Eggless Orange Cake Moist Fluffy Carve Your Craving

If you are following me then you know how much I love fresh fruit cakes. My favorite being this fresh strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting. If you are a mango lover, try this eggless mango cake. Around the holidays, I love to make this healthy fruit cake which is filled with orange flavors, nuts, and dried fruits.

Tea time cake or a delightful dessert

If you are looking for a fragrant cake that stays moist for a couple of days then you have to try this orange cake at home. I love orange flavor sponge cake with my coffee. Most of the time I do not bother frosting it. But if you would like to put a simple and elegant cake for a fruit lover then just add some delicious marmalade and whipped cream frosting between the layers. You can keep it rustic looking by roughly covering the top and the sides of the cake. Add some orange wedges and flowers on the top. Tadaa!!! An amazingly delicious orange cake is ready without much effort. If you plan to make frosting at home then my Sturdy whipped cream frosting or cream cheese frosting pairs well with this fruit cake. This time I have used a ready store-bought tub of cool whip found in the frozen section of the grocery store to frost this cake. I have added a ready-made jar of marmalade too. The entire recipe is mentioned towards the end inside the recipe card.

Ingredients to make an orange cake at home

This cake is lightly based on my Eggless Vanilla Cake Recipe. Instead of yogurt, I have used a combination of milk and orange juice. I have kept the list simply by using ingredients found at home. My orange cake recipe is made without condensed milk, eggs, or butter. You don’t even require any orange extract. It is naturally flavored with orange zest and juice. It mainly requires flour, cornstarch to make the cake lighter, oil, baking powder, soda, and milk.

No orange extract required

Stocking up on unnecessary ingredients is not me. Many recipes will call for using orange essence. Orange extract is something I may hardly use in any recipes so why buy it? I feel it is unnecessary if you are using orange zest and juice in an adequate amount. If you are skipping the fresh ingredients then you definitely need the extract.

Possible substitutes

Swap the flour and cornstarch for cake flour. You may swap fresh orange juice with a ready-made one. Go through the post on the details. You can add nuts to the cake. Make sure to dust them with flour before adding them to the batter.

How to make Vegan Orange Cake?

Important tips to make the best homemade orange cake

Orange zest is everything. Please use it. Always zest the orange before peeling. It is easier to get the zest that way. Use only the orange part and not the white. Do not overmix the batter. Do not overcook the cake sponge. If the toothpick comes out with few moist crumbs and not batter then it is done. For extra orange flavor dress your cake with some marmalade. Plan ahead, the flavor deepens and tastes amazing the next day.

What oranges to use to make this cake?

You can use any orange that juices well. Keep the pulp but make sure you discard the seeds. See to it that the oranges are not very tart or it will change the PH balance of the cake batter making the cake flat. I wanted to use the clementines growing in my backyard. But they were too sour, so I have used the juice of a Valencia orange. Navel oranges work well too.

Please use a Microplane

The strong orange flavor in this cake recipe comes from the zest. I highly recommend investing in a Microplane for zesting the orange peel. A regular grater doesn’t work at all. If you don’t have a zester then skip it and use ½ teaspoon orange extract.

Can I use readymade orange juice?

I get it, store-bought juice is easier right, but it has added sugar in it and thicker than the real fresh orange juice. Yes, you can use it. Just dilute 3 tablespoon juice with 1 tablespoon water and reduce the sugar by 1 tablespoon. But honestly, it just takes 5 minutes to squeeze fresh juice for this recipe.

Pan size to use

I have used two 6″ pans for this recipe for easy cutting and layering. One 8″ square or round pan works well too. You can turn this cake into cupcakes. Just the bake time will be around 12-16 minutes.

Instructions for properly storing and orange cake

An unfrosted cake can be stored at room temperature for 2 days. This cake stays well in the fridge for 5 days provided it is kept in an airtight container. Orange cake freezes very well and comes in handy for impromptu gatherings. Frosted cakes have to be refrigerated at all times. Stays well for 4 days in the fridge.

How to freeze an orange cake?

Freeze unfrosted orange cake by wrapping it several times with saran wrap and then foil. You can individually wrap the slices and freeze them the same way. I don’t recommend freezing a frosted fresh cream orange cake.

Ways to defrost and enjoy the cake

You can defrost it overnight by placing the cake in the fridge. Or you can let it stand at room temperature for 3-4 hours for the cake to defrost or 30 minutes to defrost the slice. Use a microwave defrost mode to bring the cake to room temperature.

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