Valencia orange cake, sometimes known as Gâteau á l'Orange, goes back centuries. This recipe originates from the traditional Spanish sponge cake that uses oranges from Spain. It is thought that the best oranges were produced in Valencia, Spain. This reminds me that the best clementines I've ever had were from Spain, but they are hard to find here in the United States. But not Valencia oranges—they are grown here so you shouldn't have a problem finding some sweet, organic Valencia oranges. But just in case, you can use other oranges in a pinch.
I highly recommend organic oranges for this recipe because you are eating the entire orange, including the skin (and pesticides tend to be highly concentrated in the skin), and you're only buying two of them.
This cake has a sweet, tangy orange flavor and is it's very moist. It's great on its own, or it goes well with crème frâiche, yogurt, whipped cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This recipe was inspired by an orange cake recipe from the wonderful cookbook, The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from Samarkand to New York
by Claudi Roden.
Note that I added a few more photos so you can see the difference between making the cake with a 9-inch springform pan versus an 8-inch springform pan. You can also see the difference between using ¾ cup of sweetener versus 1 cup of sweetener. Enjoy!
Photos below:
- One cup of sweetener and a 9-inch springform pan. You'll have a larger cake, tangy, moist, and sweet.
- ¾ cup of sweetener and an 8-inch springform pan. You'll have a taller, smaller cake, still moist, a little less sweet and more cake-like texture.
Lee Bernstein says
Earlier, I posted that I would try this recipe without valencia. I wanted to post my results, so I am adding a separate comment so it doesn't get lost in that thread..
OMG, Erica, this cake is outstanding! My husband loves it, too, and he doesn't care about eating grain-free like I do.
This cake tastes like something out of a gourmet bakery, and for some reason, it tastes very French to me, which I love. So impressive! So easy! This will be a company-pleaser, for sure.
I used two small-ish organic navel oranges (you know, not one of the super-huge ones).
Thinking that the orange substitution might make the cake a little more bitter than if I used Valencia oranges, I opted for the entire cup of honey. I also added 1 tsp. vinegar to offset the baking soda and make it more like baking powder, but then I realized it probably wasn't necessary since the oranges give the batter enough acid to offset to offset the baking soda.
I did whole eggs instead of separating the whites from the yolks, which, as you say, is fine, and it worked well. The cake was not too dense. The texture was perfect.
As much as I love chocolate, I try to avoid it (SCD). That said, I cannot help but wonder how fabulous this cake would be if drizzled with bittersweet chocolate—like a chocolate-covered orange rind. I'm going to make a note to try it when I make your recipe for company.
Anyway, I'm blown away. Until today, your cinnamon cookie recipe was my favorite, but now I'm torn!
Thank you for all you do.
Lee
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Lee Bernstein says
PS: Instead of measuring two cups of almond flour, I asked Alexa how many grams are in 2 cups, and the answer was 220 grams, so I weighed my almond flour instead.
Erica says
You can get the grams in weight for almond flour on the recipe right below the ingredient list.
Lee Bernstein says
Thanks. I missed that! Much appreciated.
Erica says
Thanks, Lee, for all your great anecdotes and comments!
Erica says
Wow, thanks Lee! Great to read all your observations.
Lee Bernstein says
I'm trying this recipe this weekend. It looks so good! I couldn't find valencia oranges, so we'll see how it goes. Thank you for the recipe.
Erica says
Hi Lee! Other oranges similar to Valencia will work. Best wishes!
Lee Bernstein says
Success! I will add a fresh comment.
CG says
Valencia oranges were first cultivated in the US.They are named after the Spanish city because that is the orange region of Spain. Seville oranges are Spanish and are what is used in the marmalade that is popular in the UK. For this cake, does whole orange also include the peel?
Erica says
Yes, the entire orange, including the skin.
Bonnie says
This is a great recipe! The cake is likely and moist. Fabulous flavor.
Erica says
Thanks, Bonnie!
Carla Mascara says
Hi! It’s me again from Panama. And I just did this AMAZING cake. It’s fluffy and moisture. Very very nice. Not too sweet. I just had one cup of almond flour 🙁 so I added 1/4 of coconut flour and it is work.
Thank you again. Your recipes are awesome. I am pregnant and trying to avoid white flour, and I am also lactose intolerant so I am getting a little crazy with your recipes!!!! They work!!!!
Best Regards!!!!
Erica says
Hi Carla! Wow, that's awesome. I'm going to try that soon. Thanks so much for sharing 🙂 Best for now!
