Grain-Free Cranberry Orange Breakfast Cake made with fresh cranberries and orange zest is a perfectly sweet treat that is healthy enough for breakfast or snack! This paleo cake recipe will knock your socks off and please your guests!
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Well, hello, cranberry-studded cake of zesty bliss!
If you’re jonesing for a fresh, seasonally-inspired cake recipe that also happens to be lower in sugar, you’ve landed on the right piece of internet!
This grain-free cranberry orange breakfast cake is all things:
- Gluten-free and grain-free
- Naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup
- Lower in sugar/carbohydrate than a traditional cake recipe
- Fresh and frisky in flavor
- Perfectly moist and fluffy
And marvelous for sharing with friends and family! Particularly over the holiday season.

The way I see it, this paleo cranberry orange cake is marvelous as a make-ahead breakfast for entertaining guests during the holidays.
It’s so palate pleasing, requires zero hoops through which to jump, and can be consumed as breakfast, snack, OR dessert.
That’s versatility!
What Type of Grain-Free Flour to Use:
I have tested this recipe using both Super Fine Almond Flour and Bob’s Red Mill’s Paleo Baking Flour, which is a combination of almond flour, arrowroot starch, coconut flour, and tapioca flour. It can be used as a 1:1 replacement for almond flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour.
The end result is a baked good you’d never guess was gluten-free, much less grain-free! For those of you who enjoy making paleo baked goods, or anyone who is looking for cleaner treat options, I highly suggest you give the flour a whirl!

Let’s bake it!
How to Make Grain-Free Cranberry Orange Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line the bottom of a 8-inch spring form cake pan with parchment paper. Note: you can also use a regular cake pan – simply spray with cooking oil.
Combine the wet ingredients (eggs, oil, pure maple syrup, vanilla extract, and orange zest) in a bowl and whisk until well-combined.
Add the remaining dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, sea salt, and cranberries) to a separate bowl and stir.

Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until well-combined. The batter will be thick! This is normal.


Transfer the cake batter to the prepared cake pan and smooth into an even layer.

Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the cake has set up and the edges turn golden-brown. Turn off the oven and allow the cake to sit in the still warm oven for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
Remove cake from oven and allow it to cool at least 30 minutes before releasing the mold, slicing, and serving.

If desired, sift maple sugar (or powdered sugar or powdered erythritol over the cake) for added sweetness.
Recipe Adaptations:
- Use either 2.5 cups Paleo Baking Flour or 2.5 cups almond flour.
- Use algae oil, olive oil, coconut oil, or almond oil in place of avocado oil.
- Swap honey, agave, or coconut nectar for the pure maple syrup. If you use pure maple syrup, keep a watchful eye on the cake, as honey tends to burn easily.

You May Also Love:
- Grain-Free Almond Strawberry Breakfast Cake
- Grain-Free Banana Cake with Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting
- Gluten-Free Apple Bundt Cake
- Paleo Blueberry Coffee Cake
Enjoy this healthy cranberry orange cake!
My cookbook, Paleo Power Bowls, is now available! CLICK HERE to check it out. Thank you for your support!
If you make this recipe, please feel free to share a photo and tag @The.Roasted.Root on Instagram!
Grain-Free Cranberry Orange Breakfast Cake
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 oranges zested about 2 Tbsp orange zest
- 2 1/2 cups Super Fine Almond Flour or Paleo Baking Flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- powdered erythritol for dusting, optional*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line the bottom of a 8-inch spring form cake pan with parchment paper. Note: you can also use a regular cake pan – simply spray with cooking oil.
- Combine the wet ingredients (eggs, oil, pure maple syrup, vanilla extract, and orange zest) in a bowl and whisk until well-combined.
- Add the remaining dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, sea salt, and cranberries) to a separate bowl and stir.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until well-combined. The batter will be thick! This is normal.
- Transfer the cake batter to the prepared cake pan and smooth into an even layer. Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the cake has set up and the edges turn golden-brown. Turn off the oven and allow the cake to sit in the still warm oven for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
- Remove cake from oven and allow it to cool at least 30 minutes before releasing the mold, slicing, and serving. If desired, sift maple sugar (or powdered sugar or powdered erythritol over the cake) for added sweetness.
Notes
Nutrition
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Eileen
Saturday 24th of December 2022
Is it possible to use regular white whole wheat flour instead of almond flour ? Thank you
Jessica
Thursday 3rd of December 2020
I really like this cake! I zested 2 oranges but only got (at the most) 1.5 tablespoons of zest. I wanted to make sure I had a good amount of orange flavor in there, so I lowered the maple syrup to 1/3 cup and added in orange juice until the liquid level reached 1/2 cup total. Probably not as sweet as original recipe but I don’t mind at all. It’s deliciously festive! I used almond flour. Also used an 8” square glass pan.
Julia
Thursday 3rd of December 2020
I'm so happy you like it, Jessica!! Thanks so much for letting me know your substitutions. Hope you have a fabulous holiday season! xoxo
Jessica
Thursday 3rd of December 2020
Forgot to add I subbed grapeseed oil for avocado oil!
Mary
Saturday 1st of February 2020
Do you think this could be converted to vegan?
Stephanie
Monday 25th of May 2020
I have made this several times using flax eggs and it's delicious!
Alene
Wednesday 11th of December 2019
Yikes! I have all the ingredients! And a perfect way to use up some of my cranberries. I can't wait to make this. Thank you!
Julia
Friday 13th of December 2019
I hope you love it, Alene! xo
Brandy B.
Sunday 8th of December 2019
Hi there, I’m wondering about using ghee instead of avocado oil. I love the taste of ghee. I’m also thinking about using half the syrup and 32 drops of clear liquid stevia (I found a post online of someone who has experimented with stevia as a sub for honey and indicates that 8 drops of stevia per TB of missing honey/syrup is a good sub). However, this may indicate a need for more moisture back in the cake (such as using more oil/ghee). Any thoughts on this?
Thank you for all your recipes!! I have Lyme, Epstein Barr, SIBO, and candida. It’s gotten so much better and I’m grateful for the joy your recipes have brought me in my food limitations.
Julia
Monday 9th of December 2019
Hi Brandy!
I love the thought of using ghee instead of avocado oil for a nice buttery flavor! I would offset the loss of liquid by either adding full-fat coconut milk (from a can) or more ghee. Let me know how it turns out! xoxo