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    Home » Cake recipes

    By Emily Leary. Last updated Feb 10, 2022. Green links are Amazon links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Pine nut cake

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    You'll fall in love with this light and fragrant pine nut cake with a tender, melt-in-the-mouth crumb, soft orange notes, and a gorgeously nutty crust.

    Pine nut cake on a white marble board with a slice taken out.

    This recipe is from the beautiful pages of Kew's Global Kitchen Cookbook, which features 101 recipes using edible plants from around the world.

    Rather than being adorned with photos, the cookbook is full of classic botanical illustrations from the Archives of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, along with stories of their history and discovery.

    Slice of pine nut cake on a white plate. A fork rests on the plate.

    The recipes range from savoury treats to spiced sweet treats, each well explained with clear measurements. Some of the plants featured will be harder to source than others, but that's what makes the book such a delicious adventure.

    Kew's Global Kitchen Cookbook

    I've been given permission to share an amazing recipe from Kew's Global Kitchen Cookbook for pine nut crusted orange cake. Here's how it's describes in the book.

    Ancient Greeks and Romans savoured pine nuts preserved in honey, and legionaries brought them to Britain under Roman rule. Here several flavours of the Mediterranean – pine nuts, oranges and olive oil – blend in Jane Suthering’s delicious cake, to give a subtle taste and perfect texture.

    Slice of pine nut cake on a white plate. A fork rests on the plate.

    Making the cake is really easy and involves whisking the egg whites separately to give a lovely light finish to the sponge. In a second bowl, you'll whisk the egg yolks with sugar, oil, orange juice and orange zest, sift in flour and baking powder and then carefully fold in the fluffy egg whites.

    All this gives you a beautifully fluffy batter to pour into your baking tin and scatter with pine nuts, with toast to a gorgeous golden as the cake bakes. The resulting cake is aromatic and utterly delicious.

    Slice of pine nut cake on a white plate. A fork rests on the plate with a piece of cake on it.

    Here's the full recipe for pine nut cake.

    Ingredients

    • 50 g (⅓ cup) pine nuts
    • 2 medium free range eggs
    • 150 g (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) white caster sugar (superfine sugar)
    • 120 ml (½ cup) light olive oil
    • 1 large (1 ) orange finely grated zest
    • 120 ml (½ cup) fresh orange juice
    • 200 g (1½ cup) plain white flour (all purpose flour) all purpose flour
    • 1 tbsp baking powder

    Equipment

    • Weighing scales
    • Measuring spoons
    • 2 large mixing bowls
    • Electric whisk
    • Sieve
    • Silicone spatula
    • Loose-bottomed, nonstick 20cm (8 inch) cake tin
    • Baking paper
    • Wire cooling rack
    • Citrus juicer
    • Grater

    Instructions

    Pre-heat the oven to 180C (160C fan).

    Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm (8 inch) cake tin.

    A greased and lined cake tin. Ingredients to make pine nut cake surround the bowl.

    Separate the egg whites and yolks into two separate mixing bowls.

    Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then leave to one side.

    Stiffly beaten eggs whites in a bowl. Ingredients to make pine nut cake surround the bowl.

    Put the sugar and yolks in a second bowl.

    Sugar and egg yolks in a bowl. Ingredients to make pine nut cake surround the bowl.

    Whisk until well combined.

    Sugar and egg yolks whisked together in a bowl. Ingredients to make pine nut cake surround the bowl.

    Add the oil.

    Sugar and egg yolks whisked together in a bowl with oil on top. Ingredients to make pine nut cake surround the bowl.

    Whisk.

    Sugar, egg yolks and oil whisked together in a bowl. Ingredients to make pine nut cake surround the bowl.

    Add the orange zest and juice.

    Sugar, egg yolks and oil whisked together in a bowl with orange juice and zest on top. Ingredients to make pine nut cake surround the bowl.

    Whisk.

    Sugar, egg yolks, oil, orange juice and zest whisked together in a bowl. Ingredients to make pine nut cake surround the bowl.

    Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl with the yolks.

    Sugar, egg yolks, oil, orange juice and zest whisked together in a bowl with flour and baking powder on top. Ingredients to make pine nut cake surround the bowl.

    Fold together.

    Sugar, egg yolks, oil, orange juice, zest, flour and baking powder whisked together in a bowl. Ingredients to make pine nut cake surround the bowl.

    Add the egg whites.

    Sugar, egg yolks, oil, orange juice, zest, flour and baking powder whisked together in a bowl with beaten egg whites on top. Ingredients to make pine nut cake surround the bowl.

    Fold through gently. Try not to be too rough as this will knock out all the air you just introduced.

    Pine nut cake batter in a bowl.

    Pour the mixture into the prepared tin.

    Pine nut cake batter in a lined tin ready to bake.

