A soft and tender orange cake that’s bursting with fresh orange flavor. This everyday orange cake recipe is easy to make and only gets better over time. It’s a simple recipe with amazing results!
I’m not the only baker in my family. My mom is famous for her orange cake, or perhaps for letting me sneak in a slice before it cooled down completely (my sweet tooth began at an early age).
Her recipe is something I grew up with, but it wasn’t until a recent nostalgic craving for this citrusy cake that I finally asked her for the recipe. Along with orange cranberry muffins and chocolate orange marble cake, this orange cake is one of my favorite orange-flavored recipes on the blog.
Why I love this cake
I vividly remember moments in the kitchen, waiting in anticipation for my mom to take the orange Bundt cake out of the oven. She always told me to wait for it to cool completely, but my impatience usually won me a slice of warm cake. Food is full of memories and my mom’s orange cake is one of my childhood favorites. I’m so glad to be able to share this recipe with my daughter and hope you will bake it for friends and family, too.
This recipe makes enough cake batter for two 8.5×4.5-inch loaf pans or one Bundt pan, but you can always alter the recipe to convert cake pan sizes to fit what you have in your own kitchen.
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How to make this easy orange cake
- Beat eggs and sugar together.
- Mix dry ingredients together.
- Slowly add oil, orange juice, zest, and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients.
- Pour the batter into greased loaf or Bundt pan lined with parchment paper. If using loaf pans, the cake will be finished in 40-50 minutes.
- Bake at 350°F/180°C.
- Cool.
Baker’s tip: While you can certainly measure your ingredients by volume (most home bakers do), for the best results, I highly suggest measuring ingredients by weight using a food scale.
Storing instructions
Store the cake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container for best results. This cake does freeze well too.
Tips for making this cake
- Use fresh oranges. Just like in my lemon bundt cake, using fresh citrus really helps the flavor burst through in each bite. To keep things easy, I use the zest from the same number of oranges I use for juicing, about 3-4 total. I find it easier to zest the oranges before juicing them.
- Don’t overmix your batter. Once you have fully beat the eggs and sugar to a beautiful fluffy texture, you don’t want to continue beating it to much once you add the rest of the ingredients. Simply combine everything until all ingredients are incorporated, but no more.
- Use loaf pans for easier removal. My mom always made this as an orange bundt cake, but since it’s a very moist pound cake, I’ve often struggled getting it out from the pan in one piece. I prefer to use loaf pans instead of a Bundt pan, but whichever pan you use be sure to grease it well and line it with parchment paper. Since this orange juice cake is full of moisture it can easily stick to the pan.
- Let the cake rest for a day at room temperature before eating. For the best texture, I highly recommend making this cake a day in advance. The orange flavor becomes stronger over time, giving you a juicy punch in every bite.
Turn it into a layer cake!
This orange cake works very well as a layer cake for the holidays. I love pairing it with a cranberry filling and cream cheese frosting.
You could also go the chocolate route – with maybe an orange curd filling? Haven’t tried that yet but it sounds divine.
More of my favorite loaf cake recipes
- White Chocolate Raspberry Loaf Cake: Bursting with rich white chocolate and juicy raspberries.
- Mom’s Honey Cake: An amazing rich and moist honey cake adapted from my mom’s original recipe.
- Coconut Cake: Made with fresh coconut and coconut cream, this light and fluffy cake is topped with a sticky glaze and tastes incredible.
Easy Orange Cake
A soft and tender orange cake that’s bursting with fresh orange flavor. This everyday orange cake recipe is easy to make and only gets better over time. It's a simple recipe with amazing results!
Ingredients
- 2 ⅞ cups (350g) all-purpose flour, sifted
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (240 ml) canola or vegetable oil
- 1 ¼ cups (300 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
- Orange zest from 3-4 oranges (same amount of oranges used for the juice)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C. Grease a 12-cup (10-inch) Bundt pan or two standard loaf pans (either 9 x 5 inch pans or 8½ x 4½ inch pans for taller cakes) and set aside.
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In a medium bowl whisk together flour and baking powder. Set aside.
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Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a handheld mixer, whisk together eggs and sugar on high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
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On low speed and with the mixer running, add oil slowly until combined. Add orange juice, zest, and vanilla extract and keep whisking slowly until combined.
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Add flour mixture and whisk just until combined. Don’t overmix.
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Pour batter into prepared pan/pans. Bake for 50-60 minutes for the bundt pan or 40-50 minutes for the loaf pans or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Note: If the top is browning quickly while baking, cover loosely with aluminum foil.
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Allow cake/cakes to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
Recipe Notes
Loaf vs. Bundt Pans
This recipe yields 2 loaves or as my mom used to make it – one bundt cake. I find that it’s not easy to remove the cake from the bundt pan because it’s a very moist cake unless you butter and flour the pan well. I prefer using a loaf pan. If you only want to make one loaf, you can cut the recipe in half.
Storing and Serving
- Store cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. For the best moist texture, the cake is best served at room temperature.
- This cake freezes well so if you make two loaves, cover well, and freeze one of them in the freezer for up to 2 months, then thaw overnight in the fridge
Love this cake?
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I also have an orange layer cake version with cranberry filling and cream cheese frosting for the holidays.
