Nigella's Chocolate Orange Cake (Flourless & Fudgy)
If you love the pairing of deep chocolate and bright citrus, this chocolate orange cake brings them together in the kind of cozy, fragrant dessert that fills your kitchen with memories. This flourless version is inspired by Nigella’s classic whole-orange method, and the result is a fudgy chocolate orange dessert with a bold citrus aroma and a wonderfully moist crumb.
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Servings:
Calories: 488kcal
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 medium oranges (weight: 12-14 oz.)
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups almond flour or meal (or substitute hazelnut flour or meal)
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
For the chocolate orange ganache:
- 4 oz. semi sweet chocolate (chopped)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Zest of ½ an orange
Instructions
- Place the oranges in a medium sauce pan and cover with water. Bring the pot to a boil then cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until oranges are soft, about 2 hours.
- Once the oranges are cool enough to handle, slice them in half and remove any large seeds.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the oranges in a blender and pulse until smooth. You should end up with about 1 1/2 cups of puree. Add the eggs, and pulse again until the mixture is well combined.
- Add the remaining cake ingredients to the blender. Stir it into the egg mixture, pulse a few times, stir, and then pulse, repeating until the mixture is well combined. Alternatively: transfer the egg mixture to a mixing bowl, add the remaining ingredients, and mix well by hand until smooth.
- Grease an 8 inch round spring form pan. Pour the cake batter into the pan and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool at least 20 minutes, then run a knife along the edge, and release from the spring form pan. Cool completely.
- While the cake cools, make the ganache. Place the chocolate in a heat proof mixing bowl. Heat the cream and orange zest on the stove top over medium low heat until small bubbles begin to form around the edges. Immediately pour the cream over the chocolate. Let rest for 4-5 minutes, then gently stir until the chocolate melts into the cream to form the ganache.
- Spread the ganache over the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides a bit. Decorate with orange zest curls or orange slices, if desired, then serve.
Notes
- My oranges are floating! Is that a problem? Nope, they’ll still soften just fine! I sometimes give mine a flip at the halfway point, but even when I’ve forgotten, they still are nice and soft and juicy.
- Can I use a different type of flour? Most finely ground nut flours (besides coconut) should work well here. This has been tested with almond flour, almond meal, and hazelnut meal with good results.
- What’s the difference between almond meal and almond flour? Almond meal is made with finely ground raw, whole almonds. Almond flour is made with finely ground and peeled raw almonds. Almond flour tends to be a bit finer in texture, but either nut meal or flour can be used in this recipe.
- Can I leave out the oranges? Unfortunately, no! The oranges provide a lot of the flavor and structure of this cake, so I don’t recommend leaving them out. Some people use fresh orange juice and orange extract, but the whole orange approach is what makes this cake magical.
- Can I use a food processor? Yes! A food processor will work great for pureeing the oranges and blending the eggs. I recommend transferring the mixture to a mixing bowl after that and mixing the dry ingredients in by hand.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 488kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 140mg | Sodium: 135mg | Potassium: 283mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 478IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 125mg | Iron: 3mg