    Sprinkle the top of the cake with the pine nuts.

    Pine nut cake batter, topped with pine nuts in a lined tin ready to bake.

    Bake for 40–45 mins until well risen and lightly springy to the touch.

    Freshly baked pine nut cake in a lined tin.

    Cool until you can touch the tin easily, then remove the cake and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.

    Close up of freshly baked pine nut cake on a wire rack.

    Enjoy!

    Pine nut cake on a white marble board.

    This cake is delicious served fresh from the tin on its own or with slices of orange or other fresh fruits. Store it in an airtight container if not eaten straight away.

    A slice of pine nut cake on a white plate.

    Are you tempted to bake this orange cake at home?

    Print this pine nut cake recipe

    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Pine Nut Cake

    You'll fall in love with this light and fragrant pine nut cake with a tender, melt-in-the-mouth crumb, soft orange notes, and a gorgeously nutty crust.
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time50 mins
    Total Time1 hr 5 mins
    Course: cakes and bakes
    Cuisine: British
    Diet: Vegetarian
    Servings: 8 slices
    Author: Emily Leary

    Ingredients

    • 50 g (⅓ cup) pine nuts
    • 2 medium free range eggs
    • 150 g (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) white caster sugar (superfine sugar)
    • 120 ml (½ cup) light olive oil
    • 1 large (1 ) orange finely grated zest
    • 120 ml (½ cup) fresh orange juice
    • 200 g (1½ cup) plain white flour (all purpose flour) all purpose flour
    • 1 tbsp baking powder

    Equipment

    • Weighing scales
    • Measuring spoons
    • 2 large mixing bowls
    • Electric whisk
    • Sieve
    • Silicone spatula
    • Loose-bottomed, nonstick 20cm (8 inch) cake tin
    • Baking paper
    • Wire cooling rack
    • Citrus juicer
    • Grater

    Instructions

    • Pre-heat the oven to 180C (160C fan / 350F).
    • Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm (8 inch) cake tin.
    • Separate the egg whites and yolks into two separate mixing bowls.
    • Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then leave to one side.
    • Put the sugar and yolks in a second bowl. Whisk until well combined, then whisk in the oil, followed by the orange zest and juice.
    • Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl with the yolks. Fold together.
    • Add the egg whites and fold through gently. Try not to be too rough as this will knock out all the air you just introduced.
    • Pour the mixture into the prepared tin.
    • Sprinkle the top of the cake with the pine nuts.
    • Bake for 40–45 mins until well risen and lightly springy to the touch.
    • Cool until you can touch the tin easily, then remove the cake and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.

    Video

    Notes

    This cake is delicious served fresh from the tin on its own or with slices of orange or other fresh fruits. Store it in an airtight container if not eaten straight away.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 370kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 18mg | Potassium: 291mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 128IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 2mg
    * 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!

    Recipe reproduced with the publisher's permission.

    Pin this pine nut cake

    Collage of pine nut cake on a board and plate. Caption reads: Citrus pine nut cake. Quick recipe. Step-by-step guide.
    Slice of pine nut cake on a white plate. Caption reads: Orange pine nut cake.
    A slice of pine nut cake on a white plate. Caption reads: Orange pine nut cake.
    Slice of pine nut cake on a white plate. Some of the crumb is on a fork. Caption reads: Step-by-step recipe pine nut cake.
    Pine nut cake on a white marble board with a slice taken. Caption reads: Pine nut cake step-by-step recipe.
    Slice of pine nut cake on a white plate with a fork. Caption reads: Step-by-step recipe pine nut cake. Easy and delicious.

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    1. Jo says

      April 14, 2022 at 10:40 am

      Pine nut cake. Should that be 1tsp of baking powder rather than 1tbsp?

      Reply
      • Emily Leary says

        April 14, 2022 at 11:34 am

        1 tbsp is correct.

        Reply
    2. Joleisa says

      December 11, 2021 at 9:19 am

      I found this recipe shared on Twitter by ThriftyMum Holly. I love baking but must confess that I've never used pine nuts before. This one is a cake I definitely want to try. It looks light and airy. I can also imagine the lovely orange flavour. BTW the photos are gorgeous! Will tag you when I do make it.

      Reply
      • Emily Leary says

        December 12, 2021 at 6:33 pm

        Thank you! I hope you enjoy it. I can't wait to see your pics!

        Reply
    3. Rachel says

      September 29, 2013 at 10:47 am

      Great post, again. Delicious. What a terrific composition!

      Reply
    4. Mandy says

      September 26, 2013 at 10:19 pm

      This looks incredible and I love the cover design of the book. Definitely going to check this out.

      Reply

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    Emily Leary. Chef. Multi-award-winning food writer, presenter and photographer. Author of bestselling book, "Get Your Kids to Eat Anything".

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