Do you ever find yourself wondering what in the world you can serve your gluten-free and dairy-free guests that doesn’t taste “weird”? It can feel overwhelming to find a dessert that checks all the boxes without sacrificing flavor or texture. But let me tell you—this Orange Cardamom Almond Cake is a total game-changer. No gritty textures, no weird flavors, just a perfectly moist, rich, and delicious cake that’s bound to impress. Even your guests who don’t have dietary restrictions will be asking for the recipe! This cake isn’t just a dessert; it’s a way to show love and care for the people gathered around your table.
Our small group gathers for dinner every week, and several of our members are gluten-free and dairy-free. They’re always so gracious, never wanting to inconvenience anyone, but I genuinely enjoy the challenge of creating delicious dishes to bless them with. This orange cardamom almond cake turned out to be one of my most successful dessert experiments yet!
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Why you will love this cake
As someone who enjoys gluten and dairy daily, I don’t have a huge repertoire of gluten-free recipes (at least not yet). But this one is a gem! The warm, aromatic cardamom pairs beautifully with the bright zest of orange, creating the perfect flavor combination. I brought this cake to a women’s luncheon at church, and it was a hit! Everyone assumed it was made by the woman known for bringing the best dishes. She told me people kept asking if it was hers—which says everything you need to know about how amazing this cake is!
How to Make Orange Cardamom Almond Cake
You’ll find a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post with all the measurements and instructions for your convenience. If you’re a visual learner, scroll down for step-by-step photos of the process—they’re here to help! So grab your cutest apron, and let’s get baking!
Ingredients
I would not substitute anything in this orange cardamom cake recipe. It’s best as written. The only change you might make is to omit the sliced almonds on top if you don’t like the crunchy texture.
Make sure to use superfine blanched almond flour, not almond meal.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1-2:
Preheat your oven and line the bottom of your round cake pan with parchment paper and grease with Earth Balance or other vegetable non-stick spray. A cheesecake pan (the kind with a removable bottom) is the easiest to use because you don’t have to flip the cake over to get it out. That is always the most terrifying moment of baking a cake! This pan will save you some stress! If you don’t have one, a round 9-inch pan will work fine.
Sift the dry ingredients (except for the sugar), especially the almond flour. This can be gritty otherwise.
Step 3:
Except for the sugar, mix all the dry ingredients together with a whisk or fork. Set the almond flour mixture aside.
Step 4-5:
Using the whisk attachment on your stand mixer, whip your room-temperature eggs until they’re light and frothy (image 5). This step only works if the eggs aren’t cold, so here’s a handy tip: place them in a bowl of warm water while you gather the rest of your ingredients and sift your flour. It’s a simple trick that makes all the difference if you are someone like me who doesn’t plan ahead well.
Step 6-7:
Add the sugar, then whip the mixture on high for 8–10 minutes. You’ll notice the color becoming lighter and the texture turning beautifully light and airy. Keep whipping until it’s thick enough to hold its shape for a moment before slowly folding back into itself—that’s the consistency you’re looking for.
Step 8:
Now carefully fold in the dry ingredients. Be sure to get it off the bottom and sides, but don’t go too crazy because we want to keep that air in there.
Step 9-10:
Using a microwave, carefully melt the Earth Balance “butter” until it is just creamy, but not yellow and runny. I cut the butter into chunks before I put it in the microwave to help it melt more quickly and evenly.
Fold in the butter, along with the extracts just until they are combined.
Step 11-12:
Pour the batter into your round pan. If you use a cheesecake pan, put a foil-lined baking sheet under it—just in case it leaks. This will help with clean up and stop your oven from smoking from the burning drips that will make you think you are about to burn your house down. This cake is good, but not “burn your house down to make it” good!
Then you can top it with sliced almonds if you want. This is optional, but I like how it looks (even though I cover it with powdered sugar). Some people prefer the smoother texture without the almonds.
