Orange Cake

This Orange Cake is bursting with orange flavor from fresh orange juice and orange zest. It can be made without a mixer and comes together quickly. Top the cake off with an orange glaze for a delicious treat for breakfast or dessert.

I love citrus season and come January I crave all the fresh oranges. There’s just something about using fresh oranges in baked goods. They’re refreshing, yet also satisfying to your sweet tooth.

This Orange Cake is full of orange flavor thanks to the use of fresh orange juice and zest. I like using freshly squeezed oranges for this cake, because there is no added sugars from the store bought orange juice. Also, you truly can’t beat the taste of freshly squeezed orange juice. I honestly could eat this cake as both a breakfast or brunch treat and a dessert after dinner with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It tastes even more delicious if you warm it up in the microwave for a few seconds before enjoying it, in my opinion.

The hardest part about making this orange cake is just waiting for it to bake. Because the cake is in a 9×5 inch loaf pan, the batter is a bit deep and it takes some time for it to bake. Loaf cakes in general take some time to bake because of the depth of the batter. This cake takes 45-ish minutes to bake, but trust me, it’s worth it! The hands on prep time only takes minutes, and you don’t even need a fancy mixer to make this.

The details

Make this cake for a delicious breakfast treat, or for a fancy brunch. This orange cake freezes well, too, so if you want to make an extra and freeze it for your week ahead, go for it!

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this orange cake. I’ve also included a little bit of information behind each ingredient so that you know what the ingredient does in the cake.

Muffin Batter

• unsalted butter – I usually prefer using unsalted butter in my baking, so that I can control how much salt is added. You can actually use butter or oil in this recipe. I chose to use butter, because I wanted the extra flavor from the butter. If you choose oil, your muffins will still taste delicious, and may be a touch more moist (although these are already very moist and soft thanks to the addition of the yogurt)
• fresh orange zest – orange zest adds an extra bit of orange flavor to this cake which truly makes it delicious. The orange zest is rubbed together with the granulated sugar to assist in releasing the oils from the zest. This enhances the orange flavor in the cake.
• granulated sugar – granulated sugar adds richness and the perfect amount of sweetness
• eggs – The eggs give the cake structure and softness.
• plain yogurt – I love adding yogurt in my cakes. Not only does the yogurt help keep the cake soft and moist, it also adds some nutrition to the muffins with the addition of protein and probiotics.
• freshly squeezed orange juice – this adds delicious fresh orange flavor to the orange cake.
• vanilla extract – the vanilla extract helps to enhance all of the delicious flavors in this orange cake.
• all-purpose flour – flour is needed for the orange cake to hold its structure.
• baking soda – baking soda helps the orange cake rise. Baking soda is different from baking powder in the fact that it needs an acid to work. In this case, the plain yogurt is acidic and reacts with baking soda to create carbon dioxide gas. This in turn makes the orange cake rise.
• baking powder – baking powder on the other hand does not need an acid to work. It works on its own. The reason I like using both baking soda and baking powder is because they create different textures in the orange cake.
• salt – salt helps to enhance the flavors in this orange cake.

Icing

• Freshly squeezed orange juice and orange zest – this adds a delicious fresh orange flavor to the icing.
• powdered sugar – this adds just the right amount of sweetness to the icing and also helps to thicken the icing to the right consistency.

mixing the batter

This orange loaf cake can be made without a mixer, and it can be mixed in just a few minutes. You’ll begin by adding the orange zest to the sugar. Using your fingers, rub the zest into the sugar. This releases the oils in the zest, which creates more flavor.

Next, you’ll add the fresh orange juice, melted butter, yogurt, eggs and vanilla and whisk to combine. Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk just until combined. That’s it! Now the orange loaf cake is ready to bake!

Baking

This is the hardest part about making this cake. Okay, okay, it’s not actually hard for you perse, but it does take some time to bake. I promise though, it is worth it!

Line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray. I do both methods to ensure the cake batter doesn’t stick. What’s worse than putting in the effort only to have it stick to the pan!? Pour/scrape the orange loaf cake batter into the prepared pan. Use a paring knife to make a slit down the center of the orange loaf cake.

Bake the orange loaf cake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the orange loaf cake to cool 15 minutes in pan, then remove and allow to fully cool on a wire cooling rack.

Add the icing and serve

Pour the icing over the cooled orange loaf cake. The icing should be thicker and not too thin. You don’t want it to just fall off the cake. So, if needed add a touch more powdered sugar, if the icing seems too thin. Spread over loaf, then allow to set up for 30 minutes, before slicing. If you have a touch extra icing, you can save it and serve the extra icing when you cut a slice from the orange loaf cake. Who doesn’t love a touch extra icing!?

Here are a few other breakfast recipes I think you will love

• Orange Cinnamon Rolls
• Jumbo Cinnamon Rolls that taste like Cinnabon
• Jumbo Blueberry Muffins

Let me know what you thought!

If you make this Orange Cake, let me know what you thought in the ratings and comments below. I absolutely love reading all of your comments! Also, make sure to snap a picture and tag me @simplebakingwithpep on instagram. It truly makes my day to see all of your wonderful creations.

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