Plan a perfect afternoon with an outstandingly delicious Orange Cake Recipe that is bursting with flavor and has the texture of a cloud, soft and fluffy! No one in my house can resist the alluring smell and taste of this delectable coffee cake.
Winter brings many seasonal fruits and vegetables along with it. One such fruit is the plain looking orange. There is something special about juicy, citrusy oranges. Can you guess? It’s quite versatile and can be used in almost every style of cooking – from juices to cakes. Orange Cake Recipe
Among all the variations of citrus fruits – oranges are my personal favorite. Nothing is more refreshing in the wearisome winter then eating a plate of oranges or sitting down and devouring a delicious cake along with coffee. Hmm, why not combine both of these amazing ideas, and create an ultimate winter recipe.
So, I decided to bake an easy recipe that perfectly blends with the flavors of any beverage – a zesty Orange Cake recipe!!
With this idea in my mind, I visited my local grocery store and my recent trip yielded an ample amount of oranges. Big, juicy oranges, just perfect for this recipe. Orange Cake Recipe
NOW ONTO THE RECIPE!
Start by sifting all the dry ingredients together so there are no lumps of flour/baking powder left behind. Cream butter and sugar together until its light and feathery.
This delicate creaming method incorporates air into the mixture which results in a light, moist and spongy cake.
Once the creaming process is completed and the mixture is a pale and light color, start blending the eggs into the mixture, one by one. Add the rest of the ingredients, along with the dry ingredients and whisk until the batter has a smooth and silky texture.
The concluding step would be to add the orange zest and orange juice. Mix and bake as directed below. Allow the cake to cool in the cake pan for a while before demolding.
FINISH OFF!
A light dusting of powdered sugar will add an enticing charm to this cake. Feel free to add an orange glaze on the top or enjoy it as is.
For the glaze – Once the cake was at an appropriate temperature, I spread a hot glaze of melted white chocolate all over the top and allowed it to stream down the sides.
The final cake turned out to be an irresistible piece of food that no one could deny. Now, all you need is a cup of hot refreshing coffee to wipe out this cake. Its enchanting taste will let your taste buds be seduced into a sweet heaven.
HIGHLIGHTS!
You will love everything about this cake. It’s an intensely flavored cake that is
- super moist
- delicious
- bursting with fresh orange flavor
- and maintains a perfect balance of sweet and tart.
What more can you ask for? All in all, one of the most delicious coffee cakes I have to offer for the cold winter time.
CAKE FLOUR MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE!
Wondering what is cake flour and why is that used in this recipe? I can explain. Cake flour is fine flour with low protein content. Because of this low protein, it adds a tender, delicate crumb to these cupcakes and makes them light and fluffy.
This low protein content influences the gluten or elasticity of the flour thus making cake flour a perfect ingredient for baking.
Do give this yummy cake a try and if you happen to make these, please comment below and leave your feedback.
Watch The Recipe Video Below!
Orange Cake Recipe
INGREDIENTS
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 1.5 cup Cake flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
WET INGREDIENTS
- 3 large Eggs
- 1/4 cup Milk
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoon Sugar
- 1.5 tablespoon Fresh orange zest (*see notes above)
- 2 tablespoon Fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla essence
- 3/4 cup Soften butter
INSTRUCTIONS
- Assemble dry ingredients. Preheat oven @ 350 degree F.
- Start by sifting all the dry ingredients together so there are no lumps of flour/baking powder left behind. Set it aside.
- Assemble wet ingredients.
- Eggs.
- Vanilla essence and milk.
- For orange zest- Rub the orange along the side of the grater. Rub it slowly and carefully so that you do not scrape your fingers.
- Cut a orange in half and squeeze out its juice. Set it aside.
- Cream butter and sugar together until its light and feathery.
- Once the creaming process is completed, and the mixture is a pale and light color, start blending the eggs into the mixture, one by one.
- Beat until fluffy.
- Pour in milk and vanilla essence. Add dry ingredients and beat until well blended.
- The concluding step would be to add the orange zest and orange juice. Mix it well and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Grease a baking pan.
- Pour batter into the greased pan. Smooth the surface and gently tap the bowl on the counter couple of times to release all the trapped air.
- Bake for 40 -45 minutes.
- Insert a toothpick into the center and if it comes out clean, cake is done.
- Allow the cake to cool in the cake pan for a while before demolding.
- (Baked another one for a friend.)
- A light dusting of powdered sugar will add an enticing charm to this cake. Feel free to add an orange glaze on the top or enjoy it as it is.
