Boy oh boy, this Tunisian orange and almond cake is something to behold. This is truly an indulgent cake fit for royalty. Bursting with flavours, tonnes and tonnes of flavours. It's perfectly moist, slices beautifully and you can dress it up to the nines.
It tastes like sunshine. Every bite behaves like a good whisky where you have layer upon layer of flavour surprises, like orange, lemon, cinnamon, cloves and star anise.
The good news is, it's an incredibly easy-to-make cake recipe. The biggest task is probably zesting the oranges and lemons, but other than that, you don't even have to switch on an electric mixer. The cake is drenched in a spicy, citrussy syrup that will transport you right into the heart of vibrant Tunisia.
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What's to love about this recipe
- Ultra flavourful and a great showcase for North African and Tunisian cuisine.
- Moist and tender.
- Luxurious tasting, ideal for a special occasion.
- Easy to make.
- This Tunis cake, as it's also known, can be served with various toppings.
- Can easily be made gluten-free by swapping the panko breadcrumbs for gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- No orange blossom water needed.
Key ingredient notes and substitutions
**Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full list of ingredients.
Caster sugar - If you haven't got caster sugar where you are, you can easily make your own by whizzing granulated sugar in a food processor until it's somewhere between the consistency of granulated sugar and powdered/icing sugar.
Panko breadcrumbs - We like using panko for this recipe because their consistency seems to be perfect for this cake. You can usually find panko breadcrumbs in the Asian food aisle in most grocery stores. Alternatively, you can make your own breadcrumbs.
To make a gluten-free version, make your own breadcrumbs from gluten-free bread by whizzing a couple of slices in a food processor. Or, you can swap the breadcrumbs for polenta.
Ground almonds - These are almonds that are ground to a coarse powder. You can usually find it in the baking aisles and should not be confused with flaked almonds or almond flour. Almond flour is much finer in texture than ground almonds.
The spices - You will need two cloves, one star anise and some ground cinnamon. You can replace the ground cinnamon with a cinnamon stick.
How to make Tunisian orange cake
To make the cake
- Do not preheat the oven. The cake goes into a cold oven to help with even rising.
- Line a 20cm/8" springform tin with parchment paper.
Note: We only line the bottom of the cake tin and that seems to be sufficient. If you have a cake tin that tends to stick, line it entirely or use a non-stick spray/smidgen of butter.
- In a large bowl, add the 200g caster sugar, panko breadcrumbs, ground almonds, baking powder, orange zest and lemon zest.
- Stir the dry ingredients together. If the zest forms little clumps, break it up with your spoon/spatula as you combine the ingredients.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the eggs and vegetable oil by hand.
- Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and fold together. You only need a wooden spoon of spatula, not a whisk.
- Ensure you get all the dry ingredients lurking at the bottom of the bowl too.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan.
- Place the cake tin into the cold oven and turn the oven on to 180℃/356℉/gas mark 4.
- Bake for 45 minutes from the point you switched on the oven, or until a cake tester comes out clean and the cake is a rich golden brown on top.
- Let the cake cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing the cake tin's collar. Use a palette knife to loosen the sides if it looks like it's sticking.
To make the citrus syrup
- About 10 minutes before the cake is done baking, you can start making the sauce.
- Add all the ingredients for the sauce to a small pan (orange juice, lemon juice, zests, sugar and spices).
- Over a medium heat, keep stirring the sauce to encourage the sugar to melt. Bring the mixture up to a gentle simmer, and allow it to simmer for a further 3 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally. When the sauce has reduced a little and looks more syrupy, remove from the heat.
- Once you have removed the collar from the cake tin, transfer the cake onto a plate. Using a toothpick or any thin sharp object, stab a few holes into the top of the cake.
- Remove the cloves and star anise from the sauce. Spoon the hot syrup over the cake ensuring you cover the whole surface, right up the edge of the cake.
- Wait for the sauce to be fully absorbed and the cake to be cooled, before it's served.
How to serve Tunisian cake
- You can decorate the cooled cake with orange slices. Blood orange looks particularly lovely.
- Sprinkle with chopped pistachio nuts or any of your favourite.
- Drizzle with chocolate ganache.