Julie says
Can I use naval oranges or whatever oranges they have available at the store? Thanks!
Erica says
Hi Julie, I haven't tested it with other types of oranges, but I imagine any seedless orange will work.
Jennifer says
I’ve made this and it’s AMAZING! Do you think I could sub orange for strawberry???
Erica says
Thanks! Not sure about that.
Ally says
What stevia to buy please? And how much to add to the recipe without adding any honey?
Thanks
Myra Deuel says
I just moved to Valencia, Spain and must make this-----one question: when you say 'process' the whole orange after steaming/boiling---- is this possible to do without a food processor (it did not make the trip to Spain with me). Thanks.
Erica says
How fantastic! You'll want to grind it all up so it's close to a puree. Either a food processor or blender will do the trick. I imagine you can use a potato masher or mash it by hand with a fork, but I haven't tried it.
Tara says
Tried this with coconut flour. 1/4th cup for 1 cup almond flour. Added 2 more eggs and I must say.. its too good. My very first cake done right!
Erica says
great to hear! I haven't tried this yet, and now I want to 🙂
Holly says
Sorry...autocorrect....that should have said I WOULD really like to try this 🙂
Holly says
I am unable to eat almond flour at the moment...could someone please provide the coconut flour substitutiion plus any extra wet ingredients to add? I wouldn't greatly appreciate it because this cake looks so good!
Erica says
That won't be a simple task - replacing almond with coconut flour. That would require a new recipe. Thanks for letting me know though! 🙂
Yvette says
Wow! Made this cake for Christmas (citrus plays an important historical role in the holidays at our house) and now this chocolate lover has found a new birthday cake! A few alterations:
- Used Cara Cara oranges for their sweet juiciness. Test your oranges by biting into them whole. If you can enjoy eating the whole orange raw, it will work in this cake.
- Steamed the oranges in a small amount of water in a microwave steamer to prevent losing the orange oil to waste water.
- Used a tart pan with removable bottom for a lovely shape and thinner cake that didn't need extra baking time.
- Sprinkled the cooled cake with Grand Marnier (because holidays, and I need to use up the bottle). Almond glaze added another dimension of flavor and called out the almond flour in the cake.
Easy, fun, always have the ingredients on hand. This cake is way too elegant for the effort it takes!
Erica says
Thanks for all the great tips! Steaming is a great alternative - keeps more of the flavor in the oranges. Love the addition of Grand Marnier too. Yes, I've been meaning to post a glaze. Want to share yours? Cheers!
Archie says
This is by far my favourite of any cakes anywhere. And it's guilt-free, except the honey, which I keep to just enough to canel out the bitterness of the orange skins.
So moist, one can only help but want more more more. One cake is never enough. I've gone to three oranges, 4 eggs, and a little more almond meal to get more leverage out of it.
I wonder if there's a similar cake for lemon, my favourite in the citrus family?
Erica says
good to know about the additions rising it - the eggs make sense for sure. I've been thinking about trying with lemon for a while. I ended up creating a lemon pound cake instead which went into my first cookbook (the SCD cookbook) in order to achieve a more "polenta" style cake. But you have me intrigued to try the lemon. Maybe when Meyer lemons start appearing again.
Helen says
Pinterest has many similar recipes using oranges or lemons
Erica says
Is there one that you trust?
mary says
can this cake be done in sheet cake format for a large group?
Erica says
I think it would work but haven't tried it.
mary says
Can the Valencia Orange cake be made in a sheet pan. I plan to make it for a large group. Any change to amounts of ingredients. The spring form version was a big hit.
Erica says
Sorry I'm late to this reply, but I think it will work. It might take less time to bake. Good to hear the it was a hit!
joanne says
I just made this recipe and it came out great. I love how easy it is to make with the so few ingredients. I used 3/4 cup maple syrup instead of honey, but I could have used a little less as it was a bit on the sweet side. I followed the directions to beat the whites separately and fold into the mix, so the texture was very light. What is the best way to store the left over cake to keep the longest? Can it be frozen in pieces? Thanks!
Erica says
Not sure, about the freezing. It might get soggy, but it's worth a try. Thanks for the tip on whipping the egg whites. How nice!
Catherine says
I've made this cake twice now and love the texture and ingredients. However, it tastes very bitter, so much so that it is almost inedible. How do I remedy this?
