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Tunisian Orange Cake, with its citrusy zest and moist crumb, is such a treat. This is a game-changing recipe from Ballymaloe Cookery School, as it’s so simple to make and results in the most zesty, moist cake every time. It’s easily adaptable for gluten-free (and dairy-free) guests, and it’s the perfect make-ahead dessert or afternoon tea treat.
Table of Contents
When I went to Ballymaloe, this Tunisian Orange Cake was legendary there for several reasons. First of all, it’s delicious, which is always important in a cake, and secondly, it’s so easy. And I mean really, really easy. Serve the orange and almond cake with a dollop of crème fraîche or Greek yogurt, and it’s the perfect dessert.
You don’t even have to get out a mixer to bake this cake. There’s no elbow grease required. In fact, you don’t even need to preheat the oven! It really is that easy. Plus, it keeps for days (up to 5 days in an airtight container).
This is one of those recipes where you read over the list of ingredients and can’t quite believe it will all come together to make a cake, but oh, I promise you it will. A moist (sorry!), light, deliciously citrusy cake which everyone loves! You simply have to mix the ingredients together and then pour into the cake pan and bake. While the cake is baking, you prepare a seriously simple sticky citrus syrup, which you then pour over the cake when it comes out of the oven. The result is a deliciously flavorful cake with the most gorgeous texture.
Why you will love this recipe
- No need to preheat the oven for this cake.
- All you need is one bowl and no electric mixer.
- The cake is moist and full of citrus flavor every time, thanks to the citrus syrup that gets poured into the cake.
- It’s made with ground almonds, which give it the most delicious texture, and it’s naturally gluten-free as long as you use gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- It is also accidentally dairy-free, with no butter and no milk or cream!
Ingredients
- Breadcrumbs – For best results, whizz up a couple of slices of gluten-free or regular white bread in a food processor. Even better if the bread is stale, as the breadcrumbs form better. If you need to, you can use store-bought, but avoid the really fine, almost orange colored variety.
- Ground almonds (almond meal) – This is crucial for the cake texture. Almond meal/ground almonds are pure almonds ground into a powder. In the US, look for blanched almond meal. Avoid almond flour, which is too fine for this cake.
- Superfine sugar (caster sugar) – Golden caster sugar also works, but I haven’t tested this with granulated sugar.
- Orange and lemon – You’ll use these two fruits, both zested and juiced, to give the cake and syrup their citrus kick.
Substitutions and variations
Sunflower oil – Any flavorless oil will work here as the fat, so you could also use canola (rapeseed) oil or vegetable oil.
Spices in the syrup – I like to add cloves and cinnamon to the citrus syrup, but this is optional. You could use one or the other, or omit completely.
Make it gluten-free – use gluten-free bread to make gluten-free breadcrumbs.
How to make Ballymaloe’s Tunisian orange cake
Here’s a quick visual guide — the full recipe with exact measurements is below.
ONE: Line an 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pan, at least 2 inches (5 cm) deep, with parchment paper.
TWO: In a large bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, sugar, almonds, and baking powder.
THREE: Crack in the eggs and stir in the oil.
FOUR: Add the zest and give it a good mix.
FIVE: Pour the batter into the cake pan and place into the cold oven and turn the heat up to 356°F (180°C/160°C fan). Bake for 45-60 minutes, until a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean. The top should be lovely and golden.
SIX: In the meantime, you can make the syrup. Put all the ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil. You want the sugar to dissolve and then carry on simmering it gently for about 3 minutes.
SEVEN: Once the cake has baked and is still warm (not hot), turn it out onto a plate so the underside is facing up. Poke all over with a skewer and drizzle over the syrup. Check on it occasionally and you can spoon syrup that has run off the side back on top of the cake.
Tips from Margie’s kitchen
- No need to preheat the oven – You aren’t misreading the recipe, you do indeed place the cake in a cold oven and then turn it on. This makes it so quick and easy, and for some reason, it works every single time.
- How to zest citrus fruits – If you don’t already have a fine Microplane grater, I couldn’t recommend them highly enough. I use mine every single day – it does zesting, grating, mincing, and more. It’s so useful and they last forever.
Frequently asked questions
I wouldn’t use either. Ground almonds give this cake its moisture and its slightly coarse, tender crumb. Plain (all-purpose) flour would make it far too heavy and possibly a bit wet, and almond flour is ground too finely to give the same texture. In the US, the closest match is blanched almond meal. Regular almond meal (with the skins on) works but gives a darker, more rustic cake. Ground almonds are also naturally gluten-free, so as long as you use gluten-free breadcrumbs, the whole cake is gluten-free.
If you aren’t familiar with Ballymaloe, it is a world-renowned culinary school, established in 1983 in Shanagarry, County Cork, Ireland. Darina Allen, a well-known chef, cookbook author, and a leading figure in Ireland’s Slow Food movement, runs the school, which lies on the grounds of an organic farm. Some of its alumni include Thomasina Miers, Tara Wigley, Clodagh McKenna and Desert Island Dishes’ very own Margie Nomura! Ballymaloe has a whole host of cookbooks written primarily by Darina Allen or her mother-in-law Myrtle Allen and they all offer the real basics of cooking alongside impressive recipes but all are timeless and straightforward.
