This orange cake is fluffy, light, and extremely moist. It is made with 9 simple ingredients, and topped with powdered sugar.
This cake is truly the best orange cake that you will ever eat. It's unbelievably light similar to my honey cake, not too sweet, with a cloud-like texture that just melts in your mouth.
I promise you that this orange cake will turn into your new favorite light cake to serve next to your coffee or tea. It is so light and fluffy and feels like you're eating a sweet cloud with a gentle flavor of orange.
We love baking with citrus, if you do as well, check out our lemon poppy seed muffins, lemonade bundt cake, lemon cooler cookies, lemon tart, and lemon bars with graham cracker crust.
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Why this recipe works
- Orange flavor- this cake is made with fresh orange juice and orange zest which gives this cake the best orange flavor.
- Simple- this cake is made with only 9 simple ingredients that you can find in any grocery store.
- Texture- This cake has the most fluffy and soft texture.
- Dairy-free- this cake is naturally dairy-free since it is not made with butter or milk.
- Perfectly balanced- this cake is beautifully balanced and isn't too sweet which a lot of people like. If you want to make it sweeter, add powdered sugar on top or top it with an easy glaze.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Eggs- To give the cake a good structure. Make sure you’re using room-temperature eggs. you will need to carefully separate the egg whites from the egg yolks.
Granulated sugar– we like to use granulated sugar, also the most common sugar used in baking. Caster sugar will work great as well.
Vegetable oil – we used vegetable oil for this recipe. canola oil will work great for this recipe.
Orange juice- we highly recommend using freshly squeezed orange juice because it really adds a lot of flavor and aroma, way more than using store-bought orange juice.
Orange zest- you will need 1 teaspoon of orange zest. Don't skip this step, this really gives the cake a delicious orange aroma.
Baking powder– baking powder allows the cake to rise. Make sure that your baking powder is not expired.
Flour– we used all purpose flour for this recipe. cake flour will work great as well.
Kosher salt- you will need about ½ teaspoon of kosher salt for this recipe.
Vanilla extract- adds extra flavor.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 160c (320f) and prep a 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
Carefully separate the egg whites from the egg yolks and pour the egg whites into a stand mixer with a balloon attachment and gradually add the sugar over medium speed.
Whip the mixture on high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. You want stiff peaks in this mixture.
Add the orange juice, egg yolks, orange zest, vanilla extract, kosher salt, vegetable oil, and mix over low speed until combined.
Add the flour and baking powder and mix until there are no flour lumps visible.
Pour the batter into a parchment paper lined 9 inch round baking pan and smooth it out using a spatula.
Bake in a 160c (320f) preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Top the cake with as much powdered sugar as you would like, we like to top it with thin slices of orange and mint leaves.
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Don't use a bundt cake pan for this recipe. A Bundt cake pan can be beautiful, but since this cake is so light and fluffy, it will be hard to release it from the bundt cake pan.
- Make it cake in loaf pans instead of in a round cake pan. You can use a standard loaf pan as I used in this moist strawberry bread recipe.
- Whip your eggs and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy for at least 8 minutes. This seems long, but it's really not, and the result of a fluffy cake and not a dense cake will be totally worth it!
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
- Butter your pan with butter and sprinkle flour to prevent sticking. This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your cake will release easily from the pan.
- Make sure you line your baking pan with parchment paper to prevent the cake to stick to the pan.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to eat this cake as soon as it's ready. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature before eating the cake. This step prevents the cake to fall apart.
- Use fresh orange juice and fresh orange zest! This step can transform your cake and make it so delicious, fresh, flavorful, and zesty.
Faq's
This cake will last up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the fridge. Cover the cake with plastic wrap or foil to prevent it from drying out.
We use all-purpose flour for this cake. Cake flour will work great as well.
Orange cake is made with whipped egg whites which keeps the cake fluffy and light, orange zest, and fresh orange juice that gives this cake a delicious fresh flavor.
The rest of the ingredients are super simple. Flour, baking powder, vanilla extract, kosher salt, vegetable oil, and sugar!
Yes! You can double or even triple this recipe. If you double this recipe, I recommend using a 9x13 inch baking pan!
The orange natural flavor goes perfectly with lemon, lime, pomegranate, cranberries, mascarpone, chocolate, vanilla, caramel, and much more!
Storing
It’s okay to store this cake at room temperature. Make sure that you store this cake in an airtight container so it won’t dry out.
