Strawberry and orange marble cake

I’m a huge fan of a gluten free loaf cake, and this strawberry and orange marble cake is just the perfect summer bake!

With swirls of strawberry and orange sponge, an orange drizzle, orange icing and plenty of fresh strawberries, this will look just beautiful at a tea party of picnic.

Plus the marble cake effect is SO easy – your guests will think you slaved away for hours making it – and I won’t tell if you don’t!

Marvellous marble cake

The best thing about this strawberry and orange marble cake is that while it looks super pretty on the inside, you can cut it open to reveal its swirly secret! 

The gluten free sponges are flavoured with blended fresh strawberries in one and orange zest in the other.

Swirl them together and it creates this lovely effect – it’s just a super photogenic cake and it tastes delicious too.

This gluten free loaf cake is bursting with summer flavours – it’s a bit like a summery version of my gluten free chocolate orange marble cake.

Strawberry and orange – a fab combination

I was originally going to make this a strawberry and lemon cake, to remind me of that classic, summery drink of strawberry lemonade.

However after discovering some pretty sorry-looking oranges in the fruit bowl, I thought the two could work together in combination – and avoid wasting any food!

I actually used the zest of both oranges in the sponge and some of the juice in the icing – and then had a small glass of freshly squeezed juice to reward my troubles.

It turns out strawberry and orange is just a dream combination, as you get the lovely zest from the orange and the sweetness of the strawberries.

Plus I love the colours pink and orange together- I’m all for a good colour clash – so this cake was basically the dream.

How to make a gluten free marble cake

While the swirl of a marble cake looks deceivingly complex, making this strawberry and orange marble cake is actually ridiculously simple.

Once you’ve made the basic sponge, you just need to separate it into two different bowls.

To one bowl I added orange zest (you could add orange food colouring too, but I went for a more subtle approach!).

And in the second bowl I added some blended fresh strawberries. I also chose to add a tiny amount of gel pink food colouring to add a bit more of a contract between the two colours.

Once both cake batters were flavoured, simply spoon them at random into your prepared cake tin, swirl gently using a knife (not too much or they’ll just blend together!) and bake. Simple!

What ingredients do I need for this cake?

To make my gluten free strawberry and orange marble cake, you’ll need some basic cake ingredients plus the flavourings, and the syrup and icing ingredients too.

The icing on this cake is completely optional, but I do think it makes the cake look more polished – and easier to decorate with fresh strawberries as it gives them something to stick to.

The full recipe is below (in a printable format) but for the shopping list you’ll need:

• 175g caster sugar
• 175g self-raising gluten free flour (I always use FREEE by Doves Farm)
• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
• 175g unsalted butter (softened)
• 3 large eggs
• 2 oranges (zest only)
• 8 fresh strawberries
• Pink food colouring (optional)

You’ll also need the ingredients for the drizzle and the icing, which are:

• Juice of 1 orange
• 75g caster sugar
• 100g icing sugar
• 1 tbsp orange juice
• Orange zest and fresh strawberries (optional – to decorate)

Substitutions and swaps

If you wanted to make this cake dairy free, I would recommend using Stork baking block.

I use this in all my dairy free bakes and it always produces a great result!

You could try an egg replacer in this for an egg-free bake, but I’ve never experimented with it myself so couldn’t comment on how it would work or which is best.

I always recommend using FREEE gluten free flours as they are available in UK supermarkets and I really like the way they bake.

Do be aware that if you use a different gluten free flour blend, it may produce a slightly different result.

My strawberry and orange marble cake recipe

Here it is – my gluten free strawberry and orange marble cake recipe – aka the perfect summer bake!

This makes enough for a standard 2lb loaf tin – it would bake into a 20cm round tin as well but you may need to cook it for slightly less time.

I love seeing it when you make my recipes, so don’t forget to tag me on Instagram and use #theglutenfreeblogger if you give this a go!

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Yield: 8

Strawberry and orange marble cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

This gluten free strawberry and orange marble cake recipe is the perfect summer bake! Swirls of strawberry and orange sponge, with an orange drizzle and icing. This recipe makes enough for a 2lb loaf tin and will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container.

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Ingredients

For the cake:

• 175g caster sugar
• 175g unsalted butter (softened)
• 175g self-raising gluten free flour (I always use FREEE by Doves Farm)
• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
• 3 large eggs
• 2 oranges (zest only)
• 8 fresh strawberries
• Pink food colouring (optional)

For the drizzle:

• Juice of 1 orange
• 75g caster sugar

For the icing:

• 100g icing sugar
• 1 tbsp orange juice
• Orange zest and fresh strawberries (optional - to decorate)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180'C / Fan 160'C / Gas Mark 4. Line a 2lb loaf tin with baking paper and set to one side.
2. Add the caster sugar, butter, eggs, flour and xanthan gum to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until it forms a thick batter with no lumps.
3. Pour half the batter into a second bowl, so you have two bowls with an even amount of batter in each. In one bowl, add the zest of two oranges and mix together well.
4. Blend the strawberries (or mash with a fork) and add to the second bowl along with a couple of drops of pink food colouring (if using). Mix well until fully combined.
5. Take spoonfuls of each batter and randomly place them into the lined loaf tin - there doesn't have to be a specific patter, just dollop them in at random! Once all the batter is in the tin, use a knife to gently swirl the mixture. Don't over-mix as you'll blend the two colours together.
6. Smooth out the top of the cake and bang on the worktop firmly once to ensure there are no air bubbles. Place in the oven and bake for 50-55 minutes, until the cake is golden on top and well risen, and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
7. While the cake is cooking, make the syrup. Pour the orange juice and caster sugar into a saucepan and place on a low heat. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1-2 minutes, then remove from the heat.
8. When the cake is done, remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. While the cake is still hot, prick all over with a skewer and then spoon over the syrup to ensure it's all covered. Leave to cool completely.
9. Once the cake is cool, make icing by mixing the icing sugar and orange juice until it forms a thick paste. Pour over the cake, smoothing out to cover. Decorate with fresh strawberries and extra orange zest before slicing and serving.

Notes

• If you only have plain gluten free flour, add 3 tsp baking powder and mix well before adding to the cake mixture.
• If you are using a flour blend which does NOT contain xanthan gum, add an extra 1/4 of xanthan gum to the mixture.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 486Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 117mgSodium: 49mgCarbohydrates: 74gFiber: 2gSugar: 53gProtein: 6g

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And if you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next!

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