This orange cake is light, soft, and easy to make with simple ingredients and fresh oranges. You can eat it as is or fill it with a delicious orange curd filling.

It’s a perfect dessert, snack, and fruity brunch idea. The orange curd inside is tangy, zesty, and so delicious that it will make you reach for another slice.

Orange cake on a plate

Check out our Best Easy Desserts

slice of orange cake with orange curd filling

There are many orange cake recipes, from bundt orange cakes (see variations chapter below) to more elaborated layered orange cakes that take hours to make.

Our orange cake is a simple and easy round cake that you can fill with a layer of irresistible and beautifully tangy orange curd.

To make the cake, you’ll need a few pantry staples and the zest and juice of a couple of oranges.

Like the cake, the orange curd is easy to make – it takes 5 minutes – and upgrades the cake into a delicious orange dessert. You’ll only need sugar, cornstarch, and orange juice, it’s finger-licking good, and we recommend it.

If you are not into curds, then you can fill the cake with our easy custard, or you can bake it in a bundt cake pan or loaf pan, serve it without filling, or drizzle it with a sweet orange glaze.

Orange bundt cake
Orange bundt cake with orange glaze.

Ingredients

Orange Cake Batter

Oranges and flour

Oranges

Use fresh oranges to infuse the cake with orange flavor. You’ll need orange zest and fresh orange juice.

When you grate any citrus fruit’s zest, ensure only to zest the colored part and not the white pith below the orange peel.

The white pith is bitter and will add bitterness to the cake.

Flour

You can make this cake with most flours, including a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour mixture.

We recommend making it with 50% all-purpose flour and 50% whole-wheat flour or just all-purpose flour.

The whole-wheat flour adds a pleasant, nutty, wholesome flavor and lightens the texture.

Milk

You can use any milk. We like to use soy milk, oat milk, or almond milk.

Vegetable oil

We recommend using canola or sunflower oil to make delicious and soft cakes.

The oil makes a lighter batter than butter, but make sure your oil has a neutral flavor and is light in color. For example, we don’t recommend coconut oil or strong-flavored olive oil.

Sugar

We like to use white sugar for cakes.

Unrefined cane sugar works well too. However, if you use coconut sugar, you need to multiply our sugar amount by 1.25 as coconut sugar is less sweet than regular sugar.

Optionally, you can add a pinch of salt, although this is not necessary for this cake.

Baking powder

Baking powder is essential in this cake. Ensure you use a fresh baking powder that hasn’t been sitting in your pantry for months.

The baking powder allows the batter to rise in the oven and make a light and soft orange cake.

Vanilla extract

Optional, but we like to add it for a warm cozy flavor.

Powdered sugar

To sprinkle on top of the cake.

Orange curd

Oranges and flour

Orange

Use freshly squeezed orange juice, filtered through a sift, to remove the orange bits.

Corn starch

Corn starch or potato starch is necessary to thicken up the orange curd.

Sugar

We use white sugar to make a clear and bright-orange curd.

Instructions

Bake the cake

Preheat the oven to 340°F or 170°C.

Lightly brush your springform pan with vegetable oil, then line the bottom and sides with parchment paper. Set aside.

springform pan lined with parchment paper

Add the wet ingredients to a large mixing bowl: milk, sugar, oil, vanilla extract, orange zest, and orange juice. Whisk well.

Tip: first zest the oranges, then cut them in half and squeeze them.

mixing cake batter

Sift in flour and baking powder and mix with a hand mixer or whisk for a few seconds. Do not overmix. Some lumps are ok.

Tip: do NOT over-mix the cake batter. Mix only for about 30 seconds. Over-mixing will activate the gluten, making your cake gummy and heavy.

Note: In the following pictures, we used 50% all-purpose flour and 50% whole-wheat flour.

cake batter

Pour the cake batter into the cake pan and bake for 25 – 30 minutes at 340°F or 170°C or until a toothpick comes out dry.

Cake batter in cake pan

Take out of the pan and let the orange cake cool down for about 30 to 45 minutes on a wire rack.

orange cake cooling down

Make the orange curd

Squeeze the oranges, filter them through a sift and add them to a small saucepan.

