Orange Almond Cake

Elevate any holiday celebration with this delicious orange almond cake. The easy to make single layer cake is soaked with Rhum Clement Créole Shrubb Liqueur d’Orange.

Note: This post was sponsored by Spiribam. Thank you for supporting my brand partners. As always, all opinions stated here are entirely my own.

Creole Shrubb

Don’t confuse Creole Shrubb with the vinegar based shrub syrup (such as this blackberry shrub drink) popular in the United States.

Shrubb, spelled with two b’s, is a traditional Martinique rum based liqueur. It is made with dried citrus peels and a combination of local spices, such as cinnamon, allspice, and cloves.

Shrubb season in Martinique begins November 1st on All Saints’ Day. This kicks off a great holiday traditions of the Caribbean. This coincides with when the citrus harvest is abundant on the island.

Traditionally, families would gather on All Saints’ Day to start the process of making their family shrubb.

Many families have secret recipes that have been handed down through generations. Everyone gets involved in peeling citrus fruit and gathering spices.

Sun dried orange peels along with local spices such as vanilla and cinnamon are steeped in rum and sweetened with sugar cane syrup. This mixture is steeped and then enjoyed all holiday season long!

Rum Soaked Cake

The sweet, rich, and slightly spicy shrubb is often enjoyed on its own. It’s delicious mixed with sparkling wine and adds a touch of elegance and complexity to classic cocktails such as margarita, old fashioned, or tiki rum punch.

For the ultimate experience, drink your shrubb and eat it, too! This orange almond cake uses Creole Shrubb in the cake batter. Then, the baked cake is generously soaked and infused with a Creole Shrubb simple syrup mixture.

The resulting rum soaked orange almond cake is super moist and flavorful!

Martinique Rum Creole Shrubb

Rhum Clement Liqueur D’Orange is an exquisite mixture of French Caribbean rum, sun-dried orange peels, and local spices.

The combination of citrus peel, cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg, clove, and vanilla used in this shrubb is a Clement family recipe that traces back to the 1800s.

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

Eggs are whisked until thick and pale. It is VERY IMPORTANT to beat the eggs to the right consistency. Do not skimp on this step.

Orange Zest enhances the citrus notes of the Creole Shrubb. The freshly grated orange zest adds bright fresh flavor to the baked cake.

• You may use a combination of lemon, orange, and/or grapefruit zest to add little more zing.
• Use a fine zester grater or microplane. Be careful not to dig too deep into the fruit. Stay away from the bitter pith (spongey white tissue lining rind of citrus fruit).

Almond Flour, almond meal, or ground almonds may be used in this recipe. The main difference between ground almonds and flour/meal is texture. Some varieties are ground finer than others.

• I used (unpeeled) skin on almond flour. As a result, the baked cake has slightly more color.
• You may use blanched (peeled) ground almonds for a cream-colored cake.

Melted Butter is added to the batter along with the other liquids. To make this a dairy-free cake, you may substitute a neutral flavored baking oil such as grape seed oil.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Whisk eggs, sugar, and vanilla for about 10 minutes until mixture is thick and very pale in color.
2. Alternate adding dry and wet ingredients to egg mixture. Pour into prepared springform cake pan. Generously sprinkle sliced almonds over cake batter.
3. Bake cake for about 30 minutes until the sliced almonds are golden.
4. Use a toothpick or skewer to poke holes all over the hot cake. Pour rum syrup over hot cake. Let cake sit and absorb syrup.

This recipe works best in a 9-inch round springform cake pan. A springform pan allows for easy cake removable.

Serving Suggestion

You can certainly enjoy the cake warm, fresh the oven. However, the orange almond cake greatly benefits from resting overnight.

Cool the cake to room temperature after adding the shrubb simple syrup.

Tightly cover soaked cake in plastic wrap, or keep in an airtight container. Keep it out at room temperature overnight.

This extended rest period allows the cake to fully absorb the flavors of the shrubb.

The orange almond cake has ample time to regain its structure. As a result, the cake will be easier to slice. (Note: A serrated knife is recommended for slicing due to the abundance of sliced almonds.)

Storage Instructions

This orange almond cake may be left out at room temperature for several days due to the amount of sugar and liqueur used in the recipe.

Store cooled cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four days. Keep in the fridge in an airtight container for even longer storage.

Cake is delicious as is. For extra flavor, drizzle cake slices with leftover shrubb simple syrup. Cake slices may also be garnished with sifted powdered sugar.

More Ways to Enjoy Clement Creole Shrubb

• Clement Creole Shrubb may be used in place of any recipe that calls for Cointreau, Grand Marnier, or any orange liqueur
• Add a splash of Clement Creole Shrubb to champagne or sparkling wine for an elegant toast this Christmas or New Year’s Eve
• It’s fabulous in tiki drinks that use dark rum or cinnamon simple syrup.
• Add a splash to French toast, pancakes, or crepes for an unforgettable brunch treat

More Orange Recipes

• Orange Juice Cake
• Orange Blossom Bundt Cake
• Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake
• Orange Marmalade Cake