Eight simple ingredients are all you need to make our Sweet, chewy, nutty, and satisfying flourless Orange Honey Almond Cake. This Almond Cake makes for a fabulous ending to your Rosh HaShanah, Passover or holiday meal.
Orange Honey Almond Cake
One of our Mom's very favorite desserts is a traditional Spanish almond cake called "Tarta de Santiago". Not being a big fan of super heavy, super sweet creamy desserts, this always-home-made treat was usually her number one choice when we went out to eat.
Originally from the Galicia region of Spain, this nutty dessert is extremely popular and is part of pretty much every restaurant menu across the country. The traditional recipe is basically made from ground almonds, eggs, sugar, and lemon zest and is often paired with an alcoholic drink, like sweet wine or brandy.
Growing up in Spain, we, of course, enjoyed this delicious treat many, many times. But interestingly enough, never made it at home. As we were trying to come up with Rosh Hashana and Passover recipes, we thought of giving it a try... as usual adding a little twist to the traditional recipe.
Our version is sweetened with honey instead of just sugar, we used orange zest instead of lemon (just because we love the almond/orange combo) and added some shelled pistachios for a touch of color, crunch and extra nuttiness.
This recipe is super simple, fast and easy to prepare. And the perfect way to end your Holiday dinner 🙂
Enjoy!
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Orange Almond Honey Cake
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 10 slices 1x
Description
Eight simple ingredients are all you need to make our Sweet, chewy, nutty and satisfying flourless Orange Honey Almond Cake. This Almond Cake makes for a fabulous ending of your Rosh HaShanah, Passover or holiday meal.
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour or finely ground almonds
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 2 jumbo eggs ( or 3 large eggs)
- ½ cup confectioner's sugar
- ⅓ cup honey or maple syrup
- 1 tsp natural vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Zest of 1 medium orange (or to taste)
- ½ cup shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease an 8 inch round cake pan. Using a pencil, trace a circle the size of the pan on parchment paper and cut it out. Place it at the bottom of the greased pan and press it down, so it fits well all around. Place oven rack in medium-low position
- Combine almond meal and baking powder in a bowl. Set aside
- Combine eggs, sugar, honey, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl. Beat using an electric mixer for 3-4 minutes. Add orange zest and almond meal/baking powder mixture and mix until just combined
- Fold in chopped pistachios and pour batter into greased pan. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes o until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool. Place a large place over the pan and turn it over. The cake should release easily. Carefully feel off the parchment paper.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Gluten Free
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 215
- Sugar: 14.4
- Sodium: 16
- Fat: 12
- Saturated Fat: 1.6
- Unsaturated Fat: 2
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 19.5
- Fiber: 2.8
- Protein: 7.5
- Cholesterol: 0
Ashley @ Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen
This looks beautiful! I love the combination of citrus and honey 🙂
Joanne
This looks delish! I've printed a copy and added it to my collection of Passover recipes.
It looks like a "lighter" version of most orange cakes which are usually very dense. I reckon this will be a winner 🙂
Raquel
This looks amazing!!! I will have to make it for the holidays!
Yosef {This American Bite}
Loving that this is gluten free, and relatively simple. Thank you, and chag sameach!
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you!! Yes, simple is always helpful during the Holidays 🙂 Chag Sameach!!
Janet
Does it freeze well?
Vicky & Ruth
To be honest with you, we haven't tried freezing it yet. The texture might change slightly (might become a bit drier), but it should be fine. Hope this helps!
Janet
Thank you! Shana Tova!
Ilana Gershlick
How are we storing this of not freezing? Room temperature or fridge?
Vicky and Ruth
Room temperature for 1 day. Fridge the rest of the time, if it lasts that long 😉
Janet
Wow! This cake was amazing! Everyone loved it! The flavors were so lovely and delicate....thank you for posting it! Wish I could give even more stars...
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you!! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Sarah Klinkowitz
I love the idea of the orange and the almond, and I think pistachios are wonderful on practically anything! So delicious looking.
