Today we are going to savor life. We are going to celebrate the release of my dear friend Rachel Conners’ debut cookbook “Bakerita” by making her sweet Orange Cake with Coconut Yogurt Frosting. A cake that is simple to pull together and just also happens to be gluten-free, refined sugar-free & can be made vegan!
The orange trees are blooming in our neighborhood and their sweet, divine fragrance is the most beautiful reminder that life indeed goes on. It’s officially spring and nature is bursting with the newness of life, all while our world is facing a vast pandemic that has brought deep suffering and death. As we shelter in place, I find that I swing from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other. In one moment I can be overcome with emotion as I try to grasp the vastness of this disease. And in the next moment, I can be enveloped by the sweet smell emanating from the orange blossoms that I brought into our house and my heart is flooded with gratitude for this sweet springtime gift. And I imagine that life is going to feel this way for some time.
When my heart feels sad, I let it be sad. And when my heart feels happy, I let it be happy. Today, my heart is happy to be a part of announcing the release of the “Bakerita” cookbook! This cookbook is SO special you guys! It is filled with over 100 gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free recipes for the modern baker. There are a bunch of recipes that I want to make as soon as possible, but the one recipe that stood out the most at this particular time was her Orange Cake with Coconut Yogurt Frosting.
The process of making this orange cake could not be easier, and the finished result is absolutely divine! This cake is the perfect way to celebrate spring, reminding us of the sweetness of life. The only change I made was subbing a touch of orange blossom in place of the cinnamon because, as you can already tell, I am in orange blossom appreciation mode at the moment ;)
Not to mention, I actually had all of the ingredients to make this recipe on hand! While finding simple staples like eggs & all-purpose flour in grocery stores have been literally impossible for me lately, alternative flours have still been widely available. Which means that Rachel’s cookbook comes at the perfect time!
It is my earnest hope that in sharing these words and this recipe for Orange Cake with Coconut Yogurt Frosting, that you will take heart and feel peace with accepting that even while death is happening, so is life.
before you go…
“Life and death are not respecters of each other. Mourning and dancing – they don’t always take turns. Not in my story, not in yours, not in our world. While people celebrate weddings and first steps and the sweetness of life, the broken world continues to break our hearts, sometimes at the very same time. The tension is there – wondering when to celebrate and when to cry. Often the best thing we can do is acknowledge that tension and do both…” – RACHEL MEYERS
ORANGE CAKE with COCONUT YOGURT FROSTING
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 10 1x
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE:
- 2 1/2 cups (216g) blanched almond flour
- 1/3 cup (96g) coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup (57g) tapioca flour
- 1/2 cup (43g) coconut flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt (use 1/2 tsp fine grain salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I omitted this and instead added a few drops of orange blossom water)
- 3 tbsp freshly grated orange zest
- 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (from 2-4 medium oranges)
- 1/4 cup (50g) olive oil
- 1/4 cup (85g) honey or maple syrup
- 2 flax ‘eggs’ (2 tbsp ground flax seed + 5 tbsp water, soaked for 10 minutes)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
FOR THE COCONUT-YOGURT FROSTING
- 1 cup canned coconut cream, chilled
- 1/2 cup coconut yogurt (or any think dairy-free yogurt)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla bean powder or 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Grated zest of 1 large orange (I omitted this and instead added a few drops of orange blossom water)
OPTIONAL GARNISHES
- Orange slices or twists & orange blossoms
- Honey for drizzling & bee pollen for sprinkling
Instructions
- PREHEAT the oven to 350°F; lightly grease a 9″ springform pan with coconut oil.
- FOR THE CAKE: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the almond flour with the coconut sugar, tapioca flour, coconut flour, baking soda, salt & cinnamon (if using) until thoroughly mixed. Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
- IN a separate bowl, stir together the orange zest and juice, olive oil, honey, flax eggs and vanilla extract (add in a few drops of orange blossom water if using). Pour the liquid ingredients into the well in the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- BAKE for about 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean and the cake springs back when gently pressed with a fingertip. Set the cake in the pan on a wire rack and let cool completely. When cool, remove the cake from the pan.
- FOR THE FROSTING: Place the chilled coconut cream in a bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the coconut yogurt and vanilla (and a few drops of orange blossom water, if using) and mix again. With a spoon or rubber spatula, fold the orange zest in to the frosting (if using).
- SPREAD the frosting over the cooled cake, drizzle with honey and sprinkle with bee pollen. Garnish with orange twists and blossoms, if desired.
Notes
You can use your favorite brand of dairy-free yogurt, but keep in mind that for this recipe, the thicker the better! If your yogurt is not thick, drain about 1 cup of the thin yogurt in a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until thickened. Measure 1/4 cup of the thickened yogurt to use in the frosting. Or, if your yogurt is super thin, start with 1/4 cup, mix, and add more if the frosting is not too runny.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 10 slices
Click HERE to learn more about Rachel’s debut cookbook “Bakerita”
more springtime inspiration:
SSSOOOO STUNNING Bella!!! SSOOO freakin S-T-U-N-N-I-NG!!!!
As per usual, the 1st thing that drew us in to wanting to make this recipe, was of course, drum roll please, your PHOTOGRAPHY, period!!!
These sets of pics maybe THE MOST BEAUTIFUL photos we have ever seen in our entire life, they are just E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-IN-G!!!!!!!!!!!! The nostalgia they invoke is unparalleled, and it is impossible not to want to make the recipe after that!!!
I’ll admit, like normal, my wife was REALLY hyped to make this cake when she saw it, but, I was like “orange in a cake, I don’t know, that sounds a little fruity to me.” She was like “you ALWAYS question Bella’s unique recipes, and then after we make them you’re like ‘DAMN that was AMAZING.'” So reluctantly I acquiesced. And man am I glad I did!!!
1st off, the frosting and the cake are pure perfection bliss complimentary, I am ALWAYS skeptical of frosting cause most recipes it is just straight sickeningly synthetic sweet and over done and just like yuck mouth after that. This frosting was P-E-R-F-E-C-T, we even had to use some mascarpone because we didn’t have enough of the other ingredients to make the full batch, and I think it added some amazing texture and creamy meld, if I do say so myself. The cake was SO moist (that was another thing I was skeptical about with cakes because so many cake recipes the cake turns out SO dry that you gotta drown it in milk just to swallow it), in this case I had my big old milk cup loaded and ready to go, having no idea that I wouldn’t even need it, it wasn’t tell my 3rd piece of this glorious cake until I even took a sip of my milk, THAT should tell you EVERYTHING that you need to know about this recipe, KUDOS Bella KUDOS!!!! And thanks a million to lady, you out did yourself on this one!!!
Such a stunning cake! I’m very fond of those double flower oranges!
Awww, thanks Carolyn! They are so simple, yet so beautiful!
First off, my pregnant belly is literally screaming for this cake! It is so stunning and the flavors!!!!
hehe! Thank you Tina…the orange blossom is so enticing <3
I kid you not, I could not love these photos more! They’re so fresh and vibrant, and just perfectly lit and edited. Go you, girl and keep up the fab work!!!
Thank you SO very much Pia! That means a lot to me!
Can’t wait to make this! Can you use 2 eggs instead of the flaxseed eggs?
Hello Jenna – I have not tried using regular eggs instead of the flaxseed eggs, but I would not imagine you having any problems – just be mindful of the bake time as it will need some adjusting. You may need to bake a tad longer.