour or a mix of all-purpose and whole-wheat (use 95 g total). This adds nuttiness and slight earthiness; the cake will be slightly less delicate but still tender.
vanilla extract → almond extract (use half the amount, 0.25 teaspoon or 1.25 ml). Almond extract intensifies the almond flavor; use sparingly, as it is potent.