This orange loaf cake is one of the best you'll ever make! It's soft, moist, slightly dense, and packed full of that bright orange flavour.
Loaf cakes are the perfect little dessert to have when you're craving something sweet or when you want to impress a small crowd. They're easy to make, come together real quick and without much effort.
This recipe is inspired by my viral Starbucks Lemon Loaf recipe which has been made and loved by thousands online! Keeping to the citrus theme, I had to make an orange one as well. If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it!
And if you love citrus flavours, try out recipes like this Lemon & Coconut Tres Leches, these citrusy Lemon Crinkle Cookies, Lemon Raspberry Curd Cookies, these beautiful Raspberry Lemon Rolls and of course this bright Lemon Raspberry Ice Cream! (Can you tell I love raspberry and lemon together?
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Orange quality = flavour
Oranges are much milder than lemons, which have a stronger flavour that shines through even when baked. It's really important to get good quality oranges for this recipe and even give them a taste test beforehand.
Fresh and good quality oranges will give you a stronger and more delicious flavour in the actual cake. In my previous tests, oranges that weren't fresh or strong would result in the loaf having enough orange flavour or at all. So I highly recommend using good quality oranges!!!
Ingredients for this Orange Loaf Recipe
- Naval oranges
- Granulated white sugar
- Large eggs
- Fresh orange juice
- Orange extract
- Neutral oil
- Sour cream
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F and line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper. (If using a dark pan, preheat to 325F)
- Zest the orange into the sugar and massage for a few minutes until it's light orange in colour. You can also use a food processor.
- Beat the orange zest sugar and eggs until light and airy, then mix in orange juice, orange extract, oil, and sour cream.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl, then fold into wet ingredients in two additions, mixing until just combined. Pour into a lined 9x5 loaf pan, add a line of butter or oil on top for the crack down the middle, and bake at 350°F for 60-70 minutes.
- While baking, make lemon simple syrup by heating lemon juice and sugar until dissolved and boiling, then remove from heat. Pour hot syrup over the hot cake and let cool.
- Make a smooth glaze with the powdered sugar and orange juice. Drizzle and spread over the cool cake and enjoy!
Storage
Place in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days or in the fridge for up to 1-2 weeks.
Tips for the best loaf cake
- Sugar and orange zest – Make sure to massage the sugar and orange zest together to get the most flavour out of the zest as possible. Doing this releases the oils in the peel, into the sugar and amplifies the orange flavour—way more than if you only used the zest itself. You can use a food processor to do this OR a silicon spatula to rub the sugar into the zest.
- Do not over-mix - Once you add in the flour, gently mix with a whisk or a spatula. Stop mixing once it all comes together. If mixed too much, the gluten in the flour develops too much, making the baked good dense, gummy and chewy
- Making the orange syrup - When cooking the lemon juice and sugar into a syrup, make sure to take it off heat once it comes to a boil. If you cook it for too long, the water content will evaporate, turning it into something like candy once it cools. It won't stay a syrup and will harden once it cools.
- Making the glaze - As you add the orange juice to the powdered sugar, make sure to add it in gradually. You don't want a thin, nor too thick glaze because you want to be able to see it on the loaf once it sets/dries.
- Use good quality oranges for the zest and juice - You don't want to use the bottled stuff. Juice the oranges yourself for the best taste. The recipe calls for zest so if possible, use organic oranges to not ingest unwanted pesticides used to grow them.
- Baking time will vary, so keep an eye on it - Some ovens run hotter than others or even colder and might not have an accurate temperature. Which is why you will want to keep an eye on the loaf as it's baking, especially after the hour mark. If it's browning too quickly but not yet cooked inside, cover with aluminum foil. If a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few crumbs, it is done. If you lightly press the loaf, it should spring back.
FAQ
Yes! Just substitute with the same amount of plain yogurt.
Orange extract will result in a stronger flavour but if you don't have it, you can substitute it with an extra tablespoon of orange zest.
You have cooked it too long and accidentally made candy. Make sure not to take it off the stove after it comes to a boil.