Erin says
Could you tell me the measurement for the oranges once puréed? I used three small Valencia oranges and had over 1 cup as a result. Thanks!
Tali says
*with
Tali says
hi, when you say cool the oranges and blend, is that wigg the water they boiled in? Or do I blend only the oranges?
Thanks
Erica says
only the oranges
anne douglas says
Thank you - just made this with lemons instead and if the cake turns out as good as the mixed ingredients tasted I will love love love it - and a nice easy recipe too
Erica says
Thanks! So good to know it works with lemons!
Shari says
Has anyone tried leaving out sugar/honey altogether? I know it won't be as sweet, but will the consistency of the cake be ok?
Christa Jeanne says
I just returned from Spain, where I fell in LOVE with orange cake, and can't wait to whip this up!!! Valencia oranges are on sale at a local market, so I'm wondering - would the orange puree freeze well? I'm guessing so but wanted to pick your brain - thinking I might stock up. Also, would the boiling time need adjustment if I tripled or quadrupled the recipe at that stage? Thanks for your help, Erica! Love your blog!
Erica says
Thanks, Christa! I think you can freeze the puree but I haven't tried. We do have frozen orange juice and frozen fruit, so why not?
EM-MV says
I found the scone recipe by searching (I couldn't see it in the recipe list) and the glaze is perfect! Thanks, I will definitely try that. In fact I will probably make the scones, and I have signed up for your recipes by email. The preface that went with the scone recipe took me back to a year ago when my son was also heading off for college. I hope your son is having a good year.
EM-MV says
I made this yesterday following another recipe that called for an orange juice glaze on top. I love the simplicity of this cake and so I'm still looking at recipes. Next time I make it I will try this one. My question: if you wanted to amp up the citrus flavor, how would you proceed with a sauce? The one I made started with orange zest boiled for 5 minutes, drained, then add the juice from one orange + 3/4 cup sugar...which was way too sweet. Not much orange flavor, only sweet.
Very glad to have found your website. Also planning on trying your cherry pie & crust recipe soon.
Erica says
Yes, you could add more fresh orange zest to the batter before baking. Great idea.
EM-MV says
My question wasn't clear: I was wondering how you would make a citrus sauce for this cake (and I told you about the one I made for this cake, which sounds similar to how these cakes start, by boiling an orange). So...citrus sauce?
Erica says
Sorry, I think I didn't read it clearly. For the sauce, which I haven't made, I would try using concentrated orange juice instead of regular. Or, you could boil down quite a bit of orange juice with the zest in order to concentrate it. Until I try it though I won't know. I find this cake so sweet that I don't use a citrus glaze, but if I did I think I would try a glaze like the one I make for the lemon ginger scones on this site. Hope that helps.
Jocelyne says
has anyone tried this cake by substituting the eggs? I'm allergic to eggs as well as being gluten intolerant so it's quite difficult to find baking recipes that actually turn out well.
Rachel says
This came out amazing! I used almond milk and added some almond extract. Also, I agree that 1 cup of honey is overkill. I used 3/4 and it was very sweet to my taste. My DH thought it was perfect. I whipped the egg whites and I got a nice fluffy cake because I did not grease the aides o the springform pan.
Erica says
great changeups! I hadn't thought to use almond milk. Love the addition of almond extract!
LydiaF says
This was delicious. We made it last fall. Now I'm going to make it again using clementines. I love the moist, dense texture...perfect with a cup of tea.
Chanel McCoy says
@ Cam, egg whites are drier and yolks add moisture, so maybe you could leave one of the whites out or add an extra yolk since coconut flour sucks up the moisture? I don't know if this works - just a suggestion. I've tried it in traditional recipes that I've decreased the sugar in as sugar adds moisture, too.
Chanel McCoy says
Mine is in the oven as we speak. The batter tastes good 🙂 I'm a little concerned because, after reading this, I looked at my 'almond flour' and it says it's almond meal/flour from blanched almonds. Guess we'll see how it comes out.
One comment to Robert above: If you use a less pithy citrus, like satsumas or clementines, maybe you'd have a better result? I used 3 clementines rather than valencias as I prefer satsumas and clementines. I used 3/4 c of honey and the batter didn't taste bitter at all, but very nice. Not too sweet, nicely orangey. 🙂
cam says
wow! and more wows! this was totally amazing! I used 2 organic navel oranges and whipped the egg whites as suggested. it was moist and light and it smelled totally awesome! the entire family loved it.
my only issue is now my husband is on a low oxalate diet and so almond flour is a new no no 🙁
has anyone tried this incredible cake using coconut flour?
thank you!