- Serve with a dollop of crème fraîche, Greek yoghurt, mascarpone or whipped cream.
- Serve with ice cream.
- Goes fantastic with a cup of well-brewed coffee.
Storage
- The cake will keep well for up to three days if kept in an airtight container, like a cake tin or lidded plastic box.
You can make this cake a day in advance. It's incredibly moist, so it will be as good as the day it was baked the following day.
Can you freeze Tunisian cake?
- You can freeze it, but we won't recommend it. There is a lot of liquid in this sponge. Freezing and defrosting the cake might make it soggy.
Make it gluten free
- You can make this cake gluten-free by swapping the breadcrumbs for gluten-free breadcrumbs, or using polenta instead.
Tips for making this cake
- When you've removed the cake from the tin, you can turn it upside down and have the bottom of the cake as the top. It's usually flawless and provides a very smooth surface for any decorations you might want to add.
- Don't pour the sauce over the cake until you have the cake on it's serving plate. The sauce will make the cake very moist and soft, making moving it without any damage more difficult.
- If you're like me and despise zesting, I find it easier to rest the hand holding the zester on a chopping board. With the other hand, move the fruit up and down over the zester. Steadying the hand holding the zester, instead of holding it in the air, just makes for faster and more consistent zesting.
- Use a mandolin, if you have one, to slice the oranges for decoration. It's much easier and gives you neat, thin slices.
More recipes from the African continent
More fruity recipes
Watermelon fresh fruit lollies
Raspberry blondies with white chocolate
Tarte aux fruits - French fruit tart
Mixed berry no-bake cheesecake
Apple crumble tart with condensed milk
Recipe
Tunisian cake
Equipment you may need
- 1 20cm/8" springform cake tin
Ingredients
For the cake
- 200 grams caster sugar
- 50 grams panko breadcrumbs
- 100 grams ground almonds
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 oranges, only the zest of
- 1 lemon, only the zest of
- 4 large eggs
- 200 millilitre sunflower oil
For the sauce
- 1 orange, juice and zest of
- ½ lemon, juice and zest of
- 80 grams caster sugar
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 star anise
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
To make the cake
- Do not preheat the oven. The cake goes into a cold oven to help with even rising. Line a 20cm/8" springform cake tin with parchment paper. Note: We only line the bottom of the cake tin and that seems to be sufficient. If you have a cake tin that tends to stick, line it entirely or use a non-stick spray/smidgen of butter.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the 200g caster sugar, panko breadcrumbs, ground almonds, baking powder, zest from two oranges and zest from one lemon.
- Stir the dry ingredients together. If the zest forms little clumps, break it up with your spoon/spatula as you combine the ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and oil by hand.
- Add the oil and eggs to the dry ingredients and fold together. Ensure you get all the dry ingredients lurking at the bottom of the bowl too.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin.
- Place the cake tin into the cold oven and turn the oven on to 180℃/356℉/gas mark 4.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean and the cake is golden brown on top.
- Let the cake cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing the cake tin's collar.
To make the sauce
- About 10 minutes before the cake is done baking, start the sauce.
- Add all the ingredients for the sauce to a small saucepan.
- Over a medium heat, keep stirring the sauce to encourage the sugar to melt. Bring the mixture up to a gentle simmer, and allow it to simmer for a further 3 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally. When the sauce has reduced a little and looks more syrupy, remove from the heat.
- Once you have removed the collar from the cake tin, transfer the cake onto a plate. Using a toothpick or any thin sharp object, stab a few holes into the top of the cake.
- Remove the cloves and star anise from the sauce. Spoon the warm sauce over the cake ensuring you cover the whole surface.
- Wait for the sauce to be fully absorbed and the cake to be cooled, before serving.
- Decorate with chopped pistachios or sliced oranges if you wish. The cake also goes great with a scoop of crème fraîche, yoghurt or whipped cream.
**Nutritional data disclaimer**
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is calculated by a third party and we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We try our best to give you the most accurate information, but we do not take responsibility for errors that may be present. Also, the nutritional value of the recipe may change depending on the exact brands and products used. We recommend that you consult with a qualified healthcare professional or registered dietitian for personalised advice on your dietary needs.
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