Related
If you enjoyed this recipe, check these out!
Orange Loaf Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- Zest of 2 oranges
- 1 ¼ cup - granulated sugar (250g)
- 3 - large eggs
- 2 teaspoon - orange extract
- 3 tablespoon - orange juice
- ½ cup - neutral oil any oil without much flavor or smell
- 1 cup - sour cream (246g)
- 2 teaspoon - baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon - salt
- 2 cup - all-purpose flour (276g)
Orange Syrup
- 3 tablespoon - sugar
- 3 tablespoon - orange juice
Glaze
- ½ cup - powdered sugar (61g)
- 1.5- 2 tablespoon - orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F if using light coloured pan. (If using dark pan, preheat to 325 F)
- Rub together the sugar and orange zest for a minute or two.1 ¼ cup - granulated sugar, Zest of 2 oranges
- Now beat together the zesty sugar and eggs together for about 2 minutes until light and airy. Add in the orange juice and orange extract. Add in the oil. Add in the sour cream and mix until combined3 - large eggs, 2 teaspoon - orange extract, 3 tablespoon - orange juice, ½ cup - neutral oil, 1 cup - sour cream
- In a small bowl whisk the flour, baking power and salt.2 teaspoon - baking powder, 2 cup - all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon - salt
- Add ½ into the wet ingredients and mix it together using a spatula. Add in the rest and mix until *just* combined. Do not overmix. Pour it into a lined 9x5 loaf pan and pipe a line of butter OR drizzle a line of oil down the middle (this can help create the pretty crack down the middle)
- Bake at 350 for about 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs (if you have a dark pan, bake at 325 because the pan retains more heat) it should be springy to the touch.
- During this time make the orange syrup by combining the two ingredients and cooking it until the sugar has dissolved and it comes to a boil. Turn off the heat immediately.3 tablespoon - orange juice, 3 tablespoon - sugar
- Take the cake out of the pan and pour the the hot syrup onto the hot cake. Let it cool. If not eating immediately, cover in plastic wrap and let it sit a few hours or overnight.
- Make the glaze with powdered sugar and orange juice½ cup - powdered sugar, 1.5- 2 tablespoon - orange juice
- Spread the glaze on the cool cake and coat evenly. Let it sit to set a bit.
- Enjoy and let me know how it was by reviewing the recipe!
Culcasi says
Great cake
Nabeah Wahab says
Hi Culcasi,
Thank you! I hope you enjoyed it!
Paola says
Love your recipes! And great tip about the quality of the oranges.
Ibtesam Alzain says
Baked this today with a few changes, substituted the orange extract with lemon extract (as I didn’t have any) and added 1 teaspoons vanilla. I also did not add the glaze, as I don’t like glazes in general. And the results were superb ☺️. This recipe is a keeper as even my 12 year old picky eater loved it
Guggie says
I made this orange cake yesterday and it turned out amazing, everyone loved it! The colour and taste of the cake was really nice, similar to lemon cake. I will be making this cake again along with your lemon loaf cake which I can't wait to try! Thank you for sharing your recipes.
Ibtesam Alzain says
Incredibly moist and delicious
Maricarmen Carmona says
Thank you for sharing this wonderfully tasty recipe!!
Aoolfet Begum says
Delicious Alhamdulilla
But can you post your naan recipe
Thank you
Jumana says
Hi I m a baker from Mombasa Kenya. Absolutely loved your recipe. Its moist n great flavour. Easy to follow and great instructions. Thank u!
Fatima Desai says
.hope you are well Can you substitute the sour cream with double cream yought?made the Starbucks lemon loaf..came out absolutely delicious . Thank you
Rashida says
Is it possible for you to have your recipes in grams, please?
Amanda Anderson says
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Ahmad says
MOST favorite recipe of all time!!!
MyNiche says
Very good article, I loved the way you write.
Gwen says
The cake is very good. Really like the intensity of orange flavor. Thank you for sharing your recipe
Ayesha Maryam says
Recipe is great. Do you have any alternative if I can't find orange extract? If I could increase the quantity of orange juice? Would that work?