Yes, you can use soft white breadcrumbs (in the US, look for fresh breadcrumbs in the bakery section). Don’t use the really fine, processed breadcrumbs that are bright orange – they won’t do the same thing.
Other recipes you might enjoy
If you love this Tunisian cake recipe, you will love my Fresh Berry Cake, Easy Lemon Tart with Lemon Curd, Banana & Chocolate Chunk Muffins or White Chocolate and Raspberry Cake. For more citrus, try my Simple Lemon Curd Layer Cake or Lemon Poppyseed Muffins.
Easy Baking Recipes
Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake
Breakfast & Brunch
Easy Pancake Recipe Without Baking Powder
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Raspberry and Chocolate Cake
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Jaffa Cake Cake
If you tried this Tunisian Orange Cake or any other recipe on the site, please do leave a rating or comment and let us know how it went!
Ballymaloe’s Tunisian Orange Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1.76 oz fresh white breadcrumbs (or gluten-free), about 1 cup loosely packed (about 2 slices); slightly stale bread is best
- 7.05 oz superfine sugar (caster sugar), about 1 cup
- 3.53 oz ground almonds (almond meal), about 1 cup
- 1/2 tbsp baking powder
- 6.76 fl oz sunflower oil, about generous 3/4 cup
- 4 large eggs
- 1 orange, zested
- 1 lemon, zested
For the citrus syrup:
- 1 orange, juiced
- 1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
- 2.65 oz superfine sugar (caster sugar), about 6 tbsp
- 2 cloves, optional
- Pinch of cinnamon or cinnamon stick, optional
For the garnish:
- Chopped pistachios, optional
- Crème fraîche, to serve
Instructions
- Line an 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pan, at least 2 inches (5 cm) deep, with parchment paper. A good tip to line the cake pan is to fold a piece of parchment into four into a rough square. Fold the square diagonally, so that the two folded sides line up and you have a rough triangle shape. Fold once more in half, bring one folded side to another so that you have a thin triangle with a point. Then line the point of the triangle up with the center of the pan and cut the triangle along the outer curve of the pan. Unfold and you are left with a circle of parchment to fit your pan perfectly.
- In a large bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, sugar, almonds, and baking powder.
- Crack in the eggs and stir in the oil. Add the zest and give it a good mix.
- Pour into the cake pan and place into the cold oven and turn the heat up to 356°F (180°C/160°C fan).
- Bake for 45-60 minutes, until a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean. The top should be lovely and golden.
- In the meantime, you can make the syrup. Put all the ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil. You want the sugar to dissolve and then carry on simmering it gently for about 3 minutes.
- Once the cake has baked and is still warm (not hot), turn it out onto a plate so the underside is facing up. Poke all over with a skewer and drizzle over the syrup. Check on it occasionally and you can spoon syrup that has run off the side back on top of the cake.
- Once it’s all been soaked up, sprinkle with chopped pistachios, cut into slices and serve with a dollop of crème fraîche and an extra bit of orange zest.
Video
Notes
Make-ahead and storage
To store: Store in an airtight container or well covered at room temperature for up to 5 days. To freeze: You can freeze the sponge before pouring over the citrus syrup. Bake and cool as usual, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap, an outer layer of foil, then freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost when ready to eat and then pour over the citrus syrup. Make ahead: Make the cake a day in advance and it will still be delicious, as the syrup sinks in nicely to the cake overnight.Quick tip
- When baking this cake, use the weight measurements for the best results. The volumes are provided for reference.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious! Easy and such a crowd pleaser. Also freezes well.
Thank you for your lovely comment Charmian, glad you emjoyed it!
Cannot even tell you how amazing this tunisian orange cake is. It’s so moist and fresh, it has never ever failed me and I’ve made it around five times now!!
Hello, Can I freeze Tunisian orange cake?
Do you know I’ve made this hundreds of times and yet I have never frozen it. But I really don’t see why not. Make sure to wrap it well to protect it in the freezer but I think it should be absolutely fine. x
Apart from not being gluten free anymore would it change the cake if the breadcrumbs weren’t gluten free?
Hi Elaine! Not at all, use any breadcrumbs you like xx
Hi, the recipe doesn’t have quantity of almond flour only ground almonds .
I’m a bit confused
Hi Nicky, Sorry in the Uk we call almond flour, ground almonds. It’s the same thing! Sorry for the confusion xx
Greetings! What type of breadcrumbs do you recommend? I’d love to make this luscious cake, but just curious what you prefer as the foundation with the almond flour. Thanks very much!
Hi! So sorry for the slow reply. Any breadcrumbs will work – but you want to make them fresh just by blitzing the bread in a food processor. You couldn’t use the dried kind like panko or the ones you get in a tube. xxx