This homemade Orange Cake is bursting with the flavor of fresh oranges. A combination of orange zest and orange juice make this cake extra moist and flavorful. This bundt cake can be enjoyed for breakfast, dessert, or alongside a cup of afternoon tea.
We can’t get enough fresh citrus this time of year. Although eating plain oranges is delicious and all, what’s even better is using those oranges in an Orange Cake! This cake joins our other favorite bundt cakes: Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake, Pumpkin Bundt Cake, and Banana Bundt Cake. If you love bundt cakes, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s get baking!
Recipe overview
This recipe has three components:
Orange cake: This cake bakes up tender and soft. Buttermilk and orange juice add moisture and orange zest and vanilla extract add flavor.
Start by creaming butter, oil, sugar, and orange zest. Add eggs and extract. Alternate adding dry ingredients with a mixture of buttermilk and orange juice. Pour the batter into a 12-cup bundt pan and bake.
Orange syrup: This orange simple syrup is equal parts orange juice and granulated sugar. Dissolve the sugar into the juice then brush or pour the syrup onto the warm cake. The cake will soak up the syrup adding even additional flavor and moisture to every bite!
Orange-vanilla icing (optional): A small batch of orange-vanilla buttercream frosting is made with butter, powdered sugar, orange zest, vanilla, and milk. Drizzle or spread the icing over the top of the cake for the perfect finishing touch.
Recipe tips
- Make sure you have plenty of oranges. I recommend about 7 large oranges to ensure you have enough zest and juice for all components of the recipe.
- Don’t have buttermilk? Try one of these buttermilk substitutes.
- Use a fine microplane style grater for the orange zest. Only grate the orange skin, not the white pith.
- I recommend a stand mixer for this recipe. There is a large volume of batter and I find that a stand mixer with a paddle attachment works best.
- Grease your bundt pan really well. I use a non-stick spray that contains flour. Wait to spray the pan until right before you add the batter.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes before removing the cake from the pan. You want to remove it when it is still slightly warm (so that the orange syrup will soak in) but not when the cake is hot (it might fall apart).
Why this recipe works
A combination of butter and oil. Butter for flavor and oil for moisture.
A whole cup of buttermilk in the cake for moisture, tang, and texture.
Adding orange syrup while the cake is warm allows the syrup to get absorbed into the cake.
Fresh orange juice and orange zest in the cake, syrup, and icing for maximum flavor.
Serving and storage
Serving: Serve at room temperature for the best flavor and texture.
Storage: Store tightly covered at cool room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerated for up to 4 days. The cake may also be frozen (double wrapped) for up to 3 months.
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Recipe
Orange Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup canola oil or vegetable oil
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup finely grated orange zest, from about 5 large oranges
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 1 cup buttermilk
Syrup:
- ¼ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Icing:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
- 1 tablespoon half and half or milk
- ½ teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in the center of the oven. Set aside a 12-cup bundt pan (don't grease it just yet).
- In a large bowl whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, oil, sugar, and orange zest on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla extract. Beat until combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- In a liquid measuring cup combine orange juice and buttermilk.
- Add one third of the dry ingredients to the sugar/egg mixture, beat until just combined. Add half of the buttermilk, beating until just combining. Repeat adding half the remaining flour, all the remaining buttermilk, then the last bit of flour, beating between each addition. Stir with a rubber spatula to make sure it is completely combined.
- Thoroughly grease a 12-cup bundt pan (I use nonstick spray with flour in it). Pour the batter into the pan and smooth into an even layer. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes (don't invert it yet). Proceed with syrup as you approach the end of the 30 minute cool time.
Syrup:
- Combine orange juice and sugar in a microwave safe bowl or glass measuring cup. Cook until the juice begins to bubble. Carefully remove it and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
- After 30 minutes of cooling, carefully invert the cake directly onto a cooling rack. Place a large piece of parchment paper or foil under the rack to catch any drips of syrup.
- Spoon or brush the syrup onto the cake. The cake should still be a bit warm so it will soak up the syrup. Allow the cake to cool completely before proceeding with the icing.
Icing:
- Using a hand mixer or stand fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and powdered sugar until combined. Add milk, zest, and extract, beating until smooth and combined. Adjust the consistency of the frosting by adding more powdered sugar to thicken or more half and half to thin it out. Drizzle or spread the icing on top of the cooled cake (I placed it in a ziptop bag with the corner snipped for easy application). Grate some additional orange zest over the top, if desired.
Notes
- Make sure you have plenty of oranges. I recommend about 7 large oranges to ensure you have enough zest and juice for all components of the recipe.
- Don’t have buttermilk? Try one of these buttermilk substitutes.
- Use a fine microplane style grater for the orange zest. Only grate the orange skin, not the white pith.
- I recommend a stand mixer for this recipe. There is a large volume of batter and I find that a stand mixer with a paddle attachment works best.
- Grease your bundt pan really well. I use a non-stick spray that contains flour. Wait to spray the pan until right before you add the batter.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes before removing the cake from the pan. You want to remove it when it is still slightly warm (so that the orange syrup will soak in) but not when the cake is hot (it might fall apart).
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Christine Garcia
The cake turned out great ! Light and fluffy ! Very nice texture. The flavor was also very nice, not a heavy orange flavor , which was a welcoming outcome.
The orange syrup gave it a nice touch of moisture.
The frosting was a very nice flavor as well .
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the kind review.
Alicia
Hello, this cake looks lovely. Could you substitute lemon for orange? thank you
Allison
Hi! You probably could although I think you might need to reduce the juice a bit so it isn’t too tart. I have several other lemon cakes if you want to try one of those: Lemon Blueberry Bundt, Lemon Olive Oil Cake, Lemon Crumb Cake.
Holly
This came out delicious! The cake is very moist and buttery. It has a good amount of orange flavor, you can tell it’s an orange cake but it isn’t overwhelming.
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Jenny
Hi Allison!
I’d like to try your recipe but as a small batch. I can use either my square 7×3 or my square 8×2. Would I be okay reducing by half and not using a bundt pan? Or would that mess with the chemistry/outcome??
Allison
Hi, Jenny. I have only made the recipe as written so I can’t say for sure. I would assume you could halve the recipe and use an 8×8 or maybe a 9×9. If it seems like you have too much batter you can make a couple cupcakes or discard the rest. Enjoy!
Jenny
Thanks for the reply, Allison!
How much batter does this recipe produce?
I love this combination of ingredients (both butter and oil & buttermilk) and always feel like this blend of fats works out best so I really want to make it work.
Allison
I don’t know how much batter exactly. I use a 12-cup bundt cake pan.
sonja
Hi, 1/4 cup orange zest barely takes 1 orange.
Allison
In my experience I’ve needed more than one orange. But do what works for you. Enjoy!