A super tender, full flavored, easy to make cake that is surprisingly addictive!
I am not sure whose recipe this is, but all of the women in my family have it in their go to recipe book, the one that is a 'best of' of sorts. Also there? My super easy Lemon Velvet. I know, I know, I gots citrus on my mind.
The orange zest is my addition, but it goes a long way towards enhancing the orange flavor. I do skip making the glaze sometimes and instead warm and pour over some lovely sticky orange marmalade to good effect.
OJ Is Everything
This cake is called Orange Cake for a reason and it's that lovely bright but not too overpowering orange flavour. If you use a lackluster orange you will get lackluster results. In season oranges result in the tastiest cake, but if oranges are not in season you can still make this cake. Just pick a juice with pulp for more robust flavour.
Why Use Oil in Cake
Here are three main reasons why and one accidental bonus!
1.) It's faster - no softening butter
2.) It is decidedly cheaper than butter
3.) It makes for a VERY moist cake.
What's the accidental bonus you may ask? Well - if you didn't feel like busting out your mixer you can easily whisk this up by hand.
Want More Cakes with Oil?
Check out the crowd favourite Marble Cake
My Super Tender Yogurt Cake
A One Bowl Chocolate Cake
Watch the Step by Step Orange Cake Video Below
Made this cake? Please rate it by clicking on the stars below! Appreciate your love and support! Want to share that fabulous click? Tag me on instagram @flourandspiceblog - can't wait to see your creations!
Orange Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup canola oil or other neutral tasting oil
- 1 to 1 ¼ cup sugar see notes at bottom
- 3 eggs
- 1 ½ cup flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Zest of one orange
- ¾ cup fresh orange juice (see notes for bottled) approx the juice of 3 oranges, remove seeds, some pulp is fine
Orange Glaze
- ¾ cup Fresh Orange Juice (strained)
- 3 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Orange Zest
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 6-inch (what I used) or a 9-inch pan and set aside.
- Sift the dry ingredients into a medium sized bowl.
- Take out a large mixing bowl and briskly whisk the oil, sugar, and zest together till combined.
- Add the eggs one by one whisking well after each addition.
- Then alternate between adding the flour and juice in three batches until combined.
- Pour into your prepared pan and bake for 35-50 minutes depending on the pan you use. My 6-inch took longer since the cake was higher, my 9-inch is done earlier.
- Let it cool for ten minutes then invert onto a cake plate and pour the glaze over while the cake is still warm.
For the Glaze
- While the cake is baking bring the glaze ingredients to a boil in a small non stick saucepan and simmer for 10-15 minutes until it is thickens and becomes syrupy. It will run off your cooking utensil in languid drops.
Notes
Pin me to hang on to me!
Aruna Panangipally says
What I wouldn't do for a piece of this cake! 😀
sarahjmir says
awww! thanks Aruna!!!
Julie Parker says
Just wondering am I able to double the recipe? Would it be just as delicious?
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Yes! A lot of people I know have recently doubled it and used chocolate ganache to make a two tier orange chocolate cake and they say they had no issues!
Rosemarie says
Hello Sarah,
I made your orange cake - very moist and pronounced orange flavour. I made it in a ring tin, but could I make it in a large loaf tin about 9 inchesx 4inches (23cmx9cm)?
Rosemarie
Sarah Mir says
Hey there! I am glad to hear it worked for you! The cake rises a fair bit so I am not sure if it would overflow in a 9*4!
Uma says
Hi Sarah,
Would it be ok to add chocolate chips in the cake?
Best
Uma
Sarah Mir says
Hi Uma! So you absolutely can, but I'd use mini only because bigger ones might sink! the flavour combo sounds DELISH though!
SADAF F K. says
This cake is just WOW! I want to start with the first photo.. cut myself a bigger slice (than you) then have it with a cup of tea! Yum!!
sarahjmir says
you are so so sweet! thank you!
MyNinjaNaan says
Dude, can I please tell you how awesome it is that the women in your family actually BAKE? None of the women from either side of my family bake, nor do they have the inclination to LOL
This cake looks fab, and it's totally perfect for the summer as well 🙂
sarahjmir says
hahah thanks - I never thought of that!!
