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!
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Orange Cake Recipe
Tools And Equipment
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.
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.
Meera Mehtaji says
I made this cake today, it turned out really well. However, I substituted half the butter for avocado and greatly increased the quantity of orange zest. I even went ahead and grated one small clementine to add more flavour. I loved this recipe as it was easy to follow and had room for substitutions.
Ruchi says
Thanks for sharing your experiment and experience with me Meera. You did some amazing additions to the recipe. I am glad it turned out well for you. 🙂
Naomie Moore, Castaic, CA says
Prepared with lemons as I am lucky enough to have an abundance at the moment, and a couple minor tweeks to be able to use what I had on hand. Turned out fluffy and AWESOME! Excellent recipe! Thanks so much for sharing! Can’t wait to try your other recipes. 💖
Ruchi says
Awesome!
Glad you liked the recipe and thanks for taking the time out to share your wonderful feedback with me. 💕
Means a lot!
Naomie, what tweaks did you made to the recipe? Would love to know. Thanks!
Naomie Moore, Castaic, CA says
As I mentioned, I was using what I had on hand . . . I used self rising flour, but still added the baking powder. Used barely 3/4 cup sugar, zest of 3 lemons and 1/4 cup of lemon juice and followed your directions. Took 40 minutes to bake to perfection! Now I want to try with limes!
Going through your main dish recipes now . . . Yum, you will be keeping me well fed for quite some time!
Ruchi says
Thanks for sharing Naomie. 💕
This will be really helpful for my readers.
Naomie Moore, Castaic, CA says
My pleasure!
Ruchi says
🙂 🙂
Naomie Moore, Castaic, CA says
Making this right now but with lemons! Had to make a few modifications – will let you know how it turns out . . . Looks fantastic so far! 😊
Ruchi says
Thanks for trying the recipe Naomie!
Will wait for your feedback. 🙂
Christine says
Hi, what is the size of the bundt pan that you used? I have a 12-cup one and just wonder it is the correct size for your recipe.
Ruchi says
Christine, mine is a 10 inch bundt pan.
To be more precise, it is a 10.5 x 3.5 x 10.5 inches pan.
Christine says
That’s the dimension of my bundt pan too. Can’t wait to try your recipe. Tq.
Ruchi says
Awesome thanks!
Kalpana Ravi says
Lovely receipe going to try it soon. One question can i bake it in a normal cake tin ?
Ruchi says
Thanks Kalpana!
Yes you can but grease the pan well to avoid any sticking.
Happy Baking!
Tripti says
Thanks for the recipe…I am gluten free so just tried the same recipe but with gluten free flour (mixture of self raising gluten free flour and almond flour) ..I added a little more zest and orange juice for the orange taste and it turned out lovely….i made a cake and then later muffins 🙂 they were too good …
Ruchi says
Thanks for your wonderful feedback Tripti. Gluten free orange cake info will be really valuable to my readers.
Glad you liked the cake. 🙂
Sunita says
Your recipe seems good. Am trying it today. Pl. Let me know around how much is 1 cup.(as cup sizes vary). In another recipe i read 1 cup was 250 ml.
Ruchi says
Thanks Sunita.
Liquid measurement – 1 cup = 250 ml
Dry measurement – 1 cup (flour) = 125 grams. Sugar measurement is different 1 cup sugar = 200 grams.
Hope this helps.
Yousra says
This cake looks awesome, but I don’t know why it wasn’t fluffy and smooth when I baked it as it looked in the picture . On the contrary, it was hard! I was so disappointed. Why do you think this happened although I followed the instructions?
Ruchi says
Sorry to hear that this cake didn’t turn out the way you had imagined. There could couple of reasons as to why this cake turned hard for you.
1. If the batter was beaten too quickly then less air incorporated in the batter resulting into a dense/thick cake.
2. Over baking could be a possible reason for a hard cake.
3. Did you use fresh baking powder? Stale baking powder could a possible reason too.
Hope this answers your query!
Carol says
I have read some of the previous comments and noticed several of them stated the cake has an eggy taste. I wonder why that would be. There seems to be a nice balance of everything in the recipe , so I am really looking forward to trying it. I love the presentation! Simple is so much better than too much. Just a lovely orange glaze with some rind in it is so much more appealing than a heavy icing.
Ruchi says
Thanks Carol. I have stated in my comments that if eggs are not beaten well, then the taste will linger in the baked cake. Add eggs one by one to avoid this issue. Also adding just a tablespoon of orange zest will add a mild citrus tone to this cake which will be very mild. If you want a more pronounced and noticeable flavor, add a teaspoon or two more.
Hope that answers your query and happy baking!
