Beautiful and easy to make, this Paleo Cardamom Cake with Orange and Walnuts is a refreshingly light cake full of bright citrus flavor and spicy cardamom.  It’s a treat any time of the day but pairs delightfully with a cup of tea. 

Bundt cakes are always just so lovely.  The design of the pan is decorative enough, in my opinion, and I actually love that Bundt cakes tend to have a longer baking time.  It gives me time to clean up and get something else done while the kitchen fills with delicious aromas.

This Paleo Cardamom Cake with Orange and Walnuts certainly delivers in terms of flavorful aromas.  It has warming wintery flavors like cardamom and walnuts, but paired with the bright sweetness of fresh oranges, the result is a lighter but still satisfying cake. 

My home has several chocolate lovers, but personally, I can’t eat too much chocolate because I’m sensitive to caffeine.  Any chocolate consumption for me has to occur in the morning unless I want to be wide awake at 2 a.m.  So, I love having a scrumptious cake that is filling and flavorful but not as rich as its chocolate counterparts.

I think this Paleo Cardamom Cake is perfect for a snack with tea or sharing with guests.  It would be a terrific choice for breakfast, too.  It’s a great cake to make ahead, so it would work beautifully for a holiday morning spread. 

Although I usual bake Dairy Free, you’ll notice that I have included Lactose-Free Yogurt in this recipe.  With the nuts and the spices, this cake tends towards dryness.  The yogurt provides just the right amount of extra moisture without weighing down the cake, and the lactic acid in the yogurt gives the cake a bit of extra lift which is especially helpful since there are walnuts in the cake. 

Even though I really don’t do well with regular dairy, I have found that baking with Lactose-Free Yogurt occasionally sits okay with me.  If you absolutely cannot do dairy at all, lactose-free or otherwise, I recommended using coconut milk as a substitute. 

I have intentionally kept the decoration of this cake simple.  I like that the surprises are all on the inside – the cardamom, the taste of orange, and the walnuts.  And why not show off the exquisite bundt cake shape?  Sometimes less really is more.  Enjoy!

Why You’ll LOVE this Recipe:

• Paleo and Gluten Free
• Completely Sugar Free
• Low in Cholesterol
• High in Fiber and Healthy Fats
• Delicious and tender crumb
• Easy and quick to make

Ingredients for Paleo Cardamom Cake with Orange and Walnuts:

• almond flour
• baking powder           
• salt
• cardamom
• eggs
• Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks
• liquid stevia
• orange zest and juice
• walnuts
• Lactose-Free plain yogurt

Notes on Ingredients:

Eggs – There are a lot of eggs in this recipe, but the cake doesn’t taste “eggy.”  The eggs provide leavening and structure to the cake as well as a certain springiness.  With the large amount of eggs plus the almond flour, this cake is a protein powerhouse which means that it will fill you up faster and keep you going longer.

Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks – I used to make this cake with coconut oil to make it officially “Paleo,” but I swapped out the coconut oil for Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks for a few reasons.  First of all, Earth Balance is lower in cholesterol, and my husband and I are in the stage of life where we are concerned about that.  Secondly, the coconut oil makes the cake just a touch greasier.  The flavor is fine, if you prefer to use coconut oil, but I find that the Earth Balance produces a lighter, fluffier texture.

Liquid stevia – This is the only sweetener in the recipe.  I always bake with liquid stevia, because it’s much less bitter than the powdered kind.

Orange Zest and Juice – Since you are using the orange peel here in the form of the zest, I do recommend trying to buy an organic orange if possible.  I usually choose a Navel orange. 

How to Make Paleo Cardamom Cake with Orange and Walnuts From Scratch

For such a fancy looking cake with a long title, this cake has very few steps. 

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Grease a Bundt cake pan with Spectrum Organic All-Vegetable Shortening.

In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom.

Melt the Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks.  Add the melted Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks, eggs, liquid stevia, orange zest, orange juice and yogurt to the dry ingredients.  Stir until there are no more lumps.  Stir in the chopped walnuts.

Pour the cake batter into the Bundt cake pan.  Bake for 40 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool completely.  Eat and enjoy!

More Paleo Sugar Free Cake Recipes:

• Paleo Sugar Free Pistachio Cake with Rose and Cardamom
• Paleo Carrot Cake - Sugar Free
• Paleo Black Forest Cake - Sugar Free
• Paleo Chocolate Cake with Marshmallow Frosting
• Paleo Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake - Sugar Free
• Paleo Double Chocolate Cake - Sugar Free