Grain-Free Orange Cake Bars

This healthyish and bright dessert will make citrus lovers jump for joy. Bursting with orange flavour and made of good-for-you ingredients, the balanced sweet treat is perfect to celebrate orange season.

A tangy and light treat

If I see an opportunity to celebrate one of my favourite fruits, I don’t hesitate. And when it comes to oranges, I love to incorporate the fresh flavour into a fun and balanced dessert. These healthyish orange cake bars fit that criteria perfectly. Using the fresh zest and juice of an orange transforms this sweet treat into a bright and fluffy dessert you want to make on repeat.

8 simple ingredients and a pinch of salt

Almond flour: Substituting almond flour for regular flour makes these orange bars a nourishing treat, delivering some complex instead of simple carbs.

Eggs: I used eggs in this recipe. I think it would also work with a vegan substitute like flax eggs, but I didn’t try it yet.

Greek yogurt: The yogurt adds to the cake not getting dry while baking.

Vegetable oil: Use a light tasting vegetable oil (e.g. rapeseed or sunflower oil), so you don’t have a flavour you might not want to have in your dough.

Orange: Ahhh, how can you resist the tangy and zesty attitude of this glorious fruit. To get the best of the mouthwatering flavour the zest and juice of a fresh and organic orange are used in this recipe.

Baking powder: To make the cake bars rise and shine, I used some baking powder to help with the process.

Vanilla extract: This is my go-to when baking sweet treats. Almost every dessert benefits from a little vanilla love.

Honey: Using a lower amount of a more natural sweetener, gives this cake just the right amount of sweetness without being loaded with sugar.

Salt: Always add a pinch of salt into your doughs. It might seem odd when baking a sweet treat, but it brings out the other flavour even more without tasting salty.

Craving more orange goodness? Try this flavourful and balanced Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins, a flavour combo you don’t want to miss.

How to make these Grain Free Orange Cake Bars

The perfect match between fluffy and tangy is just 45 minutes away. Following a few easy steps, this fool-proof cake bars will be your next favourite coffee treat. To make it light and fluffy, here is the breakdown of this delicious recipe:

Firstly, separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and whisk the egg whites in a bowl until a white foam forms. Test the foam by carefully turning over the bowl. If it stays in the bowl, it’s good to go. Set aside

Next, whisk together all the wet ingredients with a hand mixer. Mix almond flour with baking powder and salt. Now combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients until a dough forms.

Carefully fold the egg white foam into the dough until combined.

Lastly, put the dough into a lined 20x20 cm (8x8 inch) baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven on 170°C (340°F) for 30-35 minutes until slightly browned.