Lacy Moulder says
Do you think this recipe will stand up in a layer cake? My 4 (turning 5) year old has requested “orange” cake for his birthday but wants a themed cake so I need layers. Thoughts?
Ruchi says
Thanks for stopping by Lacy.
This is a moist cake and if you try to cut it into half, it may not turnout the way you had imagined. But if you bake this cake into 2 small cakes (in a 6 or 8 inch pan) than it can be made into a layered cake. Happy baking and I hope the little one enjoy his special day and have a fun-filled birthday. 🙂
Odile Maroun says
Hello,
I’ve tried this cake many times and it turned out amazing and sooooooooo yummy, however just wondering can I add raisins inside ?
Thank you.
Ruchi says
Oh Yes, go ahead and add raisins to this cake. You are going to love it.
And thanks for your lovely feedback Odile. Appreciate that. 🙂
Shirley Ann says
Amazing cake!! Super moist and fluffy!! Will do again, again and again…. thanks for sharing!
Ruchi says
Thanks for your amazing feedback Shirley. Means a lot!
Annie says
I have baked this cake so many times and I must say this is about the most moist and delicious I have found! Thanks for sharing.
Ruchi says
Pleasure is all mine. Thanks Annie. 🙂
Corriane says
This recipe is very good. I made cupcakes and they were delicious! I made this recipe into 24 cupcakes and everybody loved them. Thanks for sharing.
Ruchi says
My pleasure. 🙂
Glad you liked the recipe.
Thanks for your lovely feedback.
Mari says
Your cake looks beautiful!! I’m going to give it a try but was wondering if I could use some orange juice pulp instead of orange zest and juice! What are your thoughts about that? Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Ruchi says
Thanks for stopping by Mari!
Haven’t tried it myself but I guess, you can use orange juice pulp. Happy Baking!!
Mitchell says
Hands down the best orange cake recipe. Came out perfect. Have tried many cakes but this one was fluffy and moist. Thanks!
Ruchi says
Glad you liked. 🙂 Thanks Mitchell for sharing your experience with me.
Dina says
To make cake flour…we ad 1 1/4 cake with 2 ts of corn stretch ??
Ruchi says
For cake flour – Spoon out 1 cup of all purpose flour in a bowl. Remove 2 tablespoon of all purpose flour from the bowl and put it back in the jar.Replace this 2 tablespoon of all purpose flour with 2 tablespoon of cornstarch and add it to the bowl. Mix it well. Using a strainer sift this mixture well so that there are no lumps left.
For more detials, please refer to this link – https://www.ruchiskitchen.com/homemade-cake-flour
Adriana says
Hello, do you think that I could make it with pineapple juice instead of orange juice? I need to bake a pineapple bundt cake.
Ruchi says
Thanks for stopping Adriana! Oh yes you can substitute orange with pineapple. Happy Baking!
Dolly Sacco says
Looks delicious . Tasting tomorrow.however it stuck to the bottom of the pan and broke in half.the glaze will glue it back together again lol.Ive used this bunt pan many times before.never had a problem.
Ruchi says
Thanks for trying the recipe Dolly! There’s nothing more disappointing than a stuck cake to the bottom of the pan. Maybe the cake was still warm when you tried to flip it over and this caused the breaking.
Agree, glaze will fix this issue. Hope you like the taste. 🙂
Sangpuii says
I tried this recipe and it turned out soooo well, fluffy and tasty.Thanks for sharing this recipe, its a keeper.
Ruchi says
Pleasure is all mine. Glad you liked. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your experience with me.
Danuta says
I was reviewing some of the “disappointed” in texture and flavor comments, and there are several things that I think might not have been done properly, based on the comments – and maybe could be included in the instructions.
1.- the longer you beat butter and sugar together, the better the batter will rise. “Soft” butter should be at room temperature (NOT softened in microwave or melted over heat) – and I usually use what here in Canada is called fruit sugar – a more finely ground granulated sugar known as caster sugar in England/NZ/Australia. I make sure to beat at high speed minimum 5 mins, usually up to 7 or 8 mins, scraping down the bowl every minute or so.
2.- to avoid that “eggy” smell, the eggs should be added one at a time, making sure you mix really well and scrape down the bowl before adding the next one. If you add all the eggs at once, that smell will linger.
Ruchi, I hope this helps…love your wonderful selection of Indian recipes. I’ve been looking for a one stop web site for all things Indian, that are well explained and easy to follow!
Ruchi says
Thanks Danuta, you just spoke my mind and thank you for pouring in your thoughts! I agree with your feedback and will highlight these points. 🙂
Tina says
The cake turned out to be raaw from the inside even though it was totally cooked from out side. I tried the exact recipe all the amounts exact but still its not that great.taste is good but it does nt have the cake texture at all.:(
Ruchi says
Tina, I’m sorry to hear that this recipe did not turn out the way you had imagined. Below are the possible reasons.