Melissa says
I love this recipe. I boiled the oranges last night, and then just stuck them in the fridge...and then made the cake tonight. I tripled the recipe to make three cakes, and it came out great. Delicious!
Erica says
wow, triple. Nice. Good to hear.
Zirah says
Wow, glad to have found this and the cake looks and sounds delicious AND healthy (yea!). Enjoyed reading the various comments, too.
Joy K says
I am looking forward to making this cake for our small group meeting next week, but I have one question before I go ahead. What size pan do you use? I have 9" pans, and am wondering if the cake will come out tall enough. I would really appreciate your feedback on this.
Your banana bread recipe using both almond and coconut flour is really good! Thanks for your blog, which is truly great!!
Erica says
I used a 9 inch spring-form pan (well buttered or parchment paper on the bottom). It's not tall with a 9 inch pan, but it's tall enough, and the almond flour will bake through well.
Joy K says
Thank you so much!! BTW, I made your biscotti recipe yesterday, and it is great too!!
Nissa Madrigal says
Started over and followed directions exactly, it turned out amazing! We love this cake. Thank you 🙂
Nissa Madrigal says
I forgot to remove the stem. is all lost? start over? That is what happens when you multi-task, lol.
Erica says
Karen, I'll take a stab at this but I'm sure other readers have more experience than I do. Many folks who don't eat sugar, honey, agave, use glycerin with stevia. PS 1/3 cup of Grand Marnier sounds like a lot of liquid - you might want to offset that by reducing the amount of liquid elsewhere in the recipe. Good luck!
Karen says
Thank you, thank you! I've made this recipe twice, to rave reviews, with the exception of my mom, who drooled Tantalus-like, but couldn't partake. She's allergic to both agave and honey (picture a dog after it's eaten peanut butter, and add to that a phantom flea in its ear, only multiply that by hours -- endless entertainment for my family; not so much for her). So for her, for the holidays coming up, I'd need to sub sugar. But I'd also like to add about 1/3 cup Grand Marnier, which is GF. Does anyone have any helpful suggestions as to how to go about this? Thank you!
DrG says
I made this cake with half almond flour and half walnut flour, and I used 3/4 of a cup of stevia instead of honey. It came out awesome! I left it cooling on the counter and came back in to find a quarter of the cake gone!!! Guess that's a good sign!
Foodfellow says
For those of you that are using Splenda you may like to know that "raw honey" is a pre-digested food, it will absorb into the system without causing distress to the digestive system. Splenda is an artifical product that will only mess with the digestive system.
Kitchen Scales says
This looks delicious. I like the garnish... I really like any type of cake that has fruit in it. Except for the season fruit cake.. that's disgusting. I want to try this for my daughters birthday this weekend!
-sylvia
Erica says
Thanks Tracey - good to hear other kinds of oranges work!
Tracey says
I made this cake today and it is fabulous! I used 3 tangelos instead of Valencia oranges since that's what I had on hand. Also, I replaced the honey with 1 cup of Splenda for baking since I'm watching my sugar intake.
Erica, all the recipes on your web site look fantastic. I can't wait to try the almond flour crust deep dish pizza. Yum!
LG says
Looks great - has anyone tried just orange juice for this yet? or plain flour?
LUcyRic says
Just to let you know, the recipe still does not include the baking soda and salt. It sounds great, but please revise the recipe for all to see in the future. I definitely plan on making this, I will look for the oranges.
I see that you are making a paste, but I wonder if I would have difficulty digestng the orange peel with Crohns.
Erica says
thanks funcindi - you can set the oven temp. lower if it's burning on the sides and bake slightly longer. Everyone's oven is a bit different and altitudes affect baking time as well.
funcindi says
Beautiful & yummy cake. I separated the eggs..stirred yolks with honey, whipped the whites until soft peaks and folded them in at the end. Tried baking in a bundt pan, but didn't cook all the way through before the sides started to get too brown. Instead bake in 2 (parchment lined) 9" pans.
Erica says
Robert, sorry to hear you had these results. I haven't experienced this problem, but I can understand that a bitter orange might cause a problem.
Robert says
I was very excited to try this recipe for two reasons: almond flour and boiled whole orange. The result, however, was rather disappointing, and this is due solely to the boiled orange. What you cannot avoid is that pith from any orange is incredibly bitter and this very unpleasant bitterness ruined the relatively expensive honey and flour.
