Zesty Whole Orange Cake Recipe (Super Moist)
Super moist and bursting with fresh orange flavor, this whole orange cake will become a new favorite. Rich, tender, sweet and citrusy.
Eat it unadorned or drizzle on an orange buttercream frosting to take it over the top.
I’ve been making this recipe from Noreen Gilletz for over 30 years. I love the intense orange flavor, but using a whole orange, as this recipe does, can make a dense cake that is slightly bitter.
If you love orange flavors, you will love this super moist orange cake. If you’re not an orange fan, skip it. This cake screams orange.
I love to serve this cake at a shower, a tea, a dinner party and other special occasions. Expect rave reviews.
What to expect
With some trial and error, I found a way to remove the bitterness and create an ultra-moist and tender cake. It takes an extra short step, but it’s worth it, I think. Here is the change I made.
- The original recipe calls for blending a whole orange with the rest of the ingredients all together in a food processor.
- I now remove most of the white layer of the orange (the pith) and cream the butter, sugar and eggs separately in the food processor before blending the orange.
This is a super moist, tender, orange-intense cake. Delish!
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
With the exception of oranges, the ingredients in this recipe are the usual ones for most cakes.
Variations and substitutions
- Flour – this easy recipe calls for all purpose flour, but feel free to substitute 1/4 of the flour with almond flour or whole wheat flour.
- Glaze/frosting (optional)
- I use a thin orange buttercream icing to glaze the cake. You can also make a regular thicker icing by adjusting the ingredients – more butter and icing confectioner sugar or less orange juice.
- A 3-minute chocolate buttercream icing like we use on our best banana cake would also be fantastic because chocolate and orange are a perfect match.
- Or try this cream cheese frosting from Sally’s Baking Addiction. Add orange zest if you like to make it an orange cream cheese frosting.
- Decoration – To decorate this easy cake, I like to use orange peel, thinly sliced orange pieces, a dusting of confectioner sugar, chocolate shavings or even crushed toasted nuts.
Step by step instructions
Recipe FAQs
While the top layer of the orange zest (peel) has some bitterness from tannins, it’s the white part beneath the skin – the pith – that is very bitter. By removing much of the pith, we can avoid most of the bitterness. Another option is to boil the peel several times which I’m too lazy to do 🙂
Yes, you will need a food processor or a blender to pulverize the orange. I also use the processor to cream the butter, sugar and eggs. Once transferred to a large bowl, I blend the orange (no need to clean the processor bowl in between).
Dimensions of cake pans will change the timing of baking cakes so always keep your eye on the doneness in the last 10 minutes or so. For the orange cake recipe, you can use a 9″ (23cm) springform pan (what I use), two 8″ (20cm) round pans (for two layers), an 8″ (20cm) square pan, a 9″ round pan or 9×5′ (23×12.7″) inch loaf pan.
Yes! We have a wonderful gluten-free orange polenta cake you can try. Perfect after a Passover seder meal.
Weighing baking ingredients on a kitchen scale is always best. If you don’t have a scale, use the spoon & sweep method – loosely fill a measuring cup with flour to the top, then sweep across the rim with a knife.
Yes, you can substitute half the butter with unsweetened applesauce for a lower-fat, lower-calorie version.
Shortcuts
- If you can find fresh oranges with a very thin layer of white pith beneath the orange skin, by all means, use the whole orange. Otherwise, I suggest removing some or most of the bitter white pith.
- Skip the orange buttercream glaze or icing. Just dust the top of the cake with icing [confectioner] sugar.
Make Ahead
- The whole orange cake can be stored at room temperature for 3-4 days in an airtight container to keep it fresh and moist.
- This is a great recipe for freezing too. The cake can also be frozen for 2-3 months.
Other delicious cake recipes
- best banana cake with chocolate icing
- moist apple cake recipe with bourbon caramel sauce
- carrot and pineapple cake
- old fashioned easy strawberry shortcake (20 minutes)
- orange polenta cake (gluten free)
- white chocolate brownies with raspberry glaze
If you like this recipe, please leave a 5 star rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟with a comment in the recipe card below. Thanks so much!
Whole Orange Cake Recipe (super moist)
Equipment
- food processor (or blender), medium-large mixing bowl, 9" (23cm) springform pan, Note 1 for other pan options.
Ingredients
whole orange cake
- 2 large seedless oranges about 184g each
- 3/4 cups butter, cut in chunks 1 1/2 sticks
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (use an extra 1/4 cup/50g if oranges aren't too sweet)
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups all purpose flour Note 2
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt skip if using salted butter
orange glaze or buttercream frosting (optional) Note 3
- 1 cup icing sugar also called confectioners or powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoon butter, softened
- 1 orange (use half an orange for fresh orange juice and zest) other half for decoration
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- HEAT OVEN TO 350F/177C. Spray 9 inch (23cm) springform pan with oil. Note 1 for other pan options.