Add sugar and cornstarch (or potato starch). Stir with a whisk to dissolve the sugar and the starch.

Tip: orange curd is best without orange bits.

Orange juice

On medium-low heat, cook the liquid for one to two minutes while stirring. When the liquid thickens, remove it from the heat and keep stirring for another minute.

Orange curd in a pot

Fill the cake

With a serrated knife or bread knife, cut the orange cake open in half. Make sure the cake has cooled completely before you do that.

Orange cake slicing through
cutting the cake

Add the orange curd and spread it evenly on the base layer of the cake.

Orange curd on cake

Cover with the top layer and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Let the cake sit for about 1 hour, so the orange curd cools down, and you can cut a clean slice.

If you don’t want to wait, it’s perfectly fine, we never do, but you won’t get a clean-cut slice.

Orange cake on a plate

Variations

Upside-down orange bundt cake with orange glaze

orange cake with glaze

You can make this cake in any shape you want. For example, you can use a bundt pan (9 inches or 23 cm) or a loaf pan (9 x 5 inches or 23cm x 12cm).

To fill the bundt cake, set the “servings slider” in the recipe box below to 18 slices – this will automatically multiply all ingredients by 1.5, the necessary quantity to fill a bundt cake.

Baking a bundt cake takes a little longer, about 35 minutes. Once baked, take it out of the pan, let it cool down, keep it upside down, then drizzle it with our delicious orange glaze.

To make the orange glaze, whisk together 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of milk (any), and 1 to 2 tablespoons of orange juice.

Use a different filling

You can fill this orange cake with many different fillings, such as jams and custards.

Our favorite is this 5-ingredient vanilla custard with a creamy smooth texture and delicate flavor. The custard is easy to make, without eggs or butter.

custard variation with vanilla

Alternatively, fill it with a delicious pistachio custard ready in just 10 minutes.

pistachio custard

For a more indulgent cake, you can fill it with homemade chocolate custard with dark chocolate, which is delicious with orange.

Custard variation with chocolate

Tips

How to scale this recipe?

Easy! We calculated the scaling number for you. First, pick the springform pan or cake pan that you want to use for your cake, then multiply all the ingredients in our recipe box by the scaling number in this table.

Pan sizeScaling Number
4 inch (10 cm)0.22
5 inch (13 cm)0.31
6 inch (15 cm)0.44
7 inch (18 cm)0.60
8 inch (20 cm)0.79
8.5 to 9 inches (21 to 23 cm)1 (this is what we used)
10 inches (25 cm)1.23
11 inches (28 cm)1.5
Springform pan sizes and how to scale the recipe.

Don’t overmix the batter

This is the most important tip we can give you. Overmixing will activate the gluten in the flour, which will result in a heavy and gummy cake. Instead, whisk only the time necessary to incorporate the ingredients together, which is about 30 seconds.

Check doneness with a toothpick

Depending on your oven, flour, sugar, and even altitude, your cake might need more or fewer minutes to bake than ours. For this reason, insert a toothpick in the center to check for doneness. If the toothpick comes out dry, your cake is ready. If not, bake in increments of 2 minutes.

Orange cake sliced

Storage

Room temperature: store this orange cake on a cake plate, covered, in a dry corner of your kitchen. It’ll stay nice and soft at room temperature for up to 4 days.

If you want to extend its shelf-life, store it in a reusable plastic bag – like one for freezing food.

Freezer: we recommend freezing the cake without the filling. Let it cool down completely, cut it into slices, put it in a freezer-friendly bag, and freeze it for up to 3 months—Thaw in the microwave.

