Moroccan Orange Cake
Moroccan Orange Cake features a sweet orange syrup that is spooned over the warm cake repeatedly until it has been completely absorbed. This recipe is Clodagh McKenna’s recipe for Moroccan Orange Cake, as seen in her cookbook, Clodagh’s Kitchen Diaries (Kyle Books, 2012).
Clodagh McKenna’s Moroccan Orange Cake is made using breadcrumbs, ground almonds, and a sweet citrus syrup that makes the light cake ultra-moist and full of flavor.
Disclosure: Clodagh McKenna’s cookbook was received as a package from Kerry Gold and the Irish Dairy Board to help celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. I was not compensated by Kerry Gold or the Irish Dairy Board; I am sharing this cake because I truly believe you will love it, too. As always, all opinions are my own.
“Just one day more,” my son whispered into my ear this morning.
I was enjoying the Saturday stillness, laying in my bed. It was wonderful not to have to be anywhere, to be able to breathe in the cool, spring breeze coming in through the window, to hear the birds chirping in the trees.
“One day until what?” I have to admit, I was a little baffled at the countdown.
“Till the leprechaun comes!”
Ah, now I get it.
I told you the story — this time last year, in fact — of how I am the daughter of an Irishwoman. If a love for my mother’s Irish Soda Bread and corned beef and Irish accents count, that is. I suppose I could also say that since then, I have welcomed an [half] Irish (but truly born and partially raised in Ireland) brother in law into our family. That is true. But when it comes to celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, we join the rest of the world — we love it for the fun of it.
As a child, St. Patrick was no different than St. Nick, or St. Francis for that matter. I was raised in Catholic schools, were patron saints held meaning. But my children have a different view on things. I asked them and their wee little friends what St. Patrick’s Day means to them and they gave me all the secular representations: leprechauns, four leaf clovers, green, and pots of gold.
The leprechaun will visit us tomorrow, and play all sorts of pranks. He’s been known to turn yogurt green, leave green footprints, and even pee in the toilet green (which always makes me wonder, why don’t leprechauns ever flush the toilet?). As for the grown ups? We’ll celebrate – I will be cooking from Clodagh McKenna‘s newly released cookbook, Clodagh’s Kitchen Diaries.
We entertained friends tonight, and I made Clodagh’s Moroccan Orange Cake. It was the perfect ending to our evening filled with good bites: spongy breads, smooth Skellig, and a variety of charcuterie. The sweet nectar of the orange syrup soaked beautifully into the rustic cake, pairing perfectly with the night’s dessert wine. It sang of springtime, and I like to think, an Irish ballad too. This is a cake to be enjoyed, with friends, whether gathered for St. Patrick’s Day…or not.
Disclosure: Clodagh McKenna’s newly released cookbook, Clodach’s Kitchen Diaries, was received as part of a package from Kerry Gold and the Irish Dairy Board to help celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Recipe reprinted with permission from Clodagh’s Kitchen Diaries by Clodagh McKenna © 2013 Kyle Books. Cookbook photograph © Kate Whitaker. I was not compensated by Kerry Gold or the Irish Dairy Board; I am sharing this cake because I truly believe you will love it, too. As always, all opinions are my own.
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Moroccan Orange Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup slightly stale white breadcrumbs
- 1 cup superfine sugar
- 1 cup ground almonds
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup sunflower oil
- 4 eggs
- finely grated zest of 1 large unwaxed orange
- finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
- whipped cream or Greek yogurt to serve (optional)
For the citrus syrup
- juice of 1 orange
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/3 cup superfine sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 cloves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line the base, grease, and flour an 8×2-inch round cake pan.
- Mix together the breadcrumbs, sugar, almonds, and baking powder. Whisk the oil with the eggs, then pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the orange and lemon zests. Pour the mixture into the cake pan and cook in the oven for 45–60 minutes or until the cake is golden brown. Check that the cake is cooked by inserting a skewer into the center; if it’s ready the skewer should come out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
- Meanwhile, make the citrus syrup. Put all the ingredients into a saucepan and bring gently to a boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved completely. Simmer for 3 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves from the syrup.
- While the cake is still warm, pierce it several times with a skewer, then spoon the hot syrup over the cake, allowing it to run into the holes. Leave to cool. Spoon any excess syrup back over the cake every now and then until it is all soaked up. Serve with whipped cream or a dollop of thick Greek yogurt, if you like.
Notes
Nutrition
Comments
COOKBOOK
What is super fine sugar, is it icing sugar?
Hi Roberta, super fine sugar is just a finer grain than regular granulated sugar, used for baking. It’s also known as caster sugar. Icing sugar is even finer (powdered sugar). If you can’t find it, you can take standard granulated sugar and give it a blitz in a food processor. I hope that helps!
Are the cup measurements UK or US size cup?
Thanks for the amazing recipe. By the way, this cake is called ”pasta” and is a specialty of Northern Morocco :) It can also be made with walnuts (instead of almonds).
So nice to know! Thank you for sharing!
Does this mean breadcrumbs from a canister that are finely ground or breadcrumbs I make from an old loaf of bread (in which case, how small should the crumbs be?)? It looks delicious.. I just want to do it right.
Hi Kayl, I make breadcrumbs from stale bread. I pulse it in a food processor until I have nearly fine crumbs ( I take it just past course crumbs and pulse a few more times). I hope that helps!
try this orange cake
Hi there! I believe you probably meant to share/email this recipe, but it looks like you left a comment instead! Next time, there is an email button under the “Share This” part under the recipe card that should help. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
I absolutely LOVE this recipe, I wondered if it freezes well? And would you add the syrup before freezing or once you defrost it when you want to eat it?
