This post is sponsored by Meyenberg Goat Milk – thank you for supporting brands who support vegukate.

Hey, hi, hello to the most scrumptious cake I’ve ever made: gluten-free, healthy Vanilla Almond Cake with Blood Orange Buttercream!

This simple vanilla almond cake with blood orange buttercream is not only moist (sorry if you hate that word), it’s bursting with sweet and zesty blood orange flavor, and topped with the most melt-in-your-mouth, creamy buttercream frosting ever thanks to Meyenberg European-Style goat milk butter. If you’ve never used goat milk butter for homemade buttercream before, prepare yourself for a treat! Soft, flavorful, and uniquely delicious, it truly elevates this simple gluten-free cake.

Ingredient Spotlight:

Blood oranges – Sweet, seasonal blood oranges have an orange-colored peel exterior and gorgeously vibrant red interior. That red-hued color is thanks to a plethora of anthocyanins, a type of antioxidant studied for their anti-cancer effects. Blood oranges are also rich in water-soluble vitamin C which is beneficial for white blood cells to work efficiently, as well as other nutrients including vitamin A, potassium, manganese, and potassium.

Blood oranges contain both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber. Soluble fiber adds bulk and digestive system support (while helping to reduce cholesterol too!), while insoluble fiber acts as a prebiotic and feeds the healthy bugs in the gut.

Goat milk butter – Let’s talk buttah! I’ve used Meyenberg’s goat milk butter in this cake recipe, which is rich and creamy, and utterly delicious when whipped into a citrusy buttercream. Goat milk butter is known to have a low melting point, which makes it ideal for baking into a cake and whipping into frosting. It’s also lightly salted to help balance out the sweet and sour of the powdered sugar and blood orange.

Goat milk butter is made from churning fresh goat milk, and as I’ve mentioned before, is filled with nourishing health benefits. Along with containing less lactose than cow’s milk (making it easier to digest!), goat’s milk is rich in vitamin A (more than cow’s milk) and contains impressive amounts of potassium, iron, and calcium, too. Goat’s milk also contains oligosaccharides, a type of non-digestible carbohydrate of a similar amount and structure to those found in human breastmilk. These carbohydrates act as prebiotics (food for our friendly gut bugs) and help to support the health of our digestive system and microbiome.

Almond flour – I love baking with almond flour. Flour is used as a loose word, because almond flour is actually made from finely ground almonds. Because of this, almond flour is packed with heart-healthy fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, respectively!) as well as vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

Pastured eggs – if available, seek out pastured eggs to reap their full nutritious benefits. Chickens who are able to roam on pasture and eat their natural diet (filled with lots of bugs and grub) produce higher-quality, and more nutritious eggs. Eggs are a total superfood and an incredible source of B vitamins (including choline, an essential nutrient for building cell membranes, brain health and development), selenium, folate, vitamin D, and protein, among other nutrients. Another reason to enjoy eggs? They support eye health thanks to their concentration of lutein and zeaxanthin, powerful antioxidants that accumulate in the retina of the eye. Numerous studies have shown that these two antioxidants can significantly reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration.

With so many nutrient-dense and seasonal ingredients, this gluten-free Vanilla Almond Cake with Blood Orange Buttercream is a total treat – and totally nourishing for your soul and body. Happy baking, and Happy Valentine’s Day!

Vanilla Almond Cake with Blood Orange Buttercream

Yields one 8-inch cake

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

Vanilla Almond Cake:
2 ½ cups almond flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. sea salt
1 cup whole goat milk yogurt
1/3 cup coconut sugar
2 eggs
¼ cup melted Meyenberg Goat Milk butter, cooled to room temperature
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
Zest of 1 blood orange

Blood Orange Buttercream:
¾ cup Meyenberg Goat Milk butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
½ tbsp. blood orange zest
2-3 tbsp. blood orange juice

¼ cup coconut flakes, to garnish
1 blood orange, skin removed and sliced into rounds, to garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly grease an 8×8 pan or 8-inch round cake pan.
2. In a large bowl whisk together almond flour, baking powder, and sea salt. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl whisk together yogurt, coconut sugar, eggs, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract and blood orange zest.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk well to combine.
5. Pour cake batter into greased cake pan.
6. Bake cake 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool completely before frosting with buttercream.
7. While cake bakes, prepare buttercream. In a medium bowl, whip butter until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Add powdered sugar and orange zest. Slowly add in blood orange juice one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency and color is reached. Whip buttercream until smooth and creamy, about 1-2 minutes.
8. Frost cooled cake with buttercream and garnish with coconut flakes and blood orange. Enjoy!

Notes:

-This vanilla almond cake is adapted from Goop’s Almond Flour Lemon Yogurt Cake
-Feel free to swap goat milk yogurt to whole dairy yogurt, if desired. I have not tested this recipe with an alternate yogurt, but I suspect a thick full-fat coconut yogurt would work well here too
-No blood orange, no problem. Swap with another orange variety, or to make extra zesty and delicious: lemon!