Orange Cake

I absolutely love baking with oranges or any citrus for that matter. Baking with citrus brings such a light and fresh flavor to any baked goods. My Orange Olive Oil Cake, Chocolate Orange Cake and Blood Orange Loaf Cake and are just a few of my favorite orange cake recipes on the blog.  If you’re a fan of simple cakes with tons of fresh orange flavor I know you will love this cake recipe just as much as I do. 

• Layers of flavor and textures. One thing I adore about this orange juice cake is the contrast of textures with tons of orange flavor. The oil freshly squeezed orange juice creates a beautiful tender, moist and fluffy crumb. The crunchy orange sugar syrup and creamy orange glaze add another layer of orange flavor with delightfully contrasting textures. 
• Easy to make. This orange dessert cake can be mad using a mixer and a bundt or loaf pan. Simply mix, bake, glaze and enjoy.

This orange cake recipe requires just a handful of simple ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your pantry and fridge.  Here’s what you’ll need.

Orange Cake 

• Dry Ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
• Wet Ingredients: Gather granulated sugar, orange zest, oil, eggs, freshly squeezed orange juice and vanilla extract.

Orange Sugar Syrup and Glaze

Gather freshly squeezed orange juice, granulated sugar and powdered sugar.

Here are my recommended ingredient substitutions to make this easy orange zest cake if you need them.

• All purpose flour: Make this orange juice bundt cake gluten free by using a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill. Measure based off weight (300 g) rather than cup for cup. 
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda: This recipe hasn’t been tested using baking soda in place of the baking powder. Make sure the baking powder is fresh and in date.
• Granulated Sugar: This cake with orange glaze calls for granulated sugar, but maple sugar would also work well to make this cake refined sugar free. If you decide to use maple sugar, process the sugar in a food processor until the granules of sugar are the consistency of superfine sugar. 
• Orange Zest and Juice: Orange is an essential ingredient in this cake recipe. I highly recommend using fresh orange zest and freshly squeezed orange juice in this orange slice cake. Feel free to use your favorite orange. I personally love using Cara Cara oranges when they are in season. 
• Oil: Any neutral oil will work for this cake recipe. I love using  a mild, slightly fruity olive oil for this cake. 
• Eggs: This recipe has not been tested without eggs. Make sure they large  are room temperature.
• Vanilla Extract: Vanilla pairs beautifully with orange. Feel free to omit if you don’t have any on hand. Feel free to swap the vanilla extract for orange extract for even more sweet orange flavor.

Variations

• Orange Loaf Cake: This recipe for orange vanilla cake can easily be made in a loaf pan. If you would like to follow the recipe as written, divide the cake batter into (2) 8 x 4 loaf pans. Bake at 350 F (177 C) for 40 - 50 minutes. 
• Orange Pound Cake: To make this as a more traditional orange pound cake, follow my key lime pound cake recipe with these changes: Use oranges in place of key lime zest and juice. Increase the juice to ¾ cup (180 ml) and decrease the milk to ½ cup (120 ml). Follow the rest of the recipe as written.

Make the Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (170 C). Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Grease a 10-inch (12 cup capacity bundt pan).  This is a very moist cake, so don’t skip greasing and preparing the pan. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together until well combined. 
2. In a large mixing bowl fitted with whisk attachment whisk the sugar and orange zest together until they are the consistency of wet sand. On low, whisk in the eggs one at a time until all the eggs are combined into the orange sugar. Increase the speed to medium-high and whip for 4-5 minutes. The egg and sugar mixture will be thick and lighter in color. With the mixture on medium speed, stream in the oil and vanilla extract. Continue to mix the batter together for one additional minute. Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl as needed. On low, whisk in the dry ingredients, alternating with the orange juice in this order (dry, orange juice, dry, orange juice, dry). Once all the dry ingredients have been added, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl one more time to ensure everything is mixed evenly. For anything not mixed in, run the mixer on low until just incorporated.

5. In a small bowl, whisk the orange juice with powdered sugar until smooth and well combined. Pour the orange glaze over the cooled cake, slice and enjoy.

M’s Expert Tips

• Zest the orange directly into the sugar. This allows the oils from the orange to flavor the cake better. 
• Freshly squeeze the orange juice. In a pinch you can use store bought orange juice, but this is the perfect time to use the orange juice from the whole oranges used for the zest. 
• Bring cold ingredients to room temperature. This allows the ingredients to mix together more evenly which requires less mixing, resulting in soft, fluffy, moist and tender cake. 
• Use the baking times as a guide. All ovens vary and baking times should be used as a guide. As a general rule, when the cake becomes very fragrant, it’s a good idea to start checking. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out with a few moist crumbs or clean.
• Troubleshooting removing the bundt cake. If the cake feels as though it could be stuck try sliding a silicone knife or thin mini offset spatula down along the sides of the pan, gently pushing the cake away from the pan. Another trick is to lay a dish towel in the sink, pour steaming hot water over the towel and placing the bundt pan (cake side facing up) on top of the steaming dish towel for 10 -15 minutes. The steam will help the cake release from the bundt pan. One last trick (only if you used an oil agent to grease the pan) is to cool the cake in the pan for one hour. Then transfer the cake to the freezer for 1 - 2 hours. Then use a silicone knife or thin mini offset spatula to gently release the cake before inverting it onto a cooling rack.