Mariam says
I made this cake and it was soft and moist. I burned the glaze so ate it without the glaze ? but it was delicious ?
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Mariam when I saw the email with your comment in it I almost burst out laughing because I had made this cake a day before and burnt the glaze myself!!! Sorry about not replying earlier, my laptop was in the shop and I can't access comments on my phone!
SHAMISO MANGONGO says
I enjoyed the cake thank you
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
happy to hear that - thank you!
Tracy says
Love to make this soon. Question about the sugar - can I use granulated sugar or must be caster sugar? Thank you. Can’t wait to taste it!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
HI Tracy! You can absolutely use granulated sugar! In some parts of the world the granulated sugar granules are sizable and don't dissolve, but in North America and the UK that isn't the case. Happy Baking!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Absolutely use granulated - Happy baking!!! Hope you love it 🙂
Tracy says
Thank you 😊
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Thank YOU!
Arch Angel Yafafiah says
Thank you so much for the delicious orange gazed cake recipe!!! This cake is wonderfully moist and delicious. Very easy to make!! Thank you!!!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Thank you! I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed it!
H.K says
I made this cake for my family the otherday and they loved. thank you for the greate recipe this one is a definite a keeper.
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Yay! Thank you! I am SO happy to hear that!
Debashree Chandra says
Tried your orange cake couple of weeks back and it was just so out of the world that I have already made it seven times over. Everytime I make it it gets over on the same day and many of my friends keep asking me to make it for them.
Thank you for such a simple yet delicious recipe
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
That is the BEST to hear thank you!!!! It is one of my first cakes and it means a ton that you have made it and enjoyed it!
Andrea Metlika says
Wow, so much orange flavor. This cake sounds amazing!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Thank you Andrea! It's a family favourite!
LindaLee says
I have decided that I must try this cake recipe very soon. I promise to post on IG when I do!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Can't wait to see it Linda!
Beth says
This looks so delicious and yummy! My family is going to love this recipe! I can't wait to give this a try!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Thanks so much Beth!
Sadia Malik says
love that this cake is eggless, I love orange so good will try
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Sadia! Unfortunately it does have 3 whole eggs and while that gives the cake wonderful flavour it's definitely not ideal where there are allergies!
Shashi says
Oh wow - your cake looks so incredibly moist and delicious! I'd love a slice of this for breakfast - it has orange in it so that justifies a slice of this for breakfast - for me!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Oh absolutely Shashi!!!
Kylie says
Oh my goodness I love this cake so much! Absolutely delicious!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Thank you so much Kylie!
Reema says
This was one of the best cakes ever!!! All your cakes have such a unique texture and flavor, soo soo authentic. Reminiscent of beautiful childhood memories. 😚🥰
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
you say the nicest things!
Saadia says
Sarah, I simply cannot stop raving about how delicious this orange cake turned out neither can I stop eating it! It is simply phenomenal - so light, so fluffy, and just fruity enough you can tell that it’s an orange cake! I even made the glaze which was just perfect! I enjoy baking and I love eating cakes and desserts, but this orange cake - hands down - is the best cake ever!!! Thank you for sharing the recipe 🥰!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Thank you thank you thank you Saadia! I am SO SO bowled over by your kindness!
Sahrish says
My family and I thoroughly enjoyed this cake. It was light and delicious. I always turn to Sarah for cake recipes. Thanks hun for your recipes💕 keep them coming ❤️
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Thank you so much Sahrish!
Nisha Fatmi says
Made this cake the second time today and it was a BIG HIT!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
SO so glad to hear it Nisha!
Aisha says
Hi...i wanted to try this cake but was wondering...is the glaze necessary? Or is this a pound type cake which will do good even without the glaze?
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hi Aisha! I really love it with the glaze but I know people who have made it without and loved it too. I think it's just personal preference since this isn't a very sweet cake!
Afia says
Hi dear , this is an amazing recipe it at times my orange cake cracks from the top centre !! Can you plz tell what am I doing wrong ??
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hi Afia!!! I am so glad to hear you like the cake! cakes typically crack if there is too much rising agent or the oven is too hot. If you're pretty sure those are okay then drop the ogven temperature by 10 degrees celsius or 5 fahrehneit!
Afia says
Thanks lovely 😊😘
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
My pleasure!
