Homemade Starbucks Orange Cake
During the last month Gluten Free Orange Cake has received a lot of play. And it's certainly not because this tasty dessert is on my site. Starbucks recently launched a classic Gluten Free Valencia Orange Cake to much fanfare from the gluten-free community.
A couple of weeks ago I received this fabulous comment from LeAnne on my original Orange Cake post:
"Elana - have you tried the new Starbucks Gluten Free Valencia Orange Cake? It's a copycat of your recipe. in a muffin form with sliced almonds and an orange syrup on top. All in an individual wrapper. Truly fabulous! They should re-name it Elana's Gluten Free Valencia Orange Cake! So nice to have a gluten free alternative at Starbucks."
Actually this cake was created by Claudia Roden; she called it Gateau a l'Orange, and it was made popular by Nigella Lawson. Nigella's version was made with clementines, instead of oranges.
2 oranges
4 eggs
¾ cup agave nectar
2 cups blanched almond flour
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
- Wash the oranges and boil them whole (peel and all) for 1 ½ hours, or until soft
- Place whole oranges (peel and all) in a food processor
and blend until smooth
- Process in eggs, agave, almond flour, salt and baking soda until well blended
- Pour batter into a greased 9-Inch round cake pan
- Bake at 375° for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean
- Cool in the pan for 2 hours
- Serve
Serves 6-8
I hope you enjoy this DIY version of Starbucks Gluten Free Valencia Orange Cake.
Posted on May 26, 2009 in desserts by Elana
you might also like: Orange Cake
or Chocolate Cake — Coconut Flour Continued
stumble it share on facebook site feed email subscription
print friendly recipe
email this
43 comments
Hi Elana,
I've been reading your blog for almost two years, but this is my first time leaving a comment.
My celiac boyfriend tried the Starbucks orange cake a few weeks ago and liked it, but one thing we noticed was that when he split the cake in half, there were all these gooey "strings" that looked almost like a spider web... He said/hoped(!) it was probably the extra sticky honey used in the cake, but I was a little concerned. In the end, he enjoyed the cake very much and didn't get sick, so I kinda forgot about it until I read your post today. Have you tried the cake and had the same experience?
Even though I've tried many of your recipes and both my boyfriend and I loved them, I have yet to try any of your dessert recipe since I'm not a good baker. But I might give this one a try. If he liked the Starbucks cake, he has to like yours even more!
I checked the ingredients. It says it has orange pulp in it, so I'm assuming that's what those little 'strings' are. I thought the same thing when I ate it.
Hi Tomiko, thanks for your comment; I bet you could make this dessert it's not too challenging. No, I haven't had this GF dessert from Starbucks. I'll get it for the boys, though not sure I'll want it for myself. I'm on a "string-free" diet :-)
This cake looks really yummy! I haven't tried the Starbucks cake--I actually haven't seen it yet. Unfortunately, I am discovering that nuts are a REAL problem for me. I was just wondering if you think it is possible to remain grain free--lower carb without any nuts? Nuts seem to be a main staple for grain free eating so I am pretty bummed about having to cut them out! I love your blog and appreciate all your yummy looking recipes--even if I can't eat them all:)
Kimberly, I think it's very possible to be grain-free and nut-free. Every few months I give up both nuts and agave for a week or so to give my body a rest, so I know it's doable short term, not sure how challenging it will be long term though...
Forgot to tell you that I made your 'un'potato salad for Memorial Day and it was a big hit! Thanks:)
Oooh, this looks good! I have been craving some good orange thing lately, this might just be perfect!
Elana,
Boy, I must be living in the dark or something! I had not heard about this! It reminds me of this evening -my husband and I went to rent a DVD for after the girls go to sleep tonight -I could have spent all night in there -I had never heard of any of the movies on the new release walls! We ended up getting an old movie! Blaaa!
I will make your cake for sure!