- PREPARE ORANGES: Using a sharp knife, place orange on cutting board and slice off the thin top orange layer all around the orange. Try to get as little of the white pith layer as possible (leaving on some is fine – no need to obsess!). Then slice off the white pith layer and discard. Repeat with second orange. Cut oranges into quarters. Shortcut: If your oranges only have a very thin layer of pith, you can use the whole orange.
- CREAM BUTTER, SUGAR, EGGS: Place butter, sugar and eggs in food processor bowl. Process for 2 minutes at high speed until fluffy and creamy. Scrape down sides of bowl once or twice. Scoop mixture into medium-large bowl.
- GRIND ORANGES: Place oranges and orange peels in food processor. No need to clean out processor first. Process until finely blended, about 1 minute. Scrape orange mixture into bowl with butter mixture.
- FINISH BATTER: Add flour mixture of flour and baking powder. Gently fold into wet mixture just until incorporated. Do NOT over mix or the cake will be dense. Pour batter into prepared pan. Tap pan on counter to level the batter evenly.
- BAKE: for 45-50 minutes or until cake no longer jiggles when shaken and when cake tester or toothpick is inserted in center and comes out clean. Two 8" round pans will take less time, about 25-35 minutes. Timing depends on size of oranges (amount of liquid in cake) and your oven (all ovens are different and not perfectly accurate on temperatures). Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before removing on pan. Cool completely on cooling rack before frosting.
- MAKE FROSTING/GLAZE (OPTIONAL): While cake is baking, whisk icing/confectioner sugar, 1/2 of orange juice and orange zest with a fork in a small bowl. Add more orange juice until you get the consistency you like. Note 3 for traditional orange buttercream frosting.
- DECORATE: Sprinkle orange cake with powdered icing sugar (through a sieve) if not using frosting. If using frosting/glaze, spread it on top of cake letting it slip down the sides if desired. Decorate cake with orange zest strips, orange slices, drained mandarin oranges, a little bit of zest or crushed nuts if you like.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Pan options: Dimensions of cake pans will change the timing of baking cakes so always keep your eye on the doneness in the last 10 minutes or so. For the orange cake recipe, you can use a 9″ (23cm) springform pan (what I use), two 8″ (20cm)round pans (for two layers), an 8″ (20cm) square pan, a 9″ round pan or 9×5′ (23×12.7″) inch loaf pan.
- Flour options: You can substitute 1/4 of the flour (1/2 cup/68g) with almond flour or whole wheat flour.
- Orange frosting/glaze: The recipe makes enough of a thinner frosting/glaze to cover the top of the cake. If you want a thicker, more traditional buttercream frosting, use 1 1/2 cups (180g) icing sugar, 1/4 cup (4 tbsp, 1/2 stick or 57g) butter and 2-3 tbsp orange juice. It might be easier to use a food processor or hand electric mixer if making the traditional frosting (instead of a fork).
- Other frosting options:
- A chocolate buttercream frosting like we use on our best banana cake would also be fantastic because chocolate and orange are a perfect match.
- Or try this cream cheese frosting from Sally’s Baking Addiction. Add orange zest if you like.
- Lower calorie, lower fat version: Substitute half the butter with unsweetened applesauce using 6 tbsp butter and 6 tbsp apple sauce. And skip the frosting (just dust with icing sugar)
- Make Ahead:
- The whole orange cake can be stored at room temperature for 3-4 days in an airtight container to keep it fresh and moist.
- The cake can also be frozen for 2-3 months.
I made this cake yesterday morning in a bundt pan, but used 7 small mandarins (“cuties”) because I had more than we could eat. I made the sugar/juice glaze but subbed 1/4 cup regular sugar and spooned onto cake while hot. Personally, I love citrusy desserts, and feel like this may possibly be the best cake I’ve ever eaten! On first bite I was back in Sorrento, surrounded by citrus groves. Try a slice for breakfast, topped with a little ricotta and a drizzle of honey- absolutely DEVINE!
Just made this recipe and followed the recipe to the T. I made mine in a Bundt pan and it came out perfect.
That’s what I love to hear Susan! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment.
Can’t wait to make the whole orange cake as well as carrot and pineapple cake.
Let us know if you like them!
I loved this recipe my cake was the best, we really enjoyed and my friend too thank you.
Glad to hear! Thanks very much for taking the time to leave a comment Gladys.
100 stars please. This is my new favourite thing!!
100- wow! So glad you like the orange cake! Thanks very much for leaving a comment.
Very easy to make. However my cake came out on the drier side. Not moist. I might have overbaked it perhaps, but definitely did not over-mix. As I was mixing the batter, I felt like it was on the drier side. I want to try to make it again given all the great reviews and I really want to make a moist orange cake, should I maybe lessen the flour? or add butter?
Thank you so much!
Sorry to hear that the cake was dry Michele. Here are a couple of possible reasons. You might have overbaked it, as you mentioned, but more likely, the temperature of your oven is off (most are). In your case, it might be a bit on the high side. You can buy an inexpensive thermometer to check the temperature of your oven and adjust accordingly.
