Home » All Recipes » Dessert Recipes

Moist Orange Cake Recipe With Whole Oranges

ByCheryl AvrichUpdated on January 30, 2026
JUMP TO RECIPE JUMP TO VIDEO
4.9 from 49 votes

“Everyone LOVED this cake! One person called it divine, another…went on and on about it!… It is very moist and strong orange flavor…” Lynn

This super moist orange cake recipe is rich, tender, sweet, and unmistakably citrusy – made with whole oranges for intense fresh orange flavor. Enjoy it plain, dusted with powdered sugar, or drizzle it with orange buttercream to take it over the top.

Orange cake dusted with icing sugar and decorated with orange slices and rind.

I’ve been making a version of this recipe, originally from Noreen Gilletz, for over 30 years. If you love orange desserts with bold (not subtle) orange flavor, you’ll love this cake.

View More

What to expect

Compared to the original recipe, the cake is now lighter, super moist, and still preserves that strong orange flavor. Here’s the why and how.

  • Using whole oranges gives the cake a strong, fresh orange flavor, but leaving too much of the white pith can make it bitter. Trimming most of it before blending is an easy fix that keeps the cake moist, tender, and bright.

You’ll need a food processor or blender to fully break down the orange and create a smooth, even batter.

Enjoy this great, easy cake to serve at a shower, tea, dinner party, or anytime you want to earn rave reviews.

Ingredients – tailored to your taste

sugar, butter, eggs, flour, salt, baking powder, oranges.
Oranges (fresh juice and zest), sugar, flour, butter, eggs, salt, baking powder
  • Oranges: Use 2 sweet, seedless oranges (navel, Cara Cara, or Valencia all work well). If the oranges have very little white pith under the rind, you can skip removing it. Thicker pith should be trimmed to avoid bitterness
  • Remaining cake ingredients: eggs, flour, sugar, baking powder, butter, salt.
  • Glaze or frosting (optional): butter, icing sugar, orange juice, and orange zest

Substitutions

  • Flour – you can substitute 1/4 of the all-purpose flour with almond flour or whole wheat flour. Replacing more than that will change the texture of the cake and make it denser.

Variations

  • Glaze/frosting (optional)
    • I use a thin orange buttercream glaze, but you can easily adjust it. For a thicker frosting, use more butter and icing (confectioner’s) sugar or less orange juice. 
    • A 3-minute chocolate buttercream icing (like we use on our best banana cake) is excellent here because chocolate and orange are a perfect pairing. 
    • Or try this cream cheese frosting from our blueberry cake recipe. Add orange zest to make it an orange cream cheese frosting.
  • Decoration – For a simple finish, try orange peel, thinly sliced orange slices, a dusting of confectioner sugar, chocolate shavings, or crushed toasted nuts. 

Step-by-step instructions

Peeled oranges with pith sliced off.
Prepare the oranges by slicing off the zest layer, then trimming away most of the white pith. Quarter the oranges.
butter and sugar blended in food processor bowl.
In a food processor, cream butter, eggs and sugar. Transfer to a large bowl.
orange and zest blended in food processor bowl.
Add the orange quarters (including rind) to the food processor and process until fully pulverized.
creamed butter and sugar with pulverized orange in a bowl
Combine orange mixture with butter-sugar mixture.
orange cake batter in bowl
Gently fold in the dry ingredients just until combined. Do not overmix.
orange cake batter in springform pan
Pour batter into a greased springform pan.
baked whole orange cake in springform pan
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Icing sugar, butter, orange zest and water in measuring cup.
Optional: Make the glaze or frosting by whisking together the butter, icing sugar, orange juice, and zest.
Orange cake dusted with icing sugar and decorated with orange slices and rind.
Let cake cool completely on a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar or frost with frosting/glaze if desired. Decorate with orange slices and/or orange peel.

Tip

For the purest orange flavor, remove most of the white pith before processing the oranges.

Shortcuts

  • Use thin-skinned oranges: If your oranges have very little white pith, you can use them whole without trimming.
  • Keep the finish simple: Skip the glaze or frosting and dust the cooled cake with icing (confectioners’) sugar instead.

Recipe FAQs

How can you get rid of the bitterness of the orange peel?

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, you can avoid most of the bitterness. Another option is to boil the peel several times.

Do I need to use a food processor for this recipe?

Yes, you will need a food processor or a blender to pulverize the orange and create a smooth batter. I also use the processor to cream the butter, sugar, and eggs, then blend the orange in the same bowl – no need to wash it in between.

What size pans can I use for this recipe?

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. Baking time will vary, so start checking for doneness during the last 10 minutes.

Can I make a flour-free or gluten-free orange cake?

Yes! This cake is not gluten-free, but we have a wonderful gluten-free orange polenta cake you can try. It’s perfect after a Passover seder meal. 

