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    Home » Recipes

    Healthy Orange Cake

    LAST UPDATED: August 28, 2020 | PUBLISHED: August 19, 2020 | BY: Kim | 10 Comments

    4.49 from 50 votes
    Jump to Recipe

    This has to be the easiest Healthy orange Cake ever! Moist and tender with no added sugar, made with whole orange, almond meal and a marmalade glaze. Its light but filling, refreshing and full or orange flavour.

    healthy orange cake with slice out on a plate

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    Why You Need To Make This Recipe

    • It's easy to make and just 6 simple ingredients
    • There's no added sugars, just natural sweetness from the orange and a little Monkfruit sweetener
    • It's light, moist and has a beautiful citrus flavour
    • No special equipment needed. Just a bowl and spatula.
    • Easy to make one big cake or smaller cakes
    • Great for those who don't like overly sweet cakes or desserts
    • Easy to make it gluten free by swapping out the baking powder type

    Ingredients

    ingredients for healthy orange cake

    Ingredient Notes

    • Orange: I used a large Navel orange for this recipe. Navel oranges are plump, sweet and juicy. Valencia or any other sweet juicy orange variety would be a good substitute.
    • Sweetener: I used Lakanto Monkfruit Classic, however any granaulateed sweetener that measures like sugar could be used, for example Raw Earth Monkfruit, or Granulated Stevia.
    • Almond Meal: note that almond meal is not the same as almond flour. Almond meal is a coarser ingredient and makes for a more dense and filling baked good. Almond flour is a finer ground than almond meal.
    • Orange Marmalade: I used about a tablespoon of St Dalfours Orange Marmalade to glaze the top of the cake once it was fully cooled.

    How To Make This Recipe

    Cook and Blitz the Orange

    • Add boiling water to a pot (so its about ¾ full), add the orange, and cook on high for 1 hour until the orange becomes tender. (Don’t cover the pot). If orange develops some brownish marks from where it is in contact with the pot, this is normal.
    • Once orange is soft and tender, drain the water and let it cool. Slice orange in half and remove seeds, but keep the skin on.
    • Add orange to a food processor or blender, along with granulated sweetener and blitz to a puree.
    cooking and blitzing orange in food processor

    Prepare the Cake Batter

    • Preheat fan oven to 160 degrees C and grease a round 20 cm spring form tin with butter all round the sides. Place parchment paper on top of base plate and lock in place with the sides
    • In a large mixing bowl, add the almond meal, eggs, baking powder, and orange mixture. Use a spatula to gently mix together until combined, making sure all the almond meal is blended in.
    • Pour mixture into prepared cake tin
    • Smooth over the top of the cake with a butter knife. Cake is cooked when a skewer is inserted into the centre and comes out clean or with just a few crumbs.
    mixing the cake batter for a healthy orange cake

    Bake Cake in Oven

    • Bake cake for 50 to 55 minutes
    • Cool cake in the tin for 15 minutes.
    • Run a butter knife around the edge of the tin to loosen cake, gently release spring from tin so that sides come away.
    • Slide cake off base, leaving paper in tact and onto a wire rack to cool further at room temperature (covering with a towel)
    healthy orange cake before and after baking

    Expert Recipe Tips

    • Cake Tin: Using a springform tin with a removable base makes it much easier to remove this cake from the tin, however feel free to use a regular round cake tin if that's all you have, just make sure to line with baking paper or parchment paper so it doesn't stick.
    • Storage: Once cooled to room temperature, store cake in a air tight container on the bench. It will keep for 3 days. Alternatively, it can be frozen for upto 4 weeks.
    • Serving: This cake is great served with double cream, to a thick and creamy Greek yoghurt, or on its own.

    The texture of this cake is moist and dense, but not heavy. Try not to overmix the cake batter which is why mixing by hand using a spatula is ideal.

    a slice of orange cake on a plate with spoon

    Variation

    You can also make this healthy orange cake without sugar into 18 mini cakes. Grease an 18 hole muffin pan with butter or oil. Spoon in cake batter and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked. Poke a skewer into the centre of one of the cakes to make sure.

    More Healthy Baking Recipes

    • Double Chocolate Avocado Cake with Frosting
    • Easy Chocolate Date Cake
    • One Bowl Coconut Yoghurt Cake
    • Super Moist Red Velvet Cupcakes
    • Easy Lemon Loaf with Lemon Drizzle
    • Moist Ginger and Carrot Cake with Walnuts
    • All Sugar Free Baking Recipes
    sliced orange cake on a plate with slices of decorative orange rind

    Healthy Orange Cake

    Kim MorrisKimKim
    A simple and easy 6 ingredient Healthy Orange Cake thats moist, light and filling. Made with real orange, its fresh and perfect for birthday parties, bridal showers, BBQ's and even Dinner parties.
    4.49 from 50 votes
    Print Save Saved!
    Course Snack
    Servings 8 slices
    Calories 245 kcal
    Prep Time 1 hour hr
    Cook Time 55 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 55 minutes mins

