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    Gluten free orange cake

    Jump to Recipe

    This gorgeous gluten-free orange cake of flavour and since it's made with quinoa and ground almonds, it's naturally free from gluten without the need for any specialist flours.

    Finished slice of gluten free orange cake on a white plate.

    It also happens to be dairy free, so is a great option for those with relevant allergies.

    Made with cooked quinoa, ground almonds, honey, coconut oil (or sunflower oil), eggs and orange zest, the flavour is sweet and delicious with lovely citrus notes.

    Meanwhile, the texture is extremely moist and tender, with a slight chew: in some ways like a sponge, in other ways almost like a treacle tart!

    Fork in a finished slice of gluten free orange cake on a white plate.

    To make the cake, you'll first boil the quinoa on the stove, then cool it under running water.

    After that, it's a simple case of whisking coconut oil (or sunflower oil), caster sugar, eggs and vanilla together, then stirring in the cooked quinoa, ground almonds, baking powder and the orange zest.

    White plate with a small slice of gluten free orange cake ontop. A fork on the side and additional gluten free orange cake slices in the background.

    Your batter is then poured into a lined tin and baked for an hour until risen and golden. It really is a beautiful cake with not an ounce of flour in sight!

    Fisihed slice of gluten free orange cake topped with a small slice of orange.

    Here's the full recipe, complete with detailed step instructions and plenty of photos to help you along the way.

    Ingredients

    • 150 g (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) white quinoa
    • Pinch salt
    • 150 ml (½ cup + 2 tbsp) coconut oil melted (or sunflower oil)
    • 200 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) white caster sugar (superfine sugar)
    • 3 large free range eggs
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • 200 g (2 cups) ground almonds (almond meal)
    • 1 tsp baking powder (gluten-free)
    • 1 large (1) orange finely zested

    Equipment

    • Weighing scales
    • Measuring spoons
    • Saucepan
    • Sieve
    • Large mixing bowl
    • Whisk
    • Round loose-bottomed 20cm (8") nonstick cake tin
    • Wire cooling rack
    • Citrus zester

    Instructions

    Grease and line a 20cm (8 inch) round cake tin.

    Place the quinoa in a sieve and rinse well.

    Tip the quinoa into a saucepan, add a pinch of salt and cover well with water - at least double the quinoa volume.

    Overhead shot of the quinoa in a pan.

    Put the saucepan on the heat and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook gently for approximately 20 minutes until the quinoa tastes tender and you can see that the grains have popped open, revealing little white kernels. 

    Overhead shot of the quinoa having been brought to the boil and then left simmering.

    Rinse the quinoa under a running cold tap to cool quickly, then leave to stand in the sieve for 10 minutes to ensure it’s drained really well - soggy quinoa will make your cake too wet.

    Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan).

    Put the oil, caster sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl.

    Oil, caster sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl

    Whisk together.

    Oil, caster sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl having been whisked together.

    Add the cooked quinoa, ground almonds, baking powder and the orange zest.

    Adding quinoa, baking powder and orange zest to the oil, caster sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl mixture.

    Whisk lightly to combine. 

    Overhead shot of the ingredients having been whisked together in a large clear bowl.

    Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake tin. 

    Pouring the cake batter into the cake tin.

    Bake for 1 hour until set and golden. A skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean.

    Overhead shot of the cake having been in the oven.

    Cool for 20 minutes in the tin, then release from the tin carefully and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

    Overhead shot of the cake having been left to cool on a wire rack.

    To serve, cut into slices with a sharp, serrated knife.

    Orange cake cut into slices and served on a white plate.

    Print this gluten free orange cake

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    5 from 2 votes

    Gluten Free Orange Cake Recipe

    This gorgeous gluten-free orange cake of flavour and since it's made with quinoa and ground almonds, it's naturally free from gluten without the need for any specialist flours.
    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Cook Time1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
    Total Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
    Course: cakes and bakes, Cookies
    Cuisine: Mediterranean
    Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian
    Servings: 12 slices
    Author: Emily Leary

    Ingredients

    • 150 g (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) white quinoa
    • Pinch salt
    • 150 ml (½ cup + 2 tbsp) coconut oil melted (or sunflower oil)
    • 200 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) white caster sugar (superfine sugar)
    • 3 large free range eggs
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • 200 g (2 cups) ground almonds (almond meal)
    • 1 tsp baking powder (gluten-free)
    • 1 large (1) orange finely zested

    Equipment

    • Weighing scales
    • Measuring spoons
    • Saucepan
    • Sieve
    • Large mixing bowl
    • Whisk
    • Round loose-bottomed 20cm (8") nonstick cake tin
    • Wire cooling rack
    • Citrus zester

    Instructions

    • Grease and line a 20cm (8 inch) round cake tin.
    • Place the quinoa in a sieve and rinse well.
    • Tip the quinoa into a saucepan, add a pinch of salt and cover well with water - at least double the quinoa volume.
    • Put the saucepan on the heat and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook gently for approximately 20 minutes until the quinoa tastes tender and you can see that the grains have popped open, revealing little white kernels.
    • Rinse the quinoa under a running cold tap to cool quickly, then leave to stand in the sieve for 10 minutes to ensure it’s drained really well - soggy quinoa will make your cake too wet.
    • Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan / 350F).
    • Put the oil, caster sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk together.
    • Add the cooked quinoa, ground almonds, baking powder and the orange zest. Whisk lightly to combine.
    • Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake tin.
    • Bake for 1 hour until set and golden. A skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean.
    • Cool for 20 minutes in the tin, then release from the tin carefully and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
    • To serve, cut into slices with a sharp, serrated knife.

    Video

    Nutrition

    Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 52mg | Potassium: 106mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 86IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 1mg
    * Note: nutritional information is estimated, based on publicly available data. Nutrient values may vary from those published. Information on this website should not be taken as medical advice. Cuisines identify the primary region of inspiration for a dish.
    Tried this recipe?Snap a pic and tag @amummytoo on Instagram or tag @EmilyLearyCooks on Twitter. I can't wait to see your posts!

    This recipe was originally supplied by Pura and is featured here with some small alternations.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    1. Alice says

      January 20, 2025 at 3:30 pm

      Hi, do you know what is the weight of a cooked quinoa to be used in this regule? I have some leftovers in the fridge ;-)

      Reply
      • Emily Leary says

        February 01, 2025 at 10:33 am

        Cooked quinoa weighs about 3x the weight of uncooked. So for this recipe you would need around 450g of cooked quinoa.

        Reply
    2. Alexis Knibbs says

      January 07, 2017 at 2:19 pm

      Love the look of this cake. I will have to try using Quinoa as an ingredient in cakes. Great blog and love the recipe.

      Reply
    3. jenny says

      October 04, 2016 at 8:28 am

      5 stars
      This looks and sounds scrumptious.

      Reply
    4. Vicki Montague says

      September 30, 2016 at 2:08 pm

      Lovely recipe Emily! Great to see you doing more gluten and dairy free recipes!

      Reply
    5. Debbie says

      September 29, 2016 at 8:22 pm

      Looks delicious!! Love the idea of using quinoa in a cake! Found your blog the other day and im enjoying exploring your recipes and videos. Lots of inspiration and motivation for my own blog, although I think videos are a long way off for me. Thanks for sharing

      Reply
      • Emily Leary says

        October 01, 2016 at 1:04 pm

        Thanks for stopping by. I just had a look round your blog and it's gorgeous :)

        Reply
        • Debbie says

          October 01, 2016 at 3:44 pm

          thanks so much Still along way to go with it but I'm slowly adding recipes Really enjoying learning about blogging and photography as well.

          Reply

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