This orange blossom almond cake is a moist almond flour cake flavored with orange blossom water and orange zest. With refreshing citrusy and floral notes, it is the epitome of spring, making it the perfect dessert for brunches, tea parties, and even Eid gatherings. Best of all, this gluten-free orange blossom cake is naturally sweetened with honey and made without refined sugar.
If you love light citrus desserts made with almond flour, you’ll love this quick and easy cake recipe that takes less than 30 minutes to bake!
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What Is Orange Blossom Water?
Orange blossom water is the extract of the bitter orange tree’s blossoms. Its floral citrus flavor is signature to Middle Eastern and North African desserts. You’ll often see orange blossom water used in cakes, cookies, and pastries in this region.
It is available in most Middle Eastern grocery stores and even online.
What Does Orange Blossom Water Taste Like in Cakes?
Orange blossom water has a delicate citrus flavor with fresh and fragrant notes. Because it is concentrated, a little goes a long way. If this is your first time using it, start with half the amount and then increase as per your preference. And contrary to what many think, it does not taste like perfume!
If you like fruity, floral notes in your cakes, like in my almond flour cardamom rose cake, which is pretty much a Pakistani/Indian version of this cake, then you’ll love this one too!
In fact, if you like almond flour-based Pakistani recipes, you have to try my gluten-free version of sooji ka halwa!
A Quick Look at the Recipe
⏲️Ready In: 40 minutes.
👪Serves: 8 slices.
🍽 Calories and Protein: 302k cal. & 7 g.
📋 Main Ingredients: Almond flour, arrowroot flour, orange blossom water, butter, and honey.
📖 Dietary Notes: Gluten-free, refined sugar-free
⭐ Why You’ll Love This Orange Blossom Cake:
- Gluten-free and refined sugar-free. It’s made with almond flour and honey instead of wheat flour and sugar.
- Easy and quick. This cake comes together quickly and bakes in under 30 minutes.
- Bright citrus flavor. Orange blossom water and orange rind lend fresh, floral notes.
Summarize & Save This Content With AI
“This cake is moist with bright citrus notes. And the fact that it's naturally sweetened and gluten-free is amazing!” Zeeshan
Jump to:
- What Is Orange Blossom Water?
- What Does Orange Blossom Water Taste Like in Cakes?
- A Quick Look at the Recipe
- Orange Blossom Almond Cake Ingredients
- How to Make Orange Blossom Almond Cake
- Pro Tips
- Variations
- What Is A Good Subsitute For Orange Blossom Water In Cake?
- Orange Blossom Almond Cake FAQs
- More Almond Flour Cakes to Try
- Orange Blossom Almond Cake
Orange Blossom Almond Cake Ingredients
Almond flour: Use blanched almond flour rather than almond meal. This gives a similar look and texture to regular cake.
Arrowroot flour: Arrowroot flour gives the cake a fluffy texture. You can use tapioca flour as a substitute.
Butter & eggs: Butter makes for a moist cake. Let it come to room temperature. Eggs will help make the cake airy.
Honey: I use raw local honey.
How to Make Orange Blossom Almond Cake
Step 1: Preheat the oven and line the pan with parchment. Preheat to 325ºF/163ºC. When baking with honey, it is recommended to set your oven 25º lower than when baking with sugar.
Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients. Start by mixing all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
Step 3: Prepare the wet ingredients. In another bowl, cream the butter, and then add the eggs, honey, orange blossom water, and orange zest.
Step 4: Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredientsand use a hand-held electric beater or whisk to combine everything until just mixed.
Step 5: Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Tap the pan to release any air bubbles and settle the batter. Add some sliced almonds on top if you wish.
Step 6: Bake for 25 minutes, but check around the 20-minute mark as oven temperatures can vary. Cool, decorate and enjoy!
Pro Tips
- Bring the eggs and butter to room temperature before you begin baking. Room-temperature eggs and butter blend more easily into the batter, making the cake fluffier and lighter.
- Do not over-mix the batter as almond flour is very absorbent. Over-mixing will lead to a denser cake rather than a light and airy one.
Variations
- Make it low-carb: Replace the honey with monkfruit sweetener. You may need to add 1-2 tablespoons of liquid, like orange juice, to keep the cake moist.
- Make it dairy-free: Swap the butter with melted coconut oil or avocado oil.
What Is A Good Subsitute For Orange Blossom Water In Cake?
The best substitutes for orange blossom water in cakes include:
Orange zest. If you can’t find orange blossom water, increase the orange zest in the recipe by 1/2 tablespoon
Orange extract. This is a more potent essential oil extracted from orange peels, so a little goes a long way. I would start with 1/2 teaspoon and increase as you prefer.
Rose water. This has a different flavor profile but has similar floral notes and can be a good substitute.
Orange Blossom Almond Cake FAQs
This orange blossom cake can be stored on the countertop for up to 4 days and in the fridge for a week. You can freeze the cake, but hold off on decorating it. Wrap it first in plastic wrap, then foil, and finally a zip-top bag. This cake will keep for 2 months in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
Over-mixing almond flour can release and absorb fat, resulting in a dry, crumbly texture.
This can happen if you overbeat or overmix the batter. Almond flour lacks gluten, so the cake will be denser than its gluten-rich counterpart.
This recipe is designed specifically for almond flour. Using wheat flour would require adjusting many of the ingredients, as almond flour behaves very differently from regular wheat-based flours.
More Almond Flour Cakes to Try
If you tried this orange blossom almond cake or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments. I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Pinterest or subscribe to our newsletter to get more deliciousness straight to your inbox!
Orange Blossom Almond Cake
Equipment
- 2 mixing bowls
- 1 beater
- 1 spatula
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1/3 cup arrowroot flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
- 1 tablespoon orange rind
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF/163ºC and line your pan with parchment. Start by mixing all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In another bowl, cream the butter with a beater and then add the eggs, honey, orange blossom water, orange zest and the dry ingredients.
- With a hand held electric beater, mix just till combined. Be careful not to over mix the batter. Over mixing will result in a denser and dryer cake as almond flour is extremely absorbent. Mix just enough to ensure there are no clumps left.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and add some sliced almonds on top if you wish. Tap the pan to get any air bubbles out and to settle the batter into the pan.
- Bake for 25 minutes but check around the 20 minute mark as oven temperatures can vary. The cake is ready once a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Once the cake is ready, take it out of the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes. Next, take it out of the pan, remove the parchment paper from under it and let it cool to room temperature on a wire rack.
- Once completely cooled, sprinkle some more sliced almonds on top and if you wish, some powdered sugar, slices of orange and some mint leaves.
Notes
- Bring the eggs and butter to room temperature before you begin baking. Room-temperature eggs and butter blend more easily into the batter, making the cake fluffier and lighter.
- Do not over-mix the batter as almond flour is very absorbent. Over-mixing will lead to a denser cake rather than a light and airy one.
Zeeshan Shah says
This cake is moist with bright citrus notes. And the fact that it’s naturally sweetened and gluten-free, is amazing!