Gluten-Free Orange Olive Oil Cake

We are excited to welcome Karen Morgan, our newest contributor.  Karen has so much to offer us, we know you’ll enjoy her posts and her recipes. 

Whether you are new to gluten-free or a bona-fide expert, this orange olive oil cake will become an instant favorite; it certainly is at Blackbird Bakery.

This recipe is exceptionally easy and is a perfect way to integrate the fragrant oranges that are currently in season while adding a nice dose of vitamin C to your after dinner treat.  It’s an adaptation of the Italian classic – easily showing you how to capture that trademark moist crumb in gluten-free form; the magic resides in the subtle flour combinations.

What I love the most about this recipe is the way the orange and tangelo zest infuse into the eggs, imparting a flavor profile that cannot be matched with orange juice.

Orange Olive Oil Cake

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon sorghum flour
• 1/2 cup glutinous rice flour (derived from sushi rice)
• 3 tablespoons tapioca flour (sold as tapioca starch)
• 1 teaspoon guar gum (I recommend NOW)
• 1 1/2 + 1/8 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• zest of 1 large navel orange
• zest of 1 large minnelo tangelo
• 2 large organic eggs (soy free if possible)
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon PURE olive oil
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons organic whole milk
• 1 cup crème fraîche + 1 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar for serving

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease and line the bottom of a 9″ spring form pan with non-stick spray and parchment paper. Grease the paper.
3. In a glass bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.
4. Zest the orange and the tangelo right into the bowl of your stand mixer.
5. Add the eggs, fork whisk just to combine, then allow to infuse for at least 10 minutes, or longer for a more intense orange flavor. 6. With the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and zest on high until they begin to froth.
7. In a slow steady stream, pour the sugar into the eggs between the side of the bowl and the whisk to prevent the sugar buck shot to the face. Whip until pale yellow and doubled in volume.
8. Add the pure olive oil in the same fashion, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
9. Remove the bowl from the mixer.
10. Alternating between the flour mixture and the milk, first fold in half of the flour mixture with a rubber spatula, and then fold in half of the milk. Repeat so all of your ingredients are used. Mix just until combined.
11. Pour into your prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes. The cake is done when it begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and is golden brown.
12. While the cake is baking, fold 1 tablespoon sifted confectioner’s sugar into the 1 cup of crème fraîche. Cover with plastic wrap and return to the fridge until you are ready to serve.
13. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before inverting onto a cutting board. Remove the parchment paper and immediately turn the cake back over onto your serving platter so the top of the cake will remain flawless. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and serve with crème fraîche and orange zest.

Karen is the author of the critically acclaimed gluten-free cookbook, Blackbird Bakery Gluten-Free, and is the founder of the virtual bakery,  Blackbird Bakery.   Karen is known and admired by her peers for her inspirational speaking engagements, cooking classes, and innate knack for gluten-free recipe development.  She lives everyday dedicated to making gluten-free better than what came before in Austin, Texas, with her son Leo.  When life gives you lemons, make gluten-free lemon meringue pie!