Freezing
This cake is very easy to freeze. After baking, let the cake cool to room temperature, transfer it into a freezer-friendly Ziploc bag, or wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months.
To thaw: place the cake in the refrigerator overnight or place it a room temperature for a few hours.
Substitutions
Gluten-free - if you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the flour with gluten-free flour.
Variations
Glaze- top this cake with a simple four-ingredient glaze instead of powdered sugar. Use our glaze from this orange pound cake recipe and swap the lemon zest and lemon juice with orange zest and orange juice.
Orange zest- add even more orange zest for a stronger orange flavor and aroma.
Frosting- top this cake with frosting instead of powdered sugar. We recommend cream cheese frosting, vanilla frosting, or chocolate frosting! Check out our chocolate orange frosting from this chocolate orange cake recipe.
Cranberry- turn this cake into a cranberry orange cake by adding ⅔ cup of fresh or frozen cranberries tossed in 1 tablespoon of flour or cornstarch to the batter.
Nuts- give this cake an extra crunch by adding ½ cup of chopped and toasted nuts of your choice like walnuts, pecans, almonds, etc.
More orange recipes
Chocolate Orange Cake- This super moist chocolate orange cake is made with fresh orange juice, orange zest, dutch cocoa powder, and topped with chocolate orange buttercream.
Best Orange Pound Cake With Orange Glaze (made in a loaf pan)- This orange pound cake is loaded with orange flavor and is moist, buttery, dense, and topped with a delicious orange glaze.
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📖 Recipe
The Best Orange Cake
Ingredients
- 5 Eggs
- 1 ¼ cup Granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ¾ cup Vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoon Orange zest
- 1 cup Orange juice
- 2 ¼ cups Flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160c (320f) and prep a 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Carefully separate the egg whites from the egg yolks and pour the egg whites to a stand mixer with a balloon attachment and gradually add the sugar over medium speed.
- Whip the mixture on high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. You want stiff peaks in this mixture. Add the orange juice, egg yolks, orange zest, vanilla extract, kosher salt, vegetable oil, and mix over low speed until combined.
- Add the flour and baking powder and mix until there are no flour lumps visible.
- Pour the batter into a parchment paper lined 9 inch round baking pan and smooth it out using a spatula.
- Bake in a 160c (320f) preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- Top the cake with as much powder sugar as you would like, we like to top it with thin slices of orange and mint leaves.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
- Butter your pan with butter and sprinkle flour to prevent sticking. This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your cake will release easily from the pan.
- Make sure you line your baking pan with parchment paper to prevent the cake to stick to the pan.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to eat this cake as soon as it's ready. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature before eating the cake. This step prevents the cake to fall apart.
- Use fresh orange juice and fresh orange zest! This step can transform your cake and make it so delicious, fresh, flavorful, and zesty.
Nikki says
I love this cake - I call it an orange creamsicle! I've made it twice - but this second time, I don't think I let it rest in the pan long enough before removing. The sides crumbled off 🙁 Your recipe doesn't indicate how long to rest it in the pan - would 20 minutes be better? I only used parchment paper on the bottom, greased and floured the pan. Last time this wasn't an issue. I'm sure it will still be delicious.
RichandDelish says
Hi! I'm so glad you liked this recipe! I would recommend to let the cake cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes. 1 hour is better.
Zee says
Can I substitute vegetable oil with olive oil?
RichandDelish says
Yes.
Swat says
I made this cake a couple months back and it was amazing. I topped it off with lightly sweetened mascarpone buttercream and it was dreamy. Should I 2x the recipe to make this in a 9x13 sheet pan? Thanks!
RichandDelish says
Hi! I’m so happy you liked it! Yes, it will work. You may need to add a few more minutes for baking, as it's a larger cake. Please take a look at it when the baking time comes to an end.
Susan Chagnon says
Super delicious, fluffy and moist. I only had tangerines so I used them. Did not have enough juice from the tangerines so I used key lime juice and also triple sec and a little orange extract and lots of zest from the tangerine omg the best cake ever
Nove says
Can I use butter instead of vegetable oil?
RichandDelish says
No for this one. The oil gives this cake it’s soft texture.
Sally says
So delicious! Perfect light, fluffy and moist texture!
Sue says
This cake is a winner. I only used 1/2 cup of castor sugar and replaced the orange zest with lemon zest. It is basically an orange sponge cake! I love it :-)))