Happy Mother’s Day! This Chocolate Orange Almond Cake is so perfect for Mother’s Day because nothing rounds out a Mother’s Day meal better than cake, but who wants to spend the day baking…not me!!
This cake is perfect for Mother’s Day because it is super easy to make. Because it only has 9 ingredients, it whips together in a jiffy and it only takes 30 minutes to bake. With a simple sprinkle of icing sugar on top, it’s ready to serve. This cake is perfect to make for your Mom, your mother-in-law or for yourself and your family. You could also get your children to help you in the kitchen.
This cake is special because it is made without flour. I love flourless chocolate cake. They are dense and dark and chocolatey. And this cake has the added aroma of orange reminiscent of chocolate oranges at Christmas. The texture from the ground almonds is very appealing as their nuttiness pairs well with the fudgy chocolate. If you’re looking for something to serve this year for Mother’s Day, this cake checks all the boxes: pretty, chocolate, not too sweet and quick to make.
You could serve this cake plain or bring it up a notch and have a dollop of sweetened whip cream on top. Yum!
To make this Chocolate Orange Almond Cake, you melt the butter and chocolate together (I love this technique – don’t you? No whipping, or trying to get the butter just the right temperature). I grated the orange zest right into the bowl of melted chocolate. The orange-chocolate aroma is so enticing, I had to use all my will-power not to eat cake batter right out of the bowl. Please try to refrain. Your dinner guests will thank you (even when it’s only your family, as is the case everywhere right now).
Some flourless cakes, such as Torta Capresa, don’t add extra leavening, but I have added a small amount of baking powder to this cake. It adds just a bit of lift that I like. And gives the cake a lovely presentation. Enjoy!
Flourless Sublime Orange Chocolate Almond Cake
Ingredients
- 200 grams dark chocolate
- 140 grams butter
- 150 grams sugar
- Grated zest from one orange
- 3 eggs, separated
- 2 cups ground almonds
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 Tbsp orange liqueur (such as Cointreau)
- 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
- icing sugar to decorate
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease 8” springform pan.
Cover bottom of pan with a circle of parchment paper.
Melt the chocolate and butter together in a microwave or a medium pot on the stove.
Separate the eggs.
Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Beat egg yokes.
Add grated zest to melted chocolate and butter.
Add sugar, almond meal, and cocoa powder.
Once the mixture has cooled to a tepid temperature beforehand, add egg yolks, and orange liqueur.
Mix everything together, gently.
Fold in egg whites, in two separate batches.
Pour cake batter into prepared pan.
Bake about 30-35 minutes. Cake will have risen nicely. And the scent of chocolate and oranges will fill the kitchen. A cake tester inserted in the middle should still have a few crumbs on it.
Try not to over bake, as the cake will be drier if overbaked.
Cool on a rack until quite cool.
Remove from cake pan.
Let cake cool some more, until cold.
Sprinkle with icing sugar just before serving.