Can I make a lower-calorie, lower-fat version?  

Yes, you can substitute half the butter with unsweetened applesauce for a lower-fat, lower-calorie version. 

Can I make the orange cake ahead of time or freeze it?

Yes. The cake keeps well at room temperature for a day and actually improves in flavor after a few hours. For longer storage, let it cool completely, wrap well, and freeze for up to 3 months.

How do I make sure my orange cake isn’t dense?

Use room-temperature butter and eggs, measure the flour accurately (by weight or using the spoon-and-sweep method), and avoid overmixing the batter. Don’t add extra oranges – the extra liquid can cause the center to sink. Finally, keep an eye on doneness, as many ovens run hot or cool.

Slice of glazed orange cake on white plate.

More delicious cake recipes

Please leave a 5 star rating ***** with a comment in the recipe card below if you like the recipe, Thank you so much!

Orange cake dusted with icing sugar and decorated with orange slices and rind.
Print Recipe Pin

Rate this recipe here

4.92 from 49 votes

Moist Orange Cake Recipe

This super moist orange cake is rich, tender, and full of fresh citrus flavor. Made with whole oranges and simple pantry ingredients, it’s easy to prepare in a food processor and delicious plain or topped with orange buttercream.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
cooling30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Servings: 12
Author: Cheryl Avrich

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
  • ¾ cups butter, cut in chunks 1½ sticks
  • 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar (use an extra ¼ cup/50g if oranges aren't too sweet)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 cups all purpose flour Note 2
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ 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
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
US Measures – Metric

Video

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.

Recipe Notes

  • Pan options: Different pan sizes will affect baking time, so start checking for doneness during the last 10 minutes. You can use:
    • 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan (what I use)
    • Two 8-inch (20 cm) round pans (for a layer cake)
    • 8-inch (20 cm) square pan
    • 9-inch round pan
    • 9×5-inch (23×12.7 cm) loaf pan
  • Flour options: You can substitute up to 1/4 of the flour (in this recipe, 1/2 cup/68g) with almond flour or whole wheat flour. More than that will make the cake dense.
  • Orange frosting/glaze: The recipe makes enough thinner frosting/glaze to cover the top of the cake. If you want a thicker, more traditional buttercream frosting (easier with a food processor or electric mixer, use:
    • 1 1/2 cups (180g) icing sugar,
    • 1/4 cup butter ((4 tbsp/1/2 stick/57g) and
    • 2-3 tbsp orange juice. 
  • Other frosting options:
    • A chocolate buttercream frosting like we use on our best banana cake is a fantastic option because chocolate and orange are a perfect match. 
    • Or try this cream cheese frosting from our blueberry cake recipe. Add orange zest to it if you like.
  • Lower calorie, lower fat version: Substitute half the butter with unsweetened applesauce using 6 tbsp butter and 6 tbsp applesauce. 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. 
 
Nutrition values are estimates and include the orange buttercream frosting. 

Nutrition

Calories: 342kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 238mg | Potassium: 90mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 681IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?We’d love you to rate it above under ‘rate this recipe’ or in the comment section below. Thanks!
4.92 from 49 votes (31 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating





65 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This looks amazing, and I have too many oranges to eat! Mine are mandarin oranges on the larger side, and I don’t have a scale. About how many cups of pulverized orange chunks and peels would you say you use? Thank you for sharing this!

    Reply

  2. 5 stars
    This was a lovely cake! Thank you for the recipe!
    I did drop the sugar to 170g (same as the butter) and this amount of sweetness is perfect for us.
    Added a small amount of cooked orange sweet potato to intensify the colour and orange oil (I have made) for more orange flavour.
    Baked it in a loaf pan with sliced oranges and filleted almonds on top.
    A stunner! Thank you!

    Reply

  3. 5 stars
    Everyone LOVED this cake!:)). One person called it divine, another, a chocolate lover went on and on about it, others said they LOVED it!:))) It is very moist and strong orange flavor. Mine looked like the close up of your sliced pic. I did weigh my naval oranges, and used less of them as they were big, to get the weight you recommended. Not doing that will get different results, i am sure. Also, my pith was rather thin….so, more orange. I did use a vegetable peeler with light pressure to get the rind off. it worked great for taking off very little pith. I did make 2 X the recipe. One in a metal 9″ square pan and the other in a heavy glass 8″ square pan, which took much longer to bake. Thanks So very much for this recipe!:))

    Reply

    1. If you are looking to replace the baking powder with baking soda, they are not actually interchangeable. Baking powder contains both acidic and alkaline components, while baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate and requires an acidic ingredient to activate it (and it’s stronger than baking powder). In a pinch for this recipe, you can try 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon cream of tarter to replace the 2 teaspoons baking powder. Keep in mind that the texture of the cake may be altered a bit. Hope that helps.

      Reply

  6. 5 stars
    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!

    Reply