This orange cake is light, soft, and easy to make with simple ingredients. With our warm orange syrup, you can even serve it as a delicious dessert.
If you love easy cake recipes, try our chocolate banana bread, easy vanilla cake, vegan carrot cake, and banana zucchini bread.
Why we love this recipe…
This moist and zingy orange olive oil cake is Louise’s current breakfast obsession…and I totally get why! Here are some reasons why we think you’ll love it too:
- 🍊 Bright & Zesty Flavor: It bursts with fresh orange goodness, it’s light, fluffy, and perfectly moist.
- ⏳ Quick & Easy: Made with simple ingredients and baked in a loaf pan. No layering, no decorating.
- 🎉 Versatile: Enjoy it for breakfast, afternoon tea, or turn it into an indulgent dessert with a warm orange syrup soak for next-level moisture.
- 💚 Wholesome: Made with eggs, Greek yogurt, olive oil, fresh orange juice, and zest, this treat is naturally delicious.
Nico’s Pairing Tip: Drizzle with warm orange syrup, add a dollop of whipped cream, and finish with a teaspoon of pistachio butter for an irresistibly luxurious bite.
Ingredients
Find complete ingredient list, quantities, and substitutions in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
- All-purpose flour: Substitute cake flour or half all-purpose and half whole-wheat flour.
- Orange zest and fresh orange juice: all orange varieties work well, including Valencia, Navel, and blood oranges. Pick your favorite!
- Olive oil: Use a light olive oil, not extra virgin. That would be too strong. Olive oil makes the cake healthful and it’s delicious with orange. You can substitute a neutral vegetable oil like canola or sunflower oil, or melted butter.
- Greek Yogurt: Substitute sour cream. To make it dairy-free choose a non-dairy yogurt or the same amount of almond milk.
For the perfect orange loaf cake, we recommend using:
- 8 x 4-inch (20 x 10 cm) loaf pan. This tall and narrow pan creates a taller loaf, just like the one in our photos. It’s our favorite for the prettiest presentation!
- 8.5 x 4.5-inch (21.5 x 11.5 cm) loaf pan. Slightly wider, this gives you a loaf that’s a bit shorter.
- 9 x 5-inch (23 x 12.5 cm) loaf pan. For a shorter, wider loaf with the same delicious flavor, just with a different shape.
How to make orange cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line your loaf pan with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar with the zest of two oranges. Using your fingertips, gently rub the zest into the sugar, almost as if you’re pinching it.
You’ll notice the sugar turning a light orange hue. This simple step is key to unlocking the zest’s essential oils, infusing the sugar with an irresistible citrus aroma that elevates the entire loaf.
Add eggs, olive oil, orange juice, Greek yogurt, and vanilla extract.
Whisk well to combine, then sift in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and a pinch of salt.
Give it a quick whisk but don’t overdo it. We want a tender crumb and over-mixing can make the cake heavy.
Transfer to your prepared loaf pan and bake at 350°F or 180°C for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.
Let cool down before slicing and it’s ready to enjoy.
Serving Tips
While the cake bakes, you can prepare a simple orange syrup by simmering fresh orange juice and sugar for a few minutes.
This step is optional but highly recommended for extra moisture and a more intense citrus flavor.
Drizzle it over the warm loaf as it cools in the pan, or – our favorite method – serve it on the side so everyone can add just the right amount to their slice.
For a lighter breakfast or snack, we skip the syrup altogether.
For an even more luxurious bite, add a dollop whipped cream, a teaspoon of pistachio butter, and a pinch of chopped pistachios 🤤.
Frequently Asked Questions
Your cake may turn out dry if it’s over-baked (start checking at 40 minutes with a toothpick), if there isn’t enough liquid, if your eggs were too large, or if you used butter instead of oil.
How to keep it moist:
✓ Reduce baking time slightly: every oven is different, so check early!
✓ Use oil instead of butter for a softer, more tender crumb.
✓ Use one less egg if your eggs are large.
✓ Already baked it? No worries! Drizzle warm orange syrup over the cake to restore moisture and enhance flavor.
Sure you can! Fresh is best for flavor but feel free to swap fresh for bottled juice. Just make sure it’s 100% juice.
You can substitute melted butter for olive oil. We prefer and recommend olive oil because it’s a heart healthy fat, it keeps the cake moist and light, and its mild flavor pairs beautifully with orange.
To make without dairy you can substitute your favorite non-dairy yogurt or almond milk for Greek yogurt.
Sure you can. Try dark chocolate chips, a grated carrot for extra moisture, or chopped almonds for crunch.
✓ Room temperature: up to 3 days in an airtight container.
✓ Fridge: up to one week in an airtight container.
✓ Freezer: up to three months. Freeze in wrapped single slices without soaking it in syrup.
More Easy Baking Recipes…
Desserts
Chocolate Banana Bread
Desserts
Vegan Apple Cake
Breakfast
Apple Bread
Breakfast
Vegan Pumpkin Bread
If you tried this Orange Cake Recipe or any other recipe on our blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it goes in the comments. We love hearing from you!
