Easy & Healthy Orange Cake (No Refined Sugar!)
Bright, citrusy, and made with simple wholesome ingredients—this easy healthy orange cake is the perfect treat to enjoy with your morning coffee or as a light dessert. It’s moist, fluffy, and naturally sweetened with maple syrup. Plus, it all comes together in a blender!
When I first saw the whole orange blender cake recipe, I thought Really? A whole orange? Yes, this recipe utilizes the entire orange. Boiled first to get rid of the bitter taste of the rind. But it packs a powerful orange flavour in this cake, and because it is boiled and blended in, you can’t even tell the orange peel is in there at all.
I modified the recipe slightly from the original source and made it refined sugar-free by using maple syrup, as well as a few extra ingredients to perfect it.
This is a great, sweet cake with a moist crumb. Made gluten-free with the almond flour, anyone can enjoy this beautiful cake!
Let me show you how to make it!
Why You’ll Love This Cake
- Packed with fresh orange flavour
- Naturally sweetened
- Made with almond flour
- Moist and fluffy with no butter or oil
- Kid-approved
Ingredients You’ll Need
Cake:
- Oranges: Infuse the cake with a bright, citrusy flavour that tastes fresh and light.
- Eggs: Binds everything together, providing structure.
- Almond Flour: makes a moist crumb and keeps this recipe gluten-free.
- Baking Powder: leavener.
- Salt: flavour enhancer.
- Olive oil: adds moisture.
- Greek Yogurt: Keeps the cake moist and tender while adding protein and a subtle tang.
- Maple Syrup: A natural sweetener that replaces refined sugar, adding a rich depth of flavour.
- Vanilla: adds flavour.
Glaze
- Icing Sugar: sweetness.
- Orange zest/juice: creates the right consistency and adds more orange flavour.
Instructions
Except for boiling the orange first, this recipe is very similar to my blender muffin recipe, where you add everything to the blender and blitz.
- Place the oranges in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for 40 minutes to 1 hour. Strain, rinse, and cool slightly.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8-inch round pan or line it with parchment paper.
- Puree the oranges: Cut into 1/4 inch slices, then dice, removing any seeds. Cool completely.
- Place the chopped oranges into a food processor or blender. Blitz on high for four 10-second bursts, scraping in between until pureed. It should look similar to marmalade.
- Blitz in remaining ingredients: 3 eggs, 2 1/2 cups almond flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/3 cup olive oil, 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt, 3/4 cup maple syrup, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Blitz for 5-10 seconds on high until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Mix glaze ingredients: 3/4 cup icing sugar, and 1/2 orange, zested and juiced. Drizzle over the cooled cake.
Decoration Suggestions
Add the optional glaze if desired. I personally love the glaze, and the cake just soaks it up. Here are some extra decorating ideas if you want to be fancy:
- Swap the glaze for a simple dusting of icing sugar.
- Sliced fresh oranges (shown above)
- Orange rind: Use a knife or zester to cut thin strips of orange rind. Twist around a wooden spoon handle or something similar to shape into curls. Leave on for about 10 minutes or loose curls or overnight for tight.
- Fresh florals: use whatever you have on hand, whether it’s from a bouquet on your table or a few from your planter outside or even the small wild ones that like to spring up like weeds, are beautiful. My kids picked these flowers from our backyard!
Tips & Substitutions
- Swap Greek yogurt for coconut yogurt to make it dairy-free.
- Add a few mini chocolate chips or chopped nuts for texture.
- Make it into muffins—bake for 15–18 minutes instead!
How to Store
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to a week. Freezes well for up to 2 months!
More Light & Healthy Treats
Easy & Healthy Orange Cake
Moist, fluffy, and naturally sweetened—this easy healthy orange cake is made with Greek yogurt, honey, and fresh oranges. A light dessert or snack!
Ingredients
Orange Cake
- 1-2 Oranges, organic preferred 1 large or 2 small
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 2 ½ cups almond flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup greek yogurt
- ¾ cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Optional Glaze:
- ¾ cup powdered sugar sifted
- ½ orange juiced and zested
Instructions
Cake:
-
Place the oranges in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for 40 minutes to 1 hour. Strain, rinse, and cool slightly.
-
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8-inch round pan or line it with parchment paper.
-
Puree the oranges: Cut into 1/4 inch slices, then dice, removing any seeds. Cool completely.Place the chopped oranges into a food processor or blender. Blitz on high for four 10-second bursts, scraping in between until pureed. It should look similar to marmalade.
-
Blitz in remaining ingredients: 3 eggs, 2 1/2 cups almond flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/3 cup olive oil, 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt, 3/4 cup maple syrup, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Blitz for 5-10 seconds on high until combined.
-
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
-
Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Glaze:
-
Mix glaze ingredients: 3/4 cup icing sugar, and 1/2 orange zested and juiced. Drizzle over the cooled cake.
Recipe Notes
-
Use coconut yogurt for a dairy-free version.
-
For muffins: divide batter into 10–12 muffin cups, bake 15–18 minutes.
-
Store in an airtight container for 3 days, refrigerate for a week, or freeze up to 2 months.
Make ahead: Oranges can be boiled and chopped the day before, and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature, then use per recipe.
Nutrition per serving assuming 12 servings and includes the glaze.
Did you make this recipe?
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