Stefania
Excellent receipe.. thanks so much.. i'm really hopeless in cakes but managed to impress with this one!!
Bunny Hill
Loved the consistency of the cake. Followed to the T.
I did mine as cupcakes as I didn't know how it would turn out and we all know that with cupcakes, you can add some jam or icing and voila.
The flavor was pungent with orange and honey which is fine but I wanted more almond. So after the muffins were cooked, I added some flavoring to the tops of each and it gave me the flavor I was looking for.
Definitely I'll make again and cut down on the zest and add the almond extract to the batter - I'd probably do 3 drops.
Vicky & Ruth
Sounds great! Thank you for your feedback 🙂
Charlotte
So happy I found this delicious recipe! I haven't tried it yet, but do you think I could replace the almond flour with regular flour and add almond extract? I don't have almond flour in my pantry and it tends to be more expensive, but do have almond extract and regular flour.. would it change the consistency of the cake?
Vicky & Ruth
We don't think that is an option, the texture and amount of fat in almond flour and regular flour are not the same. We don't think the cake will come out right.
Tamatha
Baking powder is leaven. How can this be used in a Passover Seder dinner?
Vicky & Ruth
Hi Tamatha, thank you for your question. Kosher for Passover baking powder is easily found in the Passover section in most supermarkets.
Karen
Thank you! This was a huge hit with my family! This is a delicious and versatile type of cake, wonderful texture. When I made it a second time, I wanted to up the flavor dimension, so added cardamom and fresh nutmeg and did half lemon and half orange zest and it turned out so delicious.
Vicky & Ruth
We love that you made the recipe your own and shared it with us. Cardamom and citrus is a fabulous combination!
Elaine
Sounds like a wonderful addition. How much of each spice did you add? Was it the same amount of zest only split in half? Thank you!
Marj
Step 4 needs proofreading! And cooks might like to know that three large eggs equal two jumbos.
This baked treat actually needs two plates--one to accept the confection from a wire rack and the second to provide a treat that is right side up. To respect the cake's Spanish heritage and to avoid saturated fat, I used light, mild olive oil for grease and used this on the sides of my decades-old conventional aluminum tin as well as the bottom. I then scolded myself as we weren't instructed to do that, but I later found that my cake would not have wanted to depart its pan had there not been any lubricant applied to the sides. I was too eager to taste a piece and should have cooled the round for a longer period of time. If the pan is anywhere from warm to hot, don't disturb the contents! I still had to use a paring knife to loosen the sides. Because I am toothpick- and skewer-testing avoidant and know my oven, I always use the outside baking time provided, but this dessert might have been moister had I removed it in 25 minutes rather than 30. Perhaps a thicker pan such as Fat Daddio's anodized aluminum vessel would have helped as well. (Tradition has its limits.)
I heated refrigerated slices to serve and topped them with whipped cream but advise neither. Which of all the coatings photographed do your favor for optimal flavor and mouthfeel? Should the tarta ideally be served at room temperature?
Happy holidays, and many thanks.
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you for your comment and for your note about the eggs. We updated the recipe.
We like to top our almond cake with confectioner's sugar, toasted slivered or sliced almond and some orange zest.
Yes, this tarta or almond cake should be served room temperature.
Saskia
Do you know what I would need to change and how much more I would need to add to replace the sugar with more honey? My mom is on a gluten and refined sugar free diet and will only use honey as a sweetener
Vicky & Ruth
Hi! We haven't tested the recipe with just honey, so we don't have exact measurements.Our suggestion would be to sub the sugar for an extra 1/3 cup of honey, and add maybe 2 tablespoons of corn starch to the dry ingredients. Hope this works! Please let us know if you have any more questions.
bonnie
i worried that because the recipe had no fat, it might be dry so i added 1/3 cup of olive oil - delicioius! i also made a glaze of 1/3 cup orange marmalade with 1T cointreau and melted it in a saucepan on the stove. then poured over cooled cake and sprinkled almonds (or more pistachios would be lovely). a hit!
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you for sharing your variation to this recipe!