Love, Kelly
theSpunkyCoconut.com
OK...why couldn't Starbucks have come out with this when I was still eating that kind of stuff...AND oh I cannot wait to try this version...Elana, you're killing me = )
I have to say that I have tried the Starbucks cake & was not very impressed. I applaud their effort at offering a GF alternative, but since it contains (refined) sugar it affects my blood sugar & is not really a doable option for me. I haven't tried your version yet, but since it utilizes the peel of the orange as well, I'm sure that the flavor will be much better. It looks amazing, so I can't wait to try it! I made your brownies this weekend & my family absolutely loved them. I also made your BBQ sauce & we did chicken on the grill - it was so yummy. Thanks so much for the great recipes - can't wait to try more! I think the Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream might be next! :)
Sooo much better than the Starkbucks one! Amazing what you have managed to do with almond flour.
Elana, we're really looking forward to cross writing with you on http://www.wellwire.com
-Dr. Nishant
To TOMIKO -- The stringyness of the starbucks cake means that it was sitting on the counter too long. Next time ask for a fresh cake from the freezer and let it defrost for about 15 minutes, it's a completely different taste!!
The cakes at Starbucks can go bad when sitting on the counter VERY quickly!! I always ask for a frozen one because I had the same experience of a stringy (and even moldy smelling) cake the first time I had one and it was AWFUL... the fresh frozen cakes are MUCH better!! No strings!!
I can't wait to try Elana's original!!
Elana, do you know anything about Agave Nectar being bad for you? http://www.naturalnews.com/024892.html
Agave nectar is advertised as a "diabetic friendly," raw, and a "100% natural sweetener." Yet it is none of these. The purpose of this article is to show you that agave nectar is in reality not a natural sweetener but a highly refined form of fructose, more concentrated than the high fructose corn syrup used in sodas. Refined fructose is not a 'natural' sugar, and countless studies implicate it as a sweetener that will contribute to disease. Therefore, agave nectar is not a health building product, but rather a deceptively marketed form of a highly processed and refined sweetener.
I had bought some and am now not sure I need to keep using it.
Thanks for your help.
Silvia
Silvia, I wouldn't toss the agave just yet, the jury still seems to be out on this one.
This is so exciting! I can't eat Starbucks because of the rice flour but I did have a taste and it was really good. I am getting out the baking pan on this one for sure. I hope I have the right kind of almond flour.
Looks delicious! I'm excited to try it b/c it also looks very easy by putting it all in the food processer. Too many bowls and my toddler wants to help and we have a huge mess and a time-consuming recipe turns into a marathon! Will have to make for Father's day...maybe add some chocolate chips?
Thanks!
To Ann about the chocolate chips... I made Elana's recipe once and put it in muffin liners and then once they were done, sat a square of dark chocolate on each one to melt - then I smooshed it all around and stuck them in the fridge. They were WONDERFUL!!
Looks divine! I can only imagine the flavor. I have heard of the Starbucks cake but not tried it - we are not coffee drinkers so rarely go into a coffee house. -Ali :)
Hi Elana, I'm new to the site but I already visit it daily! :) I am wondering if you've ever experimented with date sugar? I have read interesting things, but I was thinking it would mess up the liquid/dry ratio (at least I think it would!) Just wondering if you've ever tried using it. Thanks for all the amazing recipes - this is by far the BEST blog I've come across that uses only the ingredients I want to use and it is so simple. No using odd starches, flours, gums to create dishes - I am so grateful for your creativity! I could go on and on..
Hi Jenny and welcome! I haven't tried date sugar. You might find someone who has by starting a topic on it in my forums. Thanks for your sweet comment :-)
I love the light in your photo. Your cake looks absolutely divine. :-) Yummy!
As soon as I saw the photo I was thinking- she totally did this without grain flour... and of course you did. How wonderful!
I just posted my gluten free orange cake recipe the other day too! It's a lot the same, except you don't have to boil the oranges! And you use whole raw almonds. I like to make it with one orange and one lime. Yum!
I would take this over the Starbucks one anyday!!
Just wanted to say I love the little almond heart on the header. Cute!!
Thanks for noticing :-)
I made this last year for a family get together.
Was making it more for my diabetic mom to reduce the carbs with the almond flour. Was a great hit. My husband thought it strange to boil the oranges peel and all and put thru food processor.
He like the end result though and had several pieces.