Another common reason is using too much flour. Surprisingly, a cup measure can add 20% more flour! Two solutions for that: first, it’s best to weigh the flour on a kitchen scale. Second, if you don’t have a scale, use the scoop and sweep method. Scoop flour into your measuring cup with a spoon, then level it off with a knife. I assume you used all the butter called for. I hope your next try will be perfect and moist! Good luck!
P.S. You can try a simple syrup to moisten your current orange cake – brush on 3-4 tablespoons and see if that helps moisten it a bit.
Can I leave 6 stars? I cannot begin to tell you how much people enjoyed this cake. I’m so grateful for your kindness in sharing this recipe with us all. I made it exactly how you wrote it and it was the talk of the town! The flavors were bright and satisfying and it stayed moist! I shared my result on Instagram and so many people asked for the recipe. I pointed them your way! In the words of my mom “this recipe is a keeper!” All thanks to you. Lastly, I froze the remaining 2 slices, and once thawed it was just as orangey and delicious as ever. You rock!
You made my day Laura! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave such a lovely comment. We really appreciate that!
This is a truly excellent recipe! It has already worked a few times for me and I’m hardly a great or experienced baker. The orange flavours are just right and it’s always gorgeously moist. Thank you very much!
So happy to hear that Vittorio! Thanks very much for leaving a comment.
This recipe is delicious. I used blood oranges and substituted half of the plain flour with equal parts almond meal and wholewheat flour. It was amazing. Great tip about trimming off the white pith. Much less bitter but still has that super orangey flavour. Now a staple in my recipe collection. 😁
So glad you enjoyed the cake Jo! Our readers will appreciate you sharing your flour substitutions that obviously worked well.
How would I convert this recipe for a 9″ x 12″ cake tin please?
Or it’s not suitable for this?
Hi Sonya. The size pans that would works for this cake are 9″ (23cm) springform pan (what I use), two 8″ (20cm) round pans (for two layers), an 8″ (20cm) square pan, a 9″ round pan or 9×5” (23×12.7 cm) loaf pan.
Dimensions of cake pans will change the timing of baking cakes so always keep your eye on the doneness in the last 10 minutes or so. You can try your 9 x 12” pan but the cake will be thinner and take less baking time. If you can borrow one of the other options, that might work better. Hope that helps.
I made this cake for my mom’s 91st birthday. Is it supposed to be pretty dense? If not, did I do something wrong? Feel I might’ve overbaked it (50 minutes)–it came out almost like pound cake, pretty dense. I tried not to overmix it, but maybe I did. Thoughts? MIght try it again, but realized I wasn’t sure how it is supposed to turn out in terms of texture and density. Orange flavor was great.
Hi Carol. Sorry the cake wasn’t what you expected. It should be very moist and I’d say slightly on the denser side. You might be able to see that in the picture showing a slice of the cake. To troubleshoot, a few possible issues come to mind- oranges that are too large (excess liquid), your oven temperature is a bit off (pretty common) or over mixing. As I said, though, the cake is slightly on the denser side so perhaps not as light and fluffy as you were expecting. I hope that helps and that you might try it again if you like that kind of cake.
Thanks, Cheryl! My cake looked great (wish I could share a pic) and my family liked it. It did look like your photo. The oranges were very large—I think that is the key—and I think I overbaked it a tad. I will try it again—thanks for the input!
You’re very welcome Carol. So glad it wasn’t a total loss! Hopefully with a few tweaks it will be a winner next time.
Hi. Can this recipe convert to cupcakes or muffins? Thanks
Hi Lorraine. I haven’t tried cupcakes but they should be fine. You can bake them at the same temperature but for less time. Perhaps start checking after 25 minutes. Here’s a great article to help convert cakes to cupcakes https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2019/04/25/how-to-convert-cake-to-cupcakes. I hope that helps.
Hi… Will be trying this cake this weekend. I just wanted to mention that if you scale the recipe, the grams in brackets do not change. I just though it was worth to mention as some ladies might use the wrong quantities if using the grams. Looking forward to tasting this cake. 😍
Hi Tania, You are right. The scaling only works on one type of measurement. I have been adding the second measurement (grams, ml, cm, etc) in the past year to help those who use the metric system instead of the imperial (US) system. But unfortunately, at this point, the program I use doesn’t scale those additional measures automatically. Thanks for pointing that out to readers. I hope you enjoy the cake.
Hi Cheryl
Thank you so much for replying 🤗… I made this recipe for an engagement cake yesterday and all i can say is Wow! Everybody came up to me and said its one of the best cakes they had eaten. I made it for Chef and she couldn’t do raving or eating it…. So thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. Big hugs 🤗 💞
I’m thrilled for you. And honoured that you chose it for an engagement cake! 🤗
So good and moist. Thanks for posting it again as I have made your recipe in the past and am craving it again. I am definitely making it again in the next week.
Hi Deb. You must be referring to our orange polenta cake which has been posted for a quite a while. So glad you liked it. The whole orange cake is new this week and I hope you like it as well! Thanks so much for leaving a comment.
Delicious recipe – adding it to my favourites!
Thanks Fran! Hope you like it 🙂