Skip to content 
I’d suggest that after chocolate, citrus is everyone’s favourite flavour. Flavours that excite the palate and add a refreshing touch. With that in mind, I am pleased to share simply one of the best ever orange cake recipes. It’s moist and delicious and gluten free.
The Exeter Food festival until recently took place each May and featured local chefs and local products. I always like to to watch as many chefs in action as possible. What a way to discover a new restaurant!
Emily Scott really stood out at the festival. She’d made a fabulous spring vegetable risotto featuring the first asparagus of the year which I managed to taste together with this orange cake. Emily formerly chef patron of the St Tudy Inn now runs Restaurant Emily Scott at Watergate Bay.
Emily has previously been named Best Chef by the South-West Food Magazine and was listed in the top 100 most influential women in hospitality industry two years running
Emily has very fond memories of spending time in Bagnol en Forêt in the hills in Provence with her Grandmother and Grandfather. Her Grandmother made the cake with oranges from her garden. As Emily explains “Food is all about evoking memories and a sense of place.”
The orange cake is very moist and made in a slightly unusual way: You use every bit of the orange. I’d suggest you need about 5-600 gr of oranges. I’ve made it a couple of times now and I was surprised how such a liquid mix could result in a fabulous cake. A plus point for those following a wheat free diet, this is gluten free. Be patient, you need to boil the oranges first and it will take at least 45 minutes to cook.
Emily Scott’s Orange and Almond Cake Recipe
Seek out flavoursome oranges. When in season blood oranges are a great choice. Ground almonds are used instead of flour. If you have a pressure cooker, it will come into its own in this recipe. You can cook the oranges (and lemons) in 10 minutes!
Emily Scott’s Orange and Almond Cake
Equipment
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Cake tin 26 cm
- 1 Food processor
- 1 Pressure cooker optional
- 1 spatula
Ingredients
- 2 large oranges about 480 to 520 gr in weight or half oranges and lemons
- 250 grams soft brown sugar
- 200 grams ground almonds
- 5 medium eggs weighing approx 50 gr each
- 7 grams baking powder
Instructions
- Grease a 22 cm cake tin and line with greaseproof or baking paper. A spring loaded tin is ideal
- Place the oranges (and lemons if using) in a large saucepan. Cover with water and cook until very soft. Check occasionally to ensure that the water has not boiled dry. Alternatively, place in a pressure cooker and cook for 10 minutes on full power – ensure the oranges are well covered with water.
- Pre heat the oven to 180°C
- Roughly chop the cooked oranges (and lemons) and discard any pips. Using a food processor (eg Magimix) blitz to a pulp.
- Place the sugar into a Magimix food processor with the eggs, mix until pale in colour, fluffy and doubled in size. Emily prefers to use the Magimix for this, but you could use a stand mixer
- Fold in the almonds and baking powder.
- Pour mixture into prepared tin and place in the oven for around 35 minutes or when cooked. Test with a skewer. If it comes out clean and dry, it is cooked.
- Serve warm with a dollop creme fraiche. It is equally good cold.
Notes
Discover more
Try these recipes:
Do let me know if you visit. It’s on my list!
I love the look of this cake, it’s so homely and it sounds absolutely delicious. And I am planning a trip to Cornwall in a few months so I will have to check out the St Tudy Inn!