- Incredibly moist and fluffy orange cake is ready.
- When completely cooled, store it in an air tight container and is good for 3-4 days.
VIDEO
RECIPE NOTES
- Adding just a tablespoon of orange zest will add a mild and subtle citrus tone to the cake. If you want a more conspicuous and prominent flavor, add a teaspoon or more.
- Other option would be – substitute 1.5 cup cake flour with 1 and 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour + 1/4 cup of Cornflour/cornstarch.
Bindu says
Hi Ruchi
Wanted to make a tangy cake since oranges are in season in India and came across your recipe. It turned out so well. Thanks for this amazingly simple but extremely tasty recipe. Thanks for your tip on the cake flour. Went through your other recipes and I found your detailing and cautioning regarding the ingredients used truly helpful. Want to try out more of your recipes.
Ruchi says
Hey Bindu, thank you for your kind words.
Happy to hear that you liked the recipe!
Keep browsing and hope you find what you are looking for!
Tulika Verma says
Hello Ruchi..this is lovely recipe..I am looking for good moist and sturdy orange cake for 3 tiered cake..I really want to to know will this recipe will be good for tiered cake under fondant..I will be filling fristing cake with orange chocolate ganache..and finally drape it with fondant…hve to mke 10kgs of filled and frosted cake.pls suggest.
Ruchi says
Thanks, Tulika!
Haven’t tried it with fondant but I think you should be good.
Carlie says
I wanna make this cake for my moms 50th birthday next week and I am making it in a 12 inch pan to feed over 20 people. Do I need to double the recipe or is it fine using what you have?
Ruchi says
Carlie, this cake was baked in a 10-inch bundt pan and it serves 12-14.
So for a gathering of 20, you will have to double on the recipe.
Have fun and Happy Birthday to your mom. 🙂
Salma sarhan says
I made it today and it was really really good. Thank you for the AMAZING recipe. It’s so moist and fluffy. I also added some more orange zest to make its flavor stronger.
Ruchi says
Glad to know that Salma!
Thanks for sharing your experience with me.😍😍
Pamela says
I tried this cake tonight. Flavor was great. However, my batter did not turned out like it was supposed to be, it looked like crudle after I added the 3eggs.
Ruchi says
Thanks for trying the recipe, Pamela! I hope you liked it.
Coming over to your query – Curdled cake batter is pretty common. This happens to me as well. But curdling doesn’t affect the end results. When eggs are added too soon, curdling/splitting happen. Even a slightly cold milk can cause this to happen.
To prevent this, cream butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy. It should be almost white in color. Add eggs slowly (one at a time). Meanwhile, warm a part of the milk in the microwave for few seconds and add that to the creaming mixture, this will take care of curdling.
If the mixture still curdles, simply add a spoonful of dry ingredients and continue mixing on low speed. This will absorb the excess liquid and everything will start to come together. So next time when your cake batter curdles, follow the steps above and I would suggest simply ignore the curdling and go ahead with the recipe. Everything will even out during baking.
Hope that helps. 🙂
Nourhan says
don’t you think the amount of orange juice is too small ??
Ruchi says
Orange zest take care of the flavor. But feel free to adjust according to taste.
April says
Hi, my name is April. I just made this for church and can’t wait to try it! I added a orange syrup and orange glaze to mine. My question is mine didn’t seem to “puff” as much as yours, what could of happened??
Ruchi says
Thanks for trying the recipe April!
Did the cake have a dense texture?
If the batter was beaten too quickly then less air was incorporated in the batter resulting into a less fluffy cake.
sbop says
Can I use this recipe for cupcakes?
Ruchi says
Sure you can. But reduce the baking time. Cupcakes usually bake for 15-20 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Happy Baking!!
Mj says
Looks lovely an easy to prepare can’t wait to try it
Ruchi says
Thanks!
liz says
can i substitute butter with oil and what quantity of oil should i use?
Ruchi says
This recipe requires creaming of butter and sugar and that is what aerates the fat and results in light and fluffy cake. I am afraid oil will fail to do that.
Christy says
Make the cake for a brunch. I would have liked more orange flavor. The cake was light moist I would have liked a taller cake. But what was I expecting with 1 2/3 cup flour. I will definitely make again when I need a small cake. Easy to put together. Thanks for sharing
Ruchi says
Thanks for trying the recipe Christy!
For a more pronounced flavor an extra teaspoon of orange zest would work great.
A taller cake – didn’t the cake rise for you? Also this cake uses 1.5 cup of flour did you make it with 1 2/3 cup flour.