If you love bright, citrusy flavors, this Whole Orange Cake is sure to become a favorite! Made using an entire orange—minus the bitter white pith—this cake is packed with fresh, zesty goodness in every bite. It’s incredibly soft, moist, and not too sweet, making it perfect for afternoon tea or a light, refreshing dessert.
Why This Is the Best Whole Orange Cake
I have to say, this whole orange cake is definitely one of my proudest cake recipes. It’s truly an outstanding cake, and here’s why:
Packed with vibrant orange flavor – By using a whole orange (peel and all, minus the bitter white pith), this cake is bursting with fresh, zesty orange goodness. I did try including the pith at first, but I found it made the cake taste a bit too bitter. I didn’t want to overwhelm the flavor with extra sweetness just to counteract that bitterness, so removing the pith really makes all the difference. Trust me, it’s totally worth the extra step!
Incredibly soft and moist – The texture of this cake is on another level. It’s ultra-tender, incredibly soft, and super moist—just the way a cake should be. It practically melts in your mouth! Honestly, it’s probably one of the best cakes I’ve ever made in terms of texture. No exaggeration here—it’s that good!
Simple and easy to make – This cake couldn’t be simpler to make, using common household ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. And the best part? It’s absolutely delicious on its own. A simple dusting of powdered sugar (that’s right— no frosting required!) at the end is all it needs for a beautiful finish. The flavor is simple yet so satisfying, making it the perfect treat for afternoon tea or a quick, sweet snack to enjoy with your coffee or tea.
For more citrus-packed recipes, check out my soft lemon cake, lemon loaf and orange cake recipe!
How to Make a Whole Orange Cake
You can find the full list of ingredients for this recipe in the recipe card at the end of the blog post (for easy navigation, hit the ‘jump to recipe’ button at the top of the blog post). Here is a quick visual breakdown of the recipe (recipe video is also provided in the recipe card below).
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) conventional and grease a 9-inch springform cake tin (I use my homemade cake release). Line the bottom with parchment paper as well.
Prepare the orange: Zest the entire orange into a large bowl and set aside for later (see note 2). Using a small knife, remove and discard the white pith. You should be left with the flesh of the orange. Slice it in half, remove any seeds if necessary, and blend until smooth (a food processor will work too). Set the blended orange mixture aside for later.
Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Using a whisk, mix until well combined, then set aside.
Return to the large bowl with the orange zest from earlier. Add in the butter, oil, and sugar. Using a hand or stand mixer on medium speed, cream for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
Next, add in the eggs one at a time while mixing on a low speed, making sure to mix well between each addition.
Next, add in the blended orange juice from earlier, along with the milk and vanilla. Mix on low speed until well combined. The batter may look slightly curdled — but that’s okay! Remove any batter from the attachments, as the rest of the mixing will be done by hand.
Add the pre-sifted dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and using a spatula, gently fold until just combined and the batter is uniform. Be careful not to over-mix.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth out the top, then gently tap the pan on the counter once to release any large air bubbles. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then run a thin knife around the edges to loosen it. Carefully remove the outer ring of the springform pan. Let the cake cool to room temperature before transferring it to a serving plate or cake stand. Finish with a light dusting of powdered sugar (also known as icing sugar or confectioners’ sugar), slice, and enjoy!
How to Store Orange Cake
To keep your whole orange cake fresh, store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you’d like to keep it for longer, you can refrigerate it for up to a week. Just be sure to allow the cake to cool to room temperature before serving (cold cake just isn’t as good!).
Whole Orange Cake (Super Moist!)
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
- 1 large orange
- 1¼ cups (150 g) all-purpose flour - plain flour in the UK. In the video I say 1½ cups, but this is incorrect—sorry!
- ¼ cup (30 g) cornstarch
- 1½ tsps baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup (75 g) unsalted butter - room temperature
- ⅓ cup (70 g) unflavored vegetable oil - I use canola oil
- 1¼ cup (250 g) white granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs - room temperature
- 3 tbsps (45 g) milk - room temperature
- 1½ tsps vanilla extract/essence
- powdered sugar - for dusting. Also known as icing/confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) conventional (see note 1 if using a convection oven with a fan) and grease a 9-inch springform cake tin (I use my homemade cake release). Line the bottom with parchment paper as well.