Step 13-14:
Bake it at 350°F for about 35 – 40 minutes until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool for a few minutes before removing it from the pan and putting it on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Make Your Orange Cardamom Almond Cake Look Pretty
Add some powdered sugar and orange zest on top when you are ready to serve it. It really pretties it up!
I actually prefer this cake chilled, so I put it into the refrigerator for about 24-48 hours before serving. You can wait to top it with the powdered sugar and orange zest when you are ready to serve it, but mine still keeps nicely with the sugar in the fridge.
If you really want to impress your friends at Christmas, top your cake with a nativity (or some other fun chocolate scene). It’s super easy to do. I got a free template from Joy Food Sunshine! She always puts this on her Birthday Cake for Jesus. Put the template on a cutting board with wax paper over it. Then melt some dairy-free chocolate and put it in a piping bag and cut off the end. It’s easy to trace the template with the chocolate, and put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Everyone thinks I am way more artistic than I really am!
Be warned, however, people will cut around the chocolate if you don’t cut into it first!
Store your leftover cake in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Yes! You can make this the night before up to 2 days ahead of time. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Wait until you are about to serve it to put on the powdered sugar and orange zest.
The eggs give you the moisture and structure of the cake so it doesn’t come out dry and gritty.
If you really like that orange cardamom flavor, try our Orange Cardamom Snickerdoodles. They are always a hit and are really easy to make ahead and keep in the freezer for emergency visitors. You can sub out gluten-free flour and dairy-free butter substitute as another gluten/dairy-free option.
Orange Cardamom Almond Cake (Gluten and dairy free)
Equipment
- 1 sifter
Ingredients
- 2¾ cups almond flour
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 6 large eggs at room temperature
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup Earth Balance Butter slightly melted
- 1 Tbsp orange extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
for topping
- 1-2 Tbsp slivered almonds
- 1-2 Tbsp powdered sugar
- 1-2 Tbsp orange zest one orange
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉
- Line the bottom of a 9 inch spring form cake pan with parchment and grease with Earth Balance or other vegetable non-stick spray. Place it on a foil lined baking sheet in case it leaks (you don't need to do this for a regular cake pan).
- In a medium bowl, sift 2¾ cups almond flour, 2 Tbsp cornstarch, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp cardamom and 1 tsp salt. Set aside.
- Add your 6 eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the whisk attachment to whip the eggs for about 2 minutes until they look kind of frothy.
- Add 1¼ cup sugar and turn the speed up to high. let it whip for about 8-10 minutes. You want it to be lighter in color and be thick enough that it stays together (not too runny), but also falls back into itself and dissolve into the mixture slowly.
- Now gently fold in the flour mixture. Make sure you get it off the bottom and sides and it is thoroughly mixed. You want to do this carefully, though, so it keeps some of the air in it.
- Now carefully melt the ¾ cup Earth Balance butter in the microwave in 10 second intervals. I cut mine into chunks and stir every 10 seconds. You want it to stay thick and lightly colored. As soon as it is creamy and there are no chunks left, and it is still light yellow, you are ready. If you overheat it, it will be too runny.
- Fold in the ¾ cup butter, 1 Tbsp orange extract, and ½ tsp almond extract until just combined.
- Pour the batter into your prepared spring form pan. Sprinkle slivered almonds on top.
- Bake at 350℉ for 40-45 minutes until the top is slightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let it cool in the pan for about 2 minutes and then remove cake from the pan and put on a cooking rack to finish cooling.
- If you are not planning to serve it right away, you can refrigerate it overnight. When you are ready to serve it, dust it with powdered sugar and orange zest.
- Enjoy
Notes
Nutrition
Bake this cake for your gluten and dairy-free friends and share the love (and the recipe)! Let me know in the comments how it goes.
2 Comments
I love this cake, and I can eat gluten and dairy!
You would never know this was gluten and dairy-free! That’s so rare! Thank you. I get overwhelmed trying to find yummy recipes for my friends with special diets!