Whole Citrus Almond Cake

It’s peak citrus season and what better way to celebrate the fruit than to make a whole citrus cake! Boiling the citrus softens it and allows you to blitz it into the puree that adds body and moisture to the cake. Combined with eggs and almond flour, the cake is gluten-free, dairy-free, only 6-ingredients long, and is a one-bowl situation once you have your puree (which you can makes days in advance). I love to use a blend of fragrant meyer lemons and sweet Cara Cara oranges, but feel free to use whatever citrus you have on hand. Just make sure it’s organic!

The recipe comes from my book, Everyday Cake, although it’s slightly adapted. For the citrus glaze and ganache topping recipe, you’ll just have to buy the book and find it there :) And of course, gentle reminder, if you’ve purchased the book and love it, please consider leaving a review for me on Amazon or GoodReads - or requesting your local libraryendent bookstore to carry it if they don’t already! It really goes a long way in getting my book into other people’s hands. Thank you!

Whole Citrus Almond Cake

adapted from Everyday Cake

The first time I had this cake it was revelatory. The recipe’s roots are Sephardic, and it became more widely known through the work of great cookbook author Claudia Roden. Boil whole citrus, blitz the softened fruit into a puree, and then whisk it together with eggs, sugar, and almond flour—that’s it. The bittersweet result is essentially citrus marmalade in cake form, with a texture that’s soft and lush. To finish, drizzle with a citrus glaze, top with a soft chocolate ganache, or leave it plain.

Ingredients

2 small organic meyer lemons, scrubbed and washed
1 small organic orange such as cara cara, valencia, or heirloom navel, scrubbed and washed
6 eggs, room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (225 g) granulated sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (optional)
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
2 ¼ cups (225 g) almond flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

Instructions

Place the whole lemons and orange in a medium pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and gently simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the citrus is very soft and tender (I find the lemons usually cook faster than the orange). Add more water as needed to keep the fruit submerged; it’s OK if they split. Remove the citrus with a slotted spoon and allow to cool completely before breaking them open with your fingers to remove the seeds and any hard bits.

In a food processor, puree the citrus, peel and all. You should have 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups (325 to 365 g) of puree, depending on the size of the fruit. The puree can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan or a deep 9-inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, first whisk the eggs, then whisk in the granulated sugar, lemon zest, vanilla, salt, and all of the citrus puree. Add the almond flour and baking powder and whisk until just combined—there will be some lumps, but that’s OK; you don’t want to overmix.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Bake until the cake begins to brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 20 minutes before unmolding. Invert onto a plate, remove the parchment, then invert onto a wire rack. Allow the cake to cool completely. Top with citrus glaze, chocolate ganache, or leave it plain. This cake keeps well wrapped at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, at which point you can refrigerate it for another day or two.