JS
I made this recipe with your suggestion to replace sugar with 1/3 cup honey and 1T cornstarch. It worked very well. I used lime instead of orange and chopped almonds instead of pistachios because that's what I had. I brushed the top with a little honey and lime juice. I don't recommend that! It made it too wet on top, but everything else was wonderful.
Vicky & Ruth
We love to hear how reader modify our recipes! Thank you for sharing!
Myrna
For this particular recipe, does it matter whether almond meal or almond flour? I have Kirkland brand (Costco) almond flour, can I use that instead? Thank you
Vicky & Ruth
Hi Myrna, that you for your question. Yes, you can use the almond flour from Costco. That is perfect.
Jan
I have made this a few times for workplace birthdays and it’s been a big hit!
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you! We are so happy to hear!
Elaine
This recipe looks delicious, looking forward to making. Can I use a silicone baking mat in place of the wax paper?
Vicky and Ruth
You should use parchment paper, not wax paper. Wax paper is not oven friendly. If our silicon mat fits inside your baking pan you should be able to use it. It may need a longer baking time, but we are not sure. Check for doneness before you take it out of the oven.
Carla
I made this cake 3 times already with slight changes.
I used 2/3 honey and no sugar.
Also after taking the zest, I blended the orange lightly and added it to the cake.
Because it was more liquid now, I baked it for longer at lower temperature ...
I can't tell you how long I just kept my eye on it and touched it to make sure it wasn't too soft.
This cake was HEAVENLY!
Moist, rich in flavors, and healthy too.
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you so much for sharing Carla. Keep Cooking!
Eliana
My fiancé hates pistachios, so I was curious if this orange cake would still taste good with something like hazelnuts, or pecans? I’m looking for a yummy cake recipe for Rosh HaShanah and Pesach. I make a flourless chocolate hazelnut cake that is über delicious, and quite quick to make (less than 5 mins), but sometimes I want something that isn’t chocolate.
Vicky & Ruth
Hi Eliana, almonds, pecans or hazelnuts would work beautifully in these cake. Let us know how you like it!
Vasavi
What a great recipe! It was crumbly and light. Thank you!
Vicky and Ruth
Thank you! We are so happy you enjoyed it!
April Eaves
I was under the impression that baking powder is a leavening agent and leaving. Baking powder yeast things that calls fermentation were not permissible during Passover. This is something that would be considered as false doctrine. No leavening agent is to be used during the Passover that’s why you clean your houses and remove such things.
Vicky and Ruth
You are right, we don't use baking regular baking powder on Passover. When making this almond cake recipe on Passover we use kosher for Passover baking powder which is made with baking soda and potato starch. We hope that helps clarify.
Alar
The cake sounds absolutely delicious and I look forward to trying it. But could I substitute the three eggs in the recipe with two flax or chia eggs, plus 1/3 cup of buttermilk or Greek yoghurt? Would it work?
Also, can I use powdered Erythritol instead of confectioner’s sugar to reduce the sugar content?
Thank you.
Vicky and Ruth
I all honesty, we are not sure.Flax/chia eggs with buttermilk or greek yogurt should work. We are not sure how the Erythritol will react in this recipe, but it is definitely worth a try. We would love to know how it comes out. If those changes work well, we could add them to the post as an alternative.
Alar
Hi. I tried out your recipe with a few modifications - and some qualms. But it turned out absolutely delicious.
I used 2 golden flax eggs plus one normal egg, as I didn’t want to take too many liberties on my first attempt. I substituted the confectioner’s sugar with powdered Erythritol, added 1 tsp of Almond essence and 1 tsp of lime juice to the batter as an afterthought.
I was delighted with the results. The flavour was both rich and delicate, the crumb just right. The cake is perfect with tea or coffee, but I served it as dessert and my guests loved it.
Would maple syrup work instead of honey?
Thank you for your superb recipe!
Vicky and Ruth
Thank you for sharing!
iris
what's on top of teh cake?
Vicky and Ruth
Confectioner's sugar and slivered almonds