Hi Elana,
Twinkies look fabulous!!! What the heck are the "strings" that are on the orange cake from starbucks when you pull it apart??? At first I thought is was a hair, but it kept happening. I think it must be the orarnge marmalade, pretty freqky and wierd, but good. Not very sweet, as I have an enormous sweet tooth. I am going to try to make yours with the rice flour combo. Thanks so much for your site and the beautiful pictures. Yummy!!! Tracy
Hi Elana!
I went to get almond meal flour to make your cake, and they didn't have it, so (being an impatient person) I made something a little different. Let me know what you think!
http://spunkyfamilyjournal.blogspot.com/2009/05/orange-pie-tea-party.html
Love, Kelly
I ran out to starbucks yesterday and tried their GF orange cake. It was tasty-moist, and without stringy things, thankfully:} However, I am trying to not use rice flour at all, so I came home and made this recipe. It smelled and looked divine, but mine had a bitter aftertaste. Does anyone have any ideas what might have happened? Thanks!!
My first one was the same way. So when I made it again I rinsed the boiled oranges in a bowl of fresh hot water, and that seemed to do the trick, but my version of this recipe is a little different from Elana's. Cheers, Kelly (the spunky coconut dot com)
Thanks Kelly- I will be sure to try that next time, because I loved everything else about the cake:D
SERIOUSLY delicious cake Elana!! And I really think it's better than Starbucks!! Tastes similar, but I just absolutely loved being able to make it at home! I've never boiled oranges to make a cake before, but what a great trick! I LOVE the beautiful orange flavor in this cake!! Perfect!! Simply perfect!! Thank you!!
I just made this cake, but used 3 lemons instead of two oranges to make a lemon version instead (because lemons are smaller)- the recipe is great, and substituting the lemons for the oranges worked really well! The gf members of my fam send their thanks to you for creating such a tasty recipe!
Thanks for your great comments everyone, I so appreciate them. I just wanted to highlight the following 3 comments that you may want to look back at for tips:
1) Carrie from Gingerlemongirl, gives great advice on how to purchase a good fresh piece of this cake if you are at Starbucks.
2) Ann has the amazing idea of adding chocolate chips to this recipe, which I am looking forward to trying myself.
3) Jenn made this cake using lemons in place of the oranges --YUM.
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts, ideas and results over here!
xo Elana
I made this tonight and the flavor was wonderful but the aftertaste was very bitter. What did I do wrong?
Jennifer, that is a great question and I'm not exactly sure how to answer it since I haven't had this experience. I'm wondering if it could be the type of orange you used. Try a type that is thin skinned and this might alleviate the issue. Please keep me posted :-)
[...] capped off this meal with Elana Amsterdam’s Homemade Starbucks Orange Cake. I made this over the summer for Adopt a Gluten Free Blogger- Elana’s Gluten Free [...]
This cake is FABULOUS!!!! Made to take over to friends for dessert and everyone LOVED it!! They also came up with the great idea to add chocolate frosting--it was even better! Tastes like those orange-chocolate balls that come out around the holidays. Simply fabulous and definitely a keeper!!!
I was so excited to find this recipe (since Starbucks no longer makes the Orange Valencia Cake, they have replaced it with a less than desireable snack bar). I used four clementines instead of oranges, since they are in great supply this time of year, and found this to be a fantastic desert. I can't give you enough thanks for this, my family and I absolutely love the orange cake. It doesn't even need to be frosted, it is just that perfect.
I just made this cake and found it to be so moist inside, it had an almost cheesecake-y texture.... maybe because the oranges I used were quite large so they added alot of moisture. It was really great. This is our new favorite!
I have not been able to find the Starbucks Orange Cake and emailed them. To my dismay they discontinued it. I found it so convenient when traveling!!
Hey,
I was just wondering if anyone knows if this recipe would work with apples instead of oranges. Has anyone tried using other fruit?
OMG! This cake is amazing! I substituted 3 blood oranges (they were quite small) for valencia...stellar! It's been a quite a hit with family and friends! I've also served it drizzled with blueberry syrup...nummy!
We love this cake. I am going to try to make it with lemons and poppyseeds. Will let you know how it turns out.