More easy cake recipes

If you’re a big fan of no-fuss desserts and sweets, check out these easy cakes with few ingredients:

For many more easy dessert ideas, check out our desserts category page.

orange cake

Orange Cake

By: Nico Pallotta
5 from 14 votes
This orange cake is light, soft, and easy to make with a few simple ingredients and fresh oranges. You can eat it as is or you can fill it with a delicious orange curd filling.
It's a perfect dessertsnack, and fruity brunch idea. The orange curd inside is tangy, zesty and so delicious that it will make you reach for another slice.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Cooling time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 12 slices
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American Italian

Equipment

  • Springform pan or cake pan Diameter from 8.5 to 9 inches or from 21 cm to 23cm. We use 8.5 inch/21 cm.
  • Zester and Juicer

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

  • 2 oranges the grated zest
  • ½ cup orange juice
  • ¾ cup milk we use almond milk
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup canola oil or sunflower oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour 50% all-purpose flour + 50% whole-wheat flour, or 100% all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon powdered sugar to sprinkle on top

Orange curd

  • 1 cup orange juice filtered, no bits
  • ¼ cups sugar
  • tablespoons cornstarch or potato starch

Instructions 

BAKE THE CAKE

  • Preheat the oven to 340°F or 170°C.
    Lightly brush your springform 
    pan with vegetable oil, then line the bottom and sides with parchment paper. Set aside.
    springform pan lined with parchment paper
  • Add the wet ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk well.
    mixing cake batter
  • Sift in flour and baking powder and mix with a hand mixer or whisk for a few seconds. Do not overmix. Some lumps are ok.
    cake batter
  • Pour the cake batter into the cake pan and bake for 25 – 30 minutes at 340°F or 170°C or until a toothpick comes out dry.
    Cake batter in cake pan
  • Take out of the pan and let the orange cake cool down for about 30 to 45 minutes on a wire rack.
    orange cake cooling down

MAKE THE ORANGE CURD

  • Squeeze the oranges, filter them through a sift and add them to a small saucepan.
    Add sugar and cornstarch (or potato starch). Stir with a whisk to dissolve the sugar and the starch.
    Orange juice
  • On medium-low heat, cook the liquid for one to two minutes while stirring. When the liquid thickens, remove it from the heat and keep stirring for another minute.
    Orange curd in a pot

FILL THE CAKE

  • With a serrated knife or bread knife, cut the orange cake open in half. Make sure the cake has cooled completely before you do that.
    cutting the cake
  • Add the orange curd and spread it evenly on the base layer of the cake.
    Orange curd on cake
  • Cover with the top layer and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
    Let the cake sit for about 1 hour, so the orange curd cools down, and you can cut a clean slice.
    If you don't want to wait, it's perfectly fine, we never do, but you won't get a clean-cut slice.
    Orange cake on a plate

Video

Easy Orange Cake baked in 30 minutes

Notes

Nutrition information is an estimate for 1 slice of orange cake out of 12 slices.
Check out the “variations” chapter above to see how to make the cake in a bundt pan, with a glaze on top, or with different fillings.

Nutrition

Calories: 213kcal, Carbohydrates: 38g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 0.4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Potassium: 209mg, Dietary Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 16g, Vitamin A: 93IU, Vitamin B6: 0.03mg, Vitamin C: 16mg, Vitamin E: 1mg, Vitamin K: 3µg, Calcium: 70mg, Folate: 55µg, Iron: 1mg, Manganese: 0.2mg, Magnesium: 12mg, Zinc: 0.2mg
Tried this recipe? Leave a comment below or mention @theplantbasedschool on Instagram. We are also on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and TikTok.

If you liked this recipe, you might also like the following:

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”IKJVNk8F” upload-date=”2022-11-09T08:01:31.000Z” name=”Orange cake.mov” description=”This orange cake is light, soft, and easy to make with simple ingredients and fresh oranges. You can eat it as is or fill it with a delicious orange curd filling.” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]


Nico and Louise in the kitchen

Hi! We are Nico & Louise

Welcome to The Plant-Based School, a food blog with easy, tasty, and wholesome recipes.

Our aim is to help you and your family eat more veggies through delicious recipes with simple ingredients.

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Recipe Rating




12 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    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.

    1. 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

  2. 5 stars
    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…

    1. 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

    2. 5 stars
      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!

      1. 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

  3. 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.

      1. 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!

        1. 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 🙂

      1. 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