Agave-sweetened orange cake, beautiful and delicious. Photo of a cake covered in orange slices on a beige plate seen from above. Photo credit: Jennifer Margulis.
This is a rich and delicious agave-sweetened cake. The batter contains one whole orange and no sugar. Also, we decorated the top with orange slices this time. But you can also decorate it with edible flowers. Nasturtiums are a great choice.
I love to bake. But, honestly, I don’t like how I feel after I eat conventionally made cakes: fat, bloated, and fatigued.
That said, agave is something of a controversial ingredient. Indeed, agave is a processed food. Even though it’s advertised as raw … So, some of my foodie friends vociferously object to agave-sweetened desserts.
Still, I find agave is one of the only sweeteners I can bake with that doesn’t give me low blood sugar. Other sweeteners that work for me are: canned organic no-sugar-added pineapple, homemade applesauce, and whole dates soaked in water if needed.
Conversely, when I bake with maple syrup, as some experts recommend, I get low blood sugar twenty minutes after eating.
You don’t have to love to bake to make this agave-sweetened orange cake, In fact, this is an easy and delicious agave-sweetened cake to make. You’ll need a food processor with an S-shaped blade.
To make this agave-sweetened orange cake:
1 2/3 cups of whole wheat flour
1 cup einkorn flour
[Note: you need 2 2/3 cups flour for the recipe. Use any combination of flours that you wish. You can also use 1/8 cup of garbanzo bean flour and an 1/8 cup of brown rice flour to make the cake have more protein]
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 cup butter at room temperature
1.5 cups agave
4 eggs
2 t vanilla extract
1 t orange extract
A whole organic orange, washed well, cut in quarters (make sure your orange is organic as the peel will be in the batter!)
1. Combine the dry ingredients and set aside.
2. Cream the softened butter in a food processor fitted with an S-shaped blade. Add agave, eggs, extracts, and orange quarters. Blend well.
3. Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Don’t over-stir!
4. Butter or oil two 9-inch round cake pans. Pour the batter into the two pans.
5. Bake for about 35 minutes at 350. Your house will be filled with a lovely orange aroma.
Frosting for agave-sweetened orange cake:
First, put 4 Tablespoons (or equal parts) softened butter and organic cream cheese in a food processor fitted with an S-shaped blade. Blend well. Second, slowly add a scant cup of confectioners sugar. You can add more if you like sweeter frosting. Finally, add one tablespoon grated orange peel and a squeeze or two of fresh orange juice.
Not in the mood for agave-sweetened orange cake? How about warming up the house by putting a pan of healthy brownies in the oven instead?
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How to Make Norwegian Flatbread
Encourage the Family to Eat Healthy
Published: March 2, 2014
Last update: August 5, 2024
Yum! I love citrusy sweets. I’ve made a very similar cake with lemons, and sometimes coconut whipped cream on the side. Delish.
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Let me start by saying that I have more failures in the kitchen than successes. But I made this and it was so good! I did muffins instead of a cake and my family even liked them!
I’m so glad this recipe works for you — and that your family liked your orange muffins, Nicole!
Are you sure you don’t mean high blood sugar? Usually that is what happens if someone eats sweeteners…
Thanks for asking, Ralph! What happens for me is when I eat sweets I get high blood sugar for awhile and then my blood sugar plummets and I feel weak and shaky. That low blood sugar feeling comes from the fluctuations in blood sugar caused by eating conventional refined sugars and other unhealthy sweeteners.