Maria says
This is my absolute all time favorite cake! Its simple, light and tastes divine! Always a favorite, my friends even call to request it!
Sarah Mir says
Yayyyyy! that is absolutely amazing to hear!
Zufi says
Hi Sarah,
I am thinking of making this cake for my daugher's birthday with vanilla buttercream frosting instead of the glaze. Do you think that'll pair well?
BTW, I have made the bombay bakery coffee cake following your recipe and it's a HIT in my khandaan. I am requested to make at least two for family dinners because everyone wants to take some home! thank you so much for sharing that recipe!
Sarah Mir says
Hi Zufi! I am so sorry but for some reason I didn't see this until now. I am not sure how a vanilla buttercream would work with this cake. ideally id zest in a little orange to tie it in. Did you wind up trying it? So happy to hear you like the coffee cake!
Abbie Carstens says
My husband only eats orange cake. This was a huge success. The previous recipe I used requires butter and since I'm out of stock your recipe came in really handy. Thanks from Abbie and family in South Africa.
Sarah Mir says
yay! Glad to hear that it worked for you! Also I love how he loves orange cake, I have an uncle who will pick it over anything and everything else!
joyce says
great easy recipe, tks
Sarah Mir says
Glad you liked it!
Sarah says
Super delicious and moist cake! Love it!
Sarah Mir says
Thank you SO SO MUCH!
Maria says
Yummy! I dont think any gathering or celebration in our home is complete without this orange cake!
Sarah Mir says
that gives me the warm fuzzies!
Abi says
Love this recipe! Super easy to follow and it came out moist and so delicious. I have made this 5x now with oranges in season (living in Australia and its winter) I have always preferred to use oil and so pleased I came across your website! I am now checking your other recipes (using oil). I making the Easy Lemon Cake next on the list. Thank you!
Sarah Mir says
I am so glad Abi!!!!! Hope you enjoy the other ones too!
Skye says
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. love it.
Am I able to replace the orange with lemon ?
Sarah Mir says
Hi Skye! I am glad to hear it. I have not tried switching the citruses but someone once had and told me they quite liked it. Hope this helps!
Reina Alfonso says
I am definitely making this cake sometimes this week, it sounds amazing Thank you so much for this recipe, I am already rating this recipe because I know it will be perfect.!!!!
Sarah Mir says
Thank you Reina! I appreciate the vote of confidence! Hope you loved it!
Ivy says
Hi Sara, thanks for sharing your recipe.
I just baked this cake and it’s moist and delicious. I reduced the sugar to 3/4 cup and it’s perfect.
Wish I could share the photo. But that’s okay. I’ll surely enjoy it.
Sarah Mir says
Hi there! I am so glad you enjoyed it! love to see people make a recipe their own!
Sarah Asad says
I just made this and it came out super yummy! Perfect texture and delicious orange taste
Sarah Mir says
Thank you so much Sarah!
Margaret G says
Thank you, I made it last night and it came out fantastic and the family loved it.
Sarah Mir says
That's great to hear Margaret!!! Thank you for sharing that and rating the recipe!
Safaa Iqbal says
Hi ! Have you made this before in a Bundt cake pan ? I’ve made this cake before in the regular cake pan and it was amazing . Was hoping to make it in a Bundt pan to look more impressive for a dinner . Thanks !
Sarah Mir says
HI Safaa! I think we may have discussed this, but just in case anyone else is wondering, it's not a lot of batter and bundt pans tends to be huge so I would double up!
H P Sheikh says
Hello. I wanted to know if we can use brown sugar in this recipe instead of granulated ?
Sarah Mir says
Hi there! I wouldn't since brown sugar has a very different texture and flavour!
Traci says
I was thinking of making this into a bundt cake. Any idea how many cups of batter the recipe makes? Will the batter fill the bundt pan or do you think i should double the recipe?
Sarah Mir says
Hey Traci! This isn't a partcularly tall cake, so I would guess somewhere around 4 cups of batter which may be too little a bundt cake. I have one of those old school donut looking bundt pans and it works for that!
Madiha K says
This is our family’s favourite cake! My mother is lactose intolerant so this is the only cake we make and she absolutely adores it and requests it all the time for her chai time
Sarah Mir says
That just gives me the warm fuzzies!