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 large whole orange - (see note 1)
    • ½ cup granulated sweetener that measures like sugar - (see note 2)
    • 2½ cups almond meal
    • 4 large eggs - (at room temperature)
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • butter to grease tin
    Metric - US Customary
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Add boiling water to a pot (so its about ¾ full), add 1 large whole orange and cook on high for 1 hour until the orange becomes tender. (Don’t cover the pot). If orange develops some brownish marks from where it is in contact with the pot, this is normal.
    • Once orange is soft and tender, drain the water and let it cool. Slice orange in half and remove seeds, but keep the skin on.
    • Preheat fan oven to 160 degrees C/320 degrees F and grease a round 20 cm spring form tin with butter all round the sides. Place parchment paper on top of base plate and lock in place with the sides
    • Add orange to a food processor or blender, along with ½ cup granulated sweetener that measures like sugar and blitz to a puree.
    • In a large mixing bowl, add the 2½ cups almond meal, 4 large eggs, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and orange mixture. Use a spatula to gently mix together until combined, making sure all the almond meal is blended in.
    • Pour mixture into prepared cake tin (use butter to grease tin) and bake for 50 - 55 minutes until golden. Smooth over the top of the cake with a butter knife. Cake is cooked when a skewer is inserted into the centre and comes out clean or with just a few crumbs.
    • Let cake cool in the tin for 15 minutes. Run a butter knife around the edge of the tin to loosen cake, gently release spring from tin so that sides come away. Slide cake off base, leaving paper in tact and onto a wire rack to cool further at room temperature (covered with a towel). Let is cool completely (overnight is best) before slicing for even clean lines.

    Notes

    1. Orange: I used a large Navel orange for this recipe. Navel oranges are plump, sweet and juicy. Valencia or any other sweet juicy orange variety would be a good substitute.
    2. Sweetener: I used Lakanto Monkfruit Classic, however any granaulateed sweetener that measures like sugar could be used, for example Raw Earth Monkfruit, or Granulated Stevia.
    3. Almond Meal: note that almond meal is not the same as almond flour. Almond meal is a coarser ingredient and makes for a more dense and filling baked good. Almond flour is a finer ground than almond meal.
    4. Orange Marmalade: I used about a tablespoon of St Dalfours Orange Marmalade to glaze the top of the cake once it was fully cooled.
    5. Storage: Once cooled to room temperature, store cake in a air tight container on the bench. It will keep for 3 days. Alternatively, it can be frozen for upto 4 weeks.
    6. Serving: This cake is great served with double cream, to a thick and creamy Greek yoghurt, or on its own.
    7. Variation:  make 18 mini cakes by greasing an 18 hole muffin pan with oil or butter.  Spoon cake batter evenly across all muffin holes and bake for 20 minutes.  (fan oven 160 degrees C/320 degrees F)

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1sliceCalories: 245kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 11gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 2gFiber: 2gSugar: 4g

    Note: Sugars contained in this recipe are from naturally occurring sugars in fruits, vegetables or other natural sweeteners. Calories have been calculated for your convenience using My Fitness Pal and are based on the ingredients listed in the recipe card.

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    Comments

      4.49 from 50 votes (46 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Judy says

      March 18, 2025 at 11:45 pm

      I haven't made the cake yet, but I'm curious about boiling the orange. Why boil as opposed to using a fresh orange? Also, do you save the water that the orange was boiled in?

      Reply
      • Kim says

        May 04, 2025 at 3:45 pm

        Boiling the whole orange softens the peel, reduces bitterness, enhances moisture, and intensifies the citrus flavor. There is no need to save the water as it isn't used for anything.

        Reply
    2. Fariba Durali says

      May 05, 2024 at 9:56 am

      This sounds delicious. Thank you.😊 do you keep the orange skin or or do you peel it before cooking? 🙏

      Reply
      • Kim says

        May 06, 2024 at 11:43 am

        5 stars
        Keep the orange skin on - it adds lots of orange flavor to the cake!

        Reply
    3. Kerrie Smith says

      October 11, 2023 at 10:53 pm

      5 stars
      Hi why 4 eggs in this recipe? I am curious because i have seen recipes like this before and when i have tried as many as 4-6 eggs the bake just tasted eggy. Thanks.

      Reply
      • Kim says

        March 13, 2024 at 6:03 pm

        The eggs are the binder in this recipe and it definitely doesn't taste "eggy" - definitely tastes like an orange cake! This recipe has been tested using 4 eggs and it works well - any less and I'm not sure it would turn out as well.

        Reply
    4. N says

      May 28, 2021 at 1:09 am

      What tin size please

      Reply
      • Kim says

        May 28, 2021 at 8:21 am

        20cm or 8inch springform tin is what I used.

        Reply
    5. Hina says

      October 18, 2020 at 12:41 am

      5 stars
      Long review but worth reading!! This was bomb & the least I can do to say thanks is leave this review!! I made the orange cake exactly as u had written & the result was DELISH! I actually used this as a layer for a super bitter date brownies and gelled it with dark chocolate icing between the orange Cake and the brownie. I then blended some cream with date-sauce and cocoa & a bit of stevia & a little butter, 1/2 tsp. Custard powder & topped the double layer with this super soft cold frosting! Super super super- thanks for the recipe for the orange cake! Love it!!

      Reply
    6. Lauren K says

      August 17, 2020 at 1:12 pm

      5 stars
      Love how simple this cake is to make with just a few ingredients! Turned out great and will make a gain!

      Reply

    Hey I'm Kim

    I'm passionate about creating recipes that are lower in sugar and calories without compromising on taste or flavor! My areas of expertise are Dinners Under 500 Calories and Sugar Free Desserts!

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