1. Main reason for uncooked cake in the center – oven temperature is too high. If the sides are cooked but the center remains raw/uncooked than this indicates that your oven temperature is off by a few degrees. To solve this issue, I would suggest lower the temperature by few degrees and bake the cake a bit longer.
2. Another reason – maybe you’re not preheating the oven long enough.
3. Other option would be to loosely lay a piece of foil over the cake while it is baking. This will trap the heat, resulting in a evenly baked cake.
I hope you give this recipe a try again with a more successful outcome next time. Thanks. 🙂
Radhika says
Looks yummy.will try it.your mould also looks great
Ruchi says
Thanks Radhika!
Alboni says
Lovely orange cake !!!
Ruchi says
Thanks Alboni. 🙂
Lane & Holly @ With Two Spoons says
This recipe looks great! I too, LOVE oranges!
Ruchi says
Thanks for stopping by Lane and Holly. Glad you liked. 🙂
Lia says
This looks delicious!! Can’t wait to try and make it 🙂
Ruchi says
Awesome, if possible do share your feedback.
And thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Carola says
This Orange Cake Recipe looks very nice. The cake looks tasty. I want to try it now :). I’ll save the recipe!
Ruchi says
Thanks a bunch Carola! Glad you liked. 🙂
Aseem says
lovely yummy cake like it very much.
Ruchi says
Thanks Aseem. 🙂
Rubiah Bachee says
Thanks for the lovely recipe..i have tried and it turns out well .Wish i could post my picture..
Ruchi says
Happy to hear that the recipe worked great for you. Thanks for trying it out. You can share pictures with me at https://www.facebook.com/ruchiskitchen/
Ida says
It look very moist and yumm , Do think I can make cup cake with this recipe !?xx
Ruchi says
Thanks Ida! Yes you can. Baking time will vary!
Carolyn Hilton says
It make a lovely cake but I agree with what Rola said, It tasted eggy & I didn’t taste the orange flavor at all. It really needs an orange glaze as Betty suggested.
Ruchi says
Thanks for trying the recipe Carolyn and sharing your valuable feedback with me.
Maybe adding an extra 1/2 a tablespoon of orange zest will take care of the eggy taste. I agree with you and Betty, orange glaze would be really nice. 🙂
Prissy Govender says
Love to try out new recipes
Ruchi says
Thank you. 🙂
Ban says
Hi ,
Im just wondring , why + 2tspoon sugar , what for , i just used 3/4 sugar , is that right?
Ruchi says
I found the sugar to be on the low side so adjusted the recipe to an extra 2 tablespoon of sugar.
Emily says
This recipe is anything but fluffy. It didn’t rise at all. I tried it twice following the recipe exactly. I wasted three hours of my life on your recipe. Didn’t taste orange-y at all, didn’t rise, tasted like I don’t even know what. It tasted so bland so short bread ish. I would not recommend to anyone I threw it in the trash twice. Super disappointed 🙁
Ruchi says
Emily, I am so sorry to learn that you had such a bad experience with my most tested and tried cake recipe. This has never failed me. Most people have tried it and it has turned out so well for them. But thank you for letting me know, it’s really hard to comment without knowing what went wrong as every oven is different!
Rola says
I tired it yesterday and it tasted eggy 😣
RK says
Thanks for trying the recipe Rola!! When I started baking, I had the same issue then after experimenting I learned that these few tricks can get rid of the eggy smell.
1. Use a beater or mixer and beat the eggs properly in the batter. If the eggs are not beaten well, they will retain their smell.
2. Use some extra drops of vanilla essence.
3. Try adding vanilla essence when you are beating your eggs, it will take care of the smell.
Thanks!!
Aysha says
Can u share an eggless orange cake recipe pls..
RK says
Have not started working on that recipe but will surely look in to your request. Thanks Aysha!!
Vini says
Do you have a recipe fr an eggless version?
RK says
Yes, I have. Here is the link – https://www.ruchiskitchen.com/recipe/eggless-cake-recipe/
Zoe says
Great recipe with amazing pictures! I can’t wait to try it 🙂
Zoe
Tea at Midnight
RK says
Thanks Zoe.
Betty says
Just in time for Thanskgiving. As a trial, I baked this recipe today as mentioned, and it is perfect!! Will be making it over thanks giving with an orange glaze. Thanks dear. BTW, steps are a real visual treat.
RK says
Thanks Betty. Glad you liked it. 🙂
Madhu Singh says
Lovely recipe
RK says
Thanks Madhu. 🙂