Chocolate Orange Almond Cake with Swiss Buttercream and Candied Citrus

The absolute best gluten free chocolate cake complimented with orange and almond flavors and finished with orange Swiss buttercream frosting and candied citrus! This cake is made entirely gluten free using a mixture of flours to create the perfect cake texture.

This post is sponsored in partnership with Bake From Scratch and Bob’s Red Mill and as always, all opinions expressed are my own. Thank you for continuing to support the brands that make Peanut Butter Plus Chocolate possible.

Better Baking Academy

It’s a crazy time in the world right now and I’m so thankful that if I have to stay home, I’m still able to do the things I love: baking and taking photos.  Bake from Scratch and Bob’s Red Mill are teaming up to bring you the Better Baking Academy, a one-year, baking education series and I am so excited to team up with them for this month’s module all about Gluten Free Baking.  

The series was created to empower the home baker, the Better Baking Academy with Bob’s Red Mill brings the classroom to your kitchen and deliver custom recipes, invaluable baking lessons, and visual tutorials straight to your inbox every month.

Every month a new recipe is released in collaboration with a baker and a few of the recipes they’ve covered so far are macarons and a do-it-all dough. You can enroll today, here!

What you need to make this gluten free chocolate orange cake

Light and moist, this gluten free chocolate cake is covered in Swiss orange buttercream frosting and is baked to perfection. Every bite is tender with hints of orange and the perfect balance of cake and frosting.

So here’s what you need to make this gluten free chocolate orange cake…

• granulated sugar
• unsalted butter, melted
• unsweetened applesauce
• maple syrup
• eggs
• vanilla extract
• Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour
• Bob’s Red Mill Super-Fine Almond Flour
• cocoa powder
• Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oat Flour
• Bob’s Red Mill Organic Coconut Flour
• salt
• baking powder
• baking soda
• buttermilk
• oranges

can’t get enough gluten free desserts? 

I hear ya! This cake is quickly becoming one of my favorites and if you like this recipe than you will love these gluten free recipes:

Gluten Free Strawberry Oat Bars

Strawberry Chocolate Oat Scones

Almond Flour Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here is the complete list of Gluten Free Recipes on this site – enjoy!

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If you are still reading this far, you definitely deserve a slice of cake and if you make this recipe or any other recipe from the blog, be sure to tag @peanutbutterpluschocolate on Instagram and check me out on Facebook and Pinterest!

Also, don’t forget to leave me a comment after the recipe card at the bottom. I really love chatting with all of you, hearing about how your recipe turned out and answering any questions you have.

Happy Baking!

Print Recipe

Chocolate Orange Almond Cake with Swiss Buttercream

The absolute best gluten free chocolate cake with hints of orange and almond and topped with swiss buttercream frosting and candied citrus.

Pin Recipe

Prep Time40 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, gluten free

Keyword: better baking academy, bob’s red mill, chocolate orange cake, gluten free cake

Servings: 12

Author: Ciarra Siller

Ingredients

Candied Oranges

• 1 orange large
• 1 1/4 cup (250g) sugar plus more for coating
• 1 1/4 cup (296g) water

Gluten Free Chocolate Orange Almond Cake

• 1 cup (200g) cane sugar
• 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter
• 1 cup (240g) unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup (125g) maple syrup
• 5 eggs (240g) lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 1/4 cup (185g) Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 Baking Flour
• 3/4 cup (72g) Bob's Red Mill Almond Flour
• 3/4 cup (64g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup (60g) Bob's Red Mill Oat Flour
• 1/4 cup (28g) Bob's Red Mill Coconut Flour
• 2 tbsp (12g) orange zest about 2 oranges
• 1 tsp (3g) salt
• 1 tsp (5g) baking soda
• 1 tsp (5g) baking powder
• 1/2 cup (120g) orange juice about 2 oranges
• 1/2 cup (120g) buttermilk

Orange Swiss Buttercream

• 1 1/4 cup (250g) cane sugar
• 1/2 cup (120g) egg whites about 4 egg whites
• 1 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp (312g) unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup (60g) orange juice
• 2 tbsp (12g) orange zest

Instructions

Candied Oranges

• First start by preparing the candied oranges that will go on top of your cake. Place the water and sugar into a large frying pan and turn on medium heat. Once the water is simmering, add in the orange slices (don't overlap them) and let them simmer for 15 minutse on each side. Transfer them to a cooling rack to dry out for 2-3 hours. Toss the dried out orange slices in sugar.

Gluten Free Chocolate Orange Almond Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line bottom of 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with parchment paper; spray with non-stick spray and lightly dust them with cocoa powder or flour and then set them aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, melted butter, applesauce, and maple syrup. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour blend, almond flour, cocoa, oat flour, coconut flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Sift flour mixture once and then wisk in the orange zest.
• Gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternate with buttermilk and orange juice, whisking just until combined after each addition. Distribute the batter evenly between each pan and then bake the cakes for 40-45 mintues and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center. Let the pans cool for 15 minutes before removing the cakes from the pans and letting them cool completely on a wire rack.

Orange Swiss Buttercream

• In a heat proof bowl, whisk together sugar and egg whites by hand. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Cook, whisking occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer registers 120°F (49°C) to 130°F (54°C), about 6-7 minutes. If you don't have a thermometer, rub the mixture between your fingers and you will know it's done when you no longer can feel the sugar granules.
• Pour the mixture into a stand alone mixer and using the whisk attachment, beat at high speed until stiff peaks form and bowl is cool to the touch, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add butter, 2 tablespoons (28 grams) at a time, beating until combined after each addition. Add in the vanilla, salt and zest and continue beating until combined. Finally, slowly add in the orange juice until well combined.

Assembly

• Using a large serrated knife, carefully cut each cake in half horizontally. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread 1/4 of the buttercream over the cake and layer. Repeat with the remaining 3 cake layers. Lightly frost the outside of the cake and decorate with candied oranges. Chill 30 minutes. Serve or store in the fridge for up to 3 days.