Thanks, Kylie! I haven’t tested freezing the cake, but I would recommend finishing the cake with the syrup, then let it cool completely. After it’s completely cool, then wrap it well and freeze. Please let me know how it goes!
I made this today because I had a couple of oranges sitting on the bench needing to be used. It was really deliciously light and full of citrus flavour and I would definitely make again. The only comment I would make is that because it required an orange and a lemon there was no overriding orange or lemon flavour. I would say it was a citrus cake. But it was very nice.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake, Keryn!
Love this cake
Thank you, Bea!
Unbelievable recipe!! Thank you so much for posting it. I can’t tell how many times I have been making it. Easy and so yummy. It’s a keeper:-))
You’re so welcome, Anat! I’m so happy that it’s a keeper!
Like this cake. recipe is so simple to make but I am wondering that there’s no all purpose flour in the recipe. Please explain . I want to make this cake on coming weekend
Thanks
Alka
Hi Alka, you are correct, there is no all-purpose flour in the recipe. Instead, you will use white breadcrumbs and ground almonds (aka almond meal). I hope that helps, enjoy!
Can I use almond flour?
Hi Sarah! I have not tested this cake recipe with almond flour personally, though conventional wisdom says that almond flour can be substituted for almond meal (ground almonds) in general. It will alter the texture of the cake but should work. Please let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
I wish people would use the correct word, “strained yogurt”, instead of “Greek” yogurt.
“Greek yogurt” is nothing but an American marketing term for what is really “strained yogurt”. “Greek style” yogurt is also used in Gr. Britain, again more marketing than reality or education. In Greece, Greeks do actually and indeed eat a lot regular yogurt like the rest of the world. They know that strained yogurt is a type of yogurt, and no need for the word “Greek” in front of it. The reason why it is not Greek is because strained yogurt is a regional food throughout the eastern Mediterranean, central and southern Asia. Thus, to name and call a food product with just one of the countries that makes and enjoys this type of yogurt is insulting to all the people of the various countries that also eat and enjoy this food that has been part of their respective cultures as well, and they didn’t get it from the Greeks.
I am going to try this excellent sounding recipe. But, I have to say that strained yogurt is not at all a substitute for whipped cream as this recipe implies. I understand that recipe is just a suggestion for a topping, but it reads more like an equivalent substitute. As a topping suggestion it would read better to write something like; “If you want a creamy type topping, then try some lightly sweetened fresh whipped cream, or strained yogurt, or regular yogurt”. The flavor profile of fresh whipped cream is vastly different to yogurt, as well as having quite different textures.
Sweetened strained yogurt can make an excellent topping for desserts, or be a dessert itself, but it does not at all taste like whipped cream.
I made this cake over the weekend to take to a dinner party. I added candied orange slices to the top for a spectacular presentation. This cake was nothing short of phenomenal! Easy & unusual this cake serves many as a small piece is so rich and delicious. Its a keeper for sure!
Hi there,
this cake looks lovely, and reminds me of one I used to buy in a local cafe here in Northern Ireland. I was wondering what size of egg was used in the recipe. As sizes vary, could you perhaps tell me the weight of an egg used instead, please?
Many thanks!
I’ve just tried tour recipe, it is absolutely wonderful!
Beautiful recipe! I just love this cake, I have to bake it soon!
This looks so tasty and your photos are amazing, thanks for sharing!
A must try…so moist
So intrigued by this!! I love pretty much anything Moroccan but I must say that I’ve never had Moroccan cake.
On another note, I just taught my ESL students the real story of St. Patrick’s Day and I myself was amazed at how much I didn’t know. What an incredible story!! Hope you and your family had a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day!!
I had never had a Moroccan cake, either, Becky. It was lovely. Definitely a new favorite of mine.
It really is amazing how much history is lost in these celebrations – I really should take the time to teach it to my kids!
Mmm yum, what a delicious sounding cake!
I hope you get to try it, Rosie!
This cake is so beautiful. From the ingredient list it sounds so perfectly sweet. I want some right now!
Thank you, Bernadette. You’re right, it is definitely sweet!
Your son is so cute — with all the whispering :)
And I want to devour this cake. Right now!
The whispering is cute…if only it didn’t wake me in the morning!! :)
Ah yes, the leprechauns. There were several traps set in our house and the leprechauns wreaked a little havoc.
What a beautiful cake. This is exactly the sort of light cake I’d love to enjoy with a cup of tea.
Sounds like your kids had some fun with the naughty leprechauns! And you’re right, a cup of tea with this cake would be perfect.
Looks so good and interesting in texture. Love the orange in the pitcher in the picture. Pulls it altogether and makes me smell orange.
The orange is so vibrant and alluring, it was definitely a happy picture to make! And you’re right, the texture is definitely different from your average cake!
Happy St. Paddy’s Day! Beautiful cake!!
Thanks, Belinda!! Hope you had a fun one!
Oh I can practically smell the lovely orange perfume of this cake! What a beauty, the citrus syrup sounds heavenly!
The citrus syrup was absolutely heavenly, Laura. The cake just soaked it all in so beautifully.
This cake looks amazing! I don’t think I’ve ever baked with breadcrumbs actually in the cake batter (although lining my bundt pan is a different story). Citrus for the win!
Baking with breadcrumbs was a first for me, too, Eileen, but it was lovely!
Sounds and looks delicious, Liren!
Thanks Winnie! I really loved making it as much as eating it (I do think I ate most of it, ahem.)