Orange, Almond and Olive Oil Cake
There are some cakes that taste like comfort, and others that taste like light. This one is both. Sweet but not cloying, fragrant with citrus, rich with ground almonds and olive oil — it’s the kind of cake you can eat at breakfast with coffee or share at a table after dinner. I first baked it on a grey winter afternoon, craving something that felt like sunshine. The smell of orange zest filling the kitchen was enough to shift my mood before the cake even came out of the oven. It’s simple, rustic, and quietly indulgent in the way that wellness food should be — nourishing as much as it is satisfying.
Serves
12
Cook Time
Dietary
Dairy Free
Ingredients
- 2 large oranges (zest and juice)
- 3 large eggs
- 200g golden caster sugar (or coconut sugar for a richer flavour)
- 100ml olive oil (extra virgin for depth)
- 200g ground almonds
- 100g plain flour (or use gluten-free flour if preferred)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- A pinch of sea salt
- Optional: flaked almonds for topping, dusting of icing sugar
Method
- Prep. Preheat oven to 170°C (340°F). Grease and line a 20cm springform cake tin.
- Whisk eggs and sugar. In a bowl, beat the eggs with sugar until pale and fluffy.
- Add wet ingredients. Stir in olive oil, orange zest, and juice.
- Fold in dry. Gently fold through ground almonds, flour, baking powder, and salt until combined.
- Bake. Pour into tin, scatter with flaked almonds if using, and bake for 35–40 minutes until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
- Cool and serve. Let cool slightly, then dust with icing sugar.
A Wellness Note
Oranges bring vitamin C for immune support, almonds provide protein and healthy fats, and olive oil is rich in antioxidants. This cake balances sweetness with nourishment — a treat that loves you back.
It’s food that feels like sunlight, even on the days you can’t find it outside.