Orange Cake
Equipment
- 8 x 4-inch (20 x 10 cm) loaf pan. This tall and narrow pan creates a beautiful loaf, just like the one in our photos. It’s our favorite for the prettiest presentation! Alternatively, you can use a 8.5 x 4.5-inch (21.5 x 11.5 cm) loaf pan or a 9 x 5-inch (23 x 12.5 cm) loaf pan.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons orange zest (from 2 oranges)
- ½ cup orange juice
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda optional
- 1 pinch salt optional
Optional Orange syrup
- ¼ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line your loaf pan with parchment paper.In a large mixing bowl, combine ¾ cup sugar with 2 tablespoons orange zest. Using your fingertips, gently rub the zest into the sugar, almost as if you’re pinching it.Add 2 eggs, ¼ cup olive oil, ½ cup orange juice, ½ cup Greek yogurt, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract.
- Whisk well to combine, then sift in 1½ cups all-purpose flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and 1 pinch salt.Give it a quick whisk but don’t overdo it. We want a tender crumb and over-mixing can make the cake heavy.
- Transfer to your prepared loaf pan and bake at 350°F or 180°C for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.Let cool down before slicing and it’s ready to enjoy.
- While the cake bakes, simmer ¼ cup orange juice and ¼ cup sugar for a quick orange syrup: optional but great for extra moisture and flavor.We recommend serving the syrup on the side everyone can add just the right amount to their slice.For a lighter snack or breakfast, we skip the syrup. Want to elevate it? Add whipped cream, pistachio butter, and chopped pistachios for a luxurious bite!
Video
Notes
- All-purpose flour: Substitute cake flour or half all-purpose and half whole-wheat flour.
- Orange zest and fresh orange juice: all orange varieties work well, including Valencia, Navel, and blood oranges. Pick your favorite!
- Olive oil: Use a light olive oil, not extra virgin. That would be too strong. Olive oil makes the cake healthful and it’s delicious with orange. You can substitute a neutral vegetable oil like canola or sunflower oil, or melted butter.
- Greek Yogurt: Substitute sour cream. To make it dairy-free choose a non-dairy yogurt or the same amount of almond milk.
- Room temperature: up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Fridge: up to one week in an airtight container.
- Freezer: up to three months. Freeze in wrapped single slices without soaking it in syrup.
Nutrition
Hi! We are Nico & Louise
We’re here to share delicious, easy, and healthy plant-based recipes (vegetarian & vegan) 🌿✨.
Welcome to our blog, we are glad you are here.
I’m making it as we speak but I love the way you give direction Nico ti my neuro~ spicy brain … I’ve been wanting to make cake with oranges 🍊 for awhile I’m inspired by you thank you 🙏 ❌⭕️✨
AMAZING Shannon! I’m so happy to hear that. Let me know what you think, please – would love your feedback 🥰.
I loved the orange cake, very easy to make.
WOW! This was honestly one of the best cakes I have ever made, including non-vegan. The texture was perfectly light and fluffy, and the tangy citrus and sugar were well balanced. The curd is to die for. I had to comment and thank you. Grazie mille from Canada.
Wow, Ruth, I am delighted to hear! It is also one of my favorites (especially for breakfast).
Thanks for taking the time to comment, I appreciate it!
Cheers,
Nico
I made it with gluten free flour (a mix for cakes and cookies) and it turned out incredible! It´s so hard to find recipes that still taste good if you use gluten free flour, and this one just made it to the top of my list. It took my mom and me just two days to eat it completely, so don´t mind the storage – if you like orange, it will be gone long before it has a chance to turn bad. I just ordered a new box of oranges to have more of it…
Wow, I’m delighted you liked it, Sylvie! We have an abundance of oranges in Italy right now, so I like to put them to use in this cake too before they go bad. Cheers! Nico
I made this cake for my husbands birthday and it was delicious! Very moist and flavourful. The curd in the middle was a wonderful addition. I chose to do an orange butter cream frosting instead of icing sugar and it worked very well. Highly recommend!
Wow, Heidi, buttercream frosting sounds absolutely delicious!! I am delighted you liked the orange cake – I hope you had fun on your husband’s birthday. Thanks so much for your kind message! Cheers, Nico
I am yet to try this out but I have never seen a more detailed blog post. Yours is the first blog in which I don’t skip to the recipe card and I always read the full post because of the wealth of information you have for us. I thought your videos were brilliant but your blog posts take the whole thing up a notch. Thank you.
Thank you for your nice comment Sandy. I’m happy you find the info in the text useful 🙂
This cake is delicious! Thank you so much for sharing! Do you think this could be made gluten free as well? I loved it so much I’d like to share it with a family member who is gluten free. Thanks!
Hi Bridget, thanks so much, we are so happy you liked the Orange Cake. Yes, it can be made gluten free with a store-bought gluten free flour mix, one that is suitable for cakes. The only challenge would be that it might crumble more that the regular cake, but the taste will still be delicious 🙂
This looks yummy! Question,can i replace regular sugar to maple syrup?
Hi K,
We have never tried the cake with maple syrup so I cannot recommend. My guess is that it is possible, as maple syrup is more or less as sweet as sugar.
If you give it a try, do let us know how it turns out.
Have a great Sunday. Kindest,
Louise