Once the Valencia season is back I'd like to try this again but this time zesting the oranges then cutting out the supremes (orange segments without membranes). This will reduce the simmering time of the orange and I would keep the water to a minimum as I will want to use all of the resulting product.
Erica says
Lilly, I don't think OJ will work, but I haven't tried it. The boiled oranges are a thick concentrate of pulp and juice, which is different than just orange juice. But let us know if you try it.
lilly flower says
csn i mske it with orange juice instead? telll me how much ishould use?
Erica says
Ana, thanks for pointing that out. I somehow left out the point at which to add the dry ingredients (no editor on staff :). So that's fixed. Really though, it doesn't matter when you add the dry ingredients if you're blending everything well. One thing that works well is to blend all the dry ingredients together and then add the dry ingredients to the wet, blended ingredients.
Not sure why your batter smells - bad oranges? It's usually pretty aromatic from my perspective, given the orange oil action in the batter.
ana says
this batter tastes and smells awful! and why arent the salt and baking soda in the instuctions??
George@CulinaryTravels says
Oh my goodness that looks utterly gorgeous. I've always put off making that cake but you've inspired me.
susan robinson says
Thanks. Another question for anyone who has made this cake: I need to do a lot of cooking for a big Spanish themed event, and want to do some in advance. Has anyone had any experience freezing it?
Erica says
Blanched almonds have had their skins removed, usually almond flour is made by grinding up blanched almonds. Almond meal has the skins on before it is ground up. So if the flour is white then it is blanched almond flour. If it has brown flecks in it, it's almond meal. See this post for more on almond flour: https://comfybelly.wpengine.com/2009/01/the-scoop-on-almond-flour.html
susan robinson says
Is almond flour anything different then ground blanched almonds?
Karen Mallaber says
Thanks for the recipe. I have almond flour and have been unable to find a recipe for it using regular ingredients. I'm looking forward to it as I love orange.
Erica says
oops, I meant "find out"...
Erica says
I wonder why Starbucks discontinued it. I guess I'll never found out how it tastes.
I'm extremely flattered when anyone adds me to their blog roll or links to me - thanks for the kudos!
Can Eat! says
What a wonderful Recipe! Now that Starbucks have discontinued their Valencia Orange Cake I'll be using this recipe to get my fix! Thanks! Oh and I love your blog - I've added you to my blog roll at Can Eat! http://www.can-eat.blogspot.com 🙂
Erica says
Great to know. Thanks for sharing this! I've never used Splenda, so I'm glad it worked out.
Heather says
I just made this and it is fantastic. It came out of the oven about 10 minutes ago and I've already eaten a hefty piece.
I used about 1/3 cup of Splenda instead of the honey and it turned out plenty sweet enough for my taste.
Thanks for the recipe, your blog is great.
Erica says
The whole orange goes into the pot. I don't peel it at all. But if you did peel it I imagine the cake would taste a bit milder in flavor since the orange peel contains quite a bit of flavor.
Steven says
Do you peel the oranges at any point?
Erica says
I guess I need to go to Starbucks and check it out. I haven't been there in a while - sounds like they're getting gluten-free, maybe?
Beth says
Thanks for the recipe! Starbucks has that new gluten free valencia orange cake, too!
Erica says
Thanks 🙂
Karen says
I just discovered you blog and wanted to say it is lovely. The photos are especially nice. Thanks for all the great recipes, I can't wait to try donuts, curry chicken salad, lemon freeze pie and cheesecake!
Kelli says
This looks so absolutely delicious. I love moist cakes and with the orange spin, yummy!
Jeanine says
What a fantastic looking cake! Love the orange colour too. Great job!
Anon says
I think Starbucks copied this recipe for their gluten free Valencia orange cake. 🙂
Julia @ Imagelicious says
Thank you very much. I'm hoping to make this cake in the next couple of weeks if nothing changes.
Erica says
I think it would be fine to use maple syrup but I haven't tried it - let me know how it goes. Valencia can be somewhat seasonal - so any orange can be used. Valencia oranges are a bit on the big size, about the size of naval oranges, so if you use a smaller orange, you may need 3 or 4 of them. Hope that helps.
Julia @ Imagelicious says
This sounds delicious. Can I use regular oranges? I am not sure if my local supermarket carries Valencia oranges. And also would Maple Syrup work instead of honey? Unfortunately, honey is one of a few ingredients that I can't eat.