- Prepare the orange: Zest the entire orange into a large bowl and set aside for later (see note 2). Using a small knife, remove and discard the white pith. You should be left with the flesh of the orange. Slice it in half, remove any seeds if necessary, and blend until smooth. Set the blended orange aside for later (see note 3).
- Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Using a whisk, mix until well combined, then set aside.
- Return to the large bowl with the orange zest from earlier. Add in the butter, oil, and sugar. Using a hand or stand mixer on medium speed, cream for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Next, add in the eggs one at a time while mixing on a low speed, making sure to mix well between each addition.
- Next, add in the blended orange from earlier, along with the milk and vanilla. Mix on low speed until well combined. The batter may look slightly curdled — but that’s okay! Remove any batter from the attachments, as the rest of the mixing will be done by hand.
- Add the pre-sifted dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and using a spatula, gently fold until just combined and the batter is uniform. Be careful not to over-mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Smooth out the top, then gently tap the pan on the counter once to release any large air bubbles. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then run a thin knife around the edges to loosen it. Carefully remove the outer ring of the springform pan. Let the cake cool to room temperature before transferring it to a serving plate or cake stand. Finish with a light dusting of powdered sugar, slice, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
22 Comments
DELISH ! Thank you so much for this. Its easy and tasty! Not often i bother to print a recipe to save it and make again but i have with this one!
Aww yay! Thanks Lizz! Really appreciate the wonderful feedback 🙂
Beautiful I will top with a cream cheese icing next time,I think will just finish it off.
So glad you loved it Jane 😀
Yess a cream cheese frosting would go wonderfully with this cake 🙂
Wow! I always try out only your recipes and look forward to every new recipe that you post..
The whole orange cake recipe was just perfect …loved the cake .
Thank you for the recipes that you keep sharing .
Yay! So glad you loved the cake Genevieve 😀
HELP !!! PLEASE !!!
Why is it sinking in the middle so much it almost touching the bottom of the form?
Love your work immensely, everything comes out as instructed, but this one. Tastes delicious though, but when it comes to presentation…….well….that’s what happens.
If you can share some advice, I would really appreciate it.
King regards, Dida
Hi Dida! 🙂 So sorry to hear the cake is sinking. There could be a few reasons why this is happening such as too much batter in one tin (if using a smaller pan size), opening the oven door too early before the centre has a chance to set or too much liquid in the batter. I would recommend using gram measurements for best results and also check out this blog post for more info 🙂 https://cakesbymk.com/recipe/why-did-my-cake-sink-in-the-middle/
This cake is lovely and moist and just the amount of beautiful flavour without being too sweet. The Fact that my sister loved it who is NOT a cake person and said she would have it as a wedding cake amazed me. Thanks for the beautiful well covered recipe… Its a keeper for sure@
Awww yay I’m so glad you and your sister loved the recipe Elsa! 😀
Wow this cake is amazing! I baked it in a loaf pan lined with parchment paper and it turned out great. The crust was my favorite part because it slightly caramelized in the oven and developed a beautiful shine. This recipe is a keeper, thanks MK!!
Yay! So glad you loved the recipe MC 😀
Really appreciate the wonderful feedback 🙂
Baked this new recipe yesterday and came out wonderfully moist and light. Very lovely to have a piece of it with a cuppa. Well done MK and thank you 🤩
Thanks so much Sue! So glad you loved the whole orange cake 😀
Maryam, Thanks a lot, it is a wonderful recipe and it turned out really good. You have made baking easy and fun for me…Love You!
Aww so so happy to hear that Alyna! 😀
Hello! How can I substitute eggs? Need an eggless recipe
Hi Nancy! I haven’t tried this recipe as an eggless version myself so can’t recommend any suitable substitutes at this stage sorry! 🙁
Hi Maryam, I want to make this as a two layer cake. Do you think a whipped cream frosting would be a good complement, because it is light and not too sweet?
Hi Clarence! 🙂
Ooohh yess I think whipped cream would work lovely with this cake! Hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Hi
Please provide wheat flour measurements
Thank you
Hi Selvie! 🙂 Do you mean whole wheat flour? I haven’t tried using anything other than all purpose flour myself so I’m not too sure about that sorry! 🙁