• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Free Dinner Ebook! Get your copy!

Join the Little Sunny Kitchen email family!

Get our FREE dinners ebook!

  • Meet Diana
  • Favorite Products
  • Videos
  • Learn to Cook

Little Sunny Kitchen

Delicious Recipes for Real Life

  • All Recipes
  • Course
    • Appetizers
    • Sides
    • Main Dishes
    • Salads
    • Pasta
    • Soups & Chilis
    • Desserts
    • Sauces & Dressings
    • Beverages
  • Holiday
    • Christmas
    • Valentine’s
    • Easter
    • Summer
    • Fall
    • Thanksgiving
    • Halloween
  • Method
    • Instant Pot
    • Air Fryer
    • Slow Cooker
    • Oven
    • Stovetop
    • Grill
  • Easy Meals
  • Appetizers
  • Drinks
  • Slow Cooker
  • Air Fryer
  • Restaurant Copycats
  • Summer Faves
Home Dessert Cakes

Orange Juice Cake

5
/5 –
Rate Recipe 59 Comments
Jump to Recipe
  • Share
By: Diana Posted: 1/1/20 Updated: 7/24/20

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This orange juice cake is bursting with citrus flavor! It’s a one-bowl made from scratch bundt cake that goes so well with a cup of hot tea or coffee and it’s so easy to make.

Takes just 15 minutes to prepare the batter, and then it’s baked in the oven in less than an hour.

Sliced orange juice cake on a white serving plate

I love the citrus season. As I try to eat as seasonal as possible, the citrus season feels like a celebration! And as you can image, citrus fruits are the only fruits that we currently eat. I love Pomelo, cumquat, clementine, grapefruit, and orange!

Oh and my favorite? I can’t decide, but I’m obsessed with cumquat and Blood oranges!

Today’s recipe is a very simple and easy cake flavored with fresh, sweet, and tangy orange juice.

one slice of orange juice cake on a small cake plate with a golden fork

The texture of this cake is just incredible! It’s quite dense but soft at the same time, and it’s not meant to be super moist and fluffy. It’s just so perfect with a cup of hot tea (or coffee if you prefer).

It’s great for lunch boxes, and to feed the hungry kids that come home after school and ask about dessert after a meal.

This cake is a favorite in our house. In fact, my Mum and my sister in law are obsessed with it! Ever since I posted this recipe on the blog, they have been making it all the time. They probably made it over 10 times last year, I’m not kidding!

A close up shot of orange juice bundt cake

The Ingredients

You only need 8 simple ingredients to make this orange juice cake. I also love the fact that butter is needed here, I use oil instead. So here’s what you’ll need:

Orange juice cake ingredients

How to Make Orange Juice Cake

This is a very simple cake to make, it’s a one-bowl cake which means that there won’t be much washing up to do after baking. And it requires very simple ingredients.

Step 1.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk sugar with vegetable oil and eggs.

Mix in the vanilla extract. I usually either use vanilla pods and I scrape out the beans (don’t throw them away after one use, I usually use them 3 times!), or vanilla bean paste which is quite strong so be careful with the amounts that you’re using. Vanilla extract also works perfectly fine, you can either use the liquid extract or the powder one. 

Step 2.

Add the dry ingredients. Sifted flour, baking powder, and salt. I also like to add the orange zest at this point.

To zest an orange, a clementine, or a lemon, I use this citrus zester. You may have not seen this model before, but it’s the best that I’ve ever used and I will never change my mind! To zest an orange, you only need the orange bits so you have to take out only the very surface really lightly. The white bits are bitter, and you don’t want that in your cake.

Step 3.

Mix in the freshly squeezed orange juice, and make sure not to overmix the batter. Overmixing the batter will result in a very dense brick-like cake.

Step 4. 

Grease and flour the cake pan. I use my Mother’s really old cake pan that she bought in the 1970’s! It’s a beautiful 9-inch cake pan, but I would never use it without greasing it as imagine what if you bake a beautiful cake in it, and then once you try to pull it out it gets stuck? So to avoid a situation like this, ALWAYS prepare your bundt cake tin before using it.

If you’re using a new non-stick cake pan, then there’s no need to flour it. Just lightly brush some vegetable oil.

But a cake pan like mine needs to be greased with a little bit of vegetable oil, then floured lightly. This ensures that my cake comes out easily without breaking.

Pour in the batter, and bake for 50 minutes at 356°F (180°C). Check if your cake is ready at 40-50 minutes, insert a toothpick in the center of the cake (obviously not the empty round part in the middle), and see if it comes out clean. If not, then bake for a bit longer.

A collage with 3 images on how to make orange juice cake batter and pour it in the cake pan

Tip: Remember, that you should not under any circumstances open the oven door to check on the cake before the first 30 minutes pass as this won’t allow your cake to rise correctly.

The cake will beautifully crack and will have a vibrant color once baked.

Success Tips

  • Always use fresh orange juice if possible. Whilst you could use store-bought bottled juice, I found that fresh orange juice tastes much best. 
  • If you’re not so keen on oranges, you can substitute with any other kind of citrus instead. Grapefruit, lemon, and clementines work well.
  • This cake is not too sweet, so before you think of reducing the amount of sugar please try my recipe first and then adjust to your preference the next time you bake it.
  • The cake turns out quite dense, this is how it’s meant to be. If you prefer lighter cakes, then reduce the amount of the flour by ¼ a cup.
An overhead shot of orange juice cake, with 2 small plates and slices of cake with forks
  • Store the cake at room temperature covered in an air-tight cake container, or cover it with cling film if you don’t have a container that fits. If you leave the cake out without covering it, it will dry out.
  • If you like spiced cakes, you could add spices like ground nutmeg and cloves.
A close up shot of a slice of the cake to show the texture

Recommended Tools

  • You will need a whisk or you can use a mixer. I always use my stand mixer to make cakes (it’s currently on a big sale!).
  • Always use measuring spoons and measuring cups when baking or even cooking food. This will ensure that you get the recipe right!
  • You will also need a citrus zester, this is the only citrus zester that I will ever use. You may have not come across it before, but it’s really worth checking out. It makes sure that you only get the nice orange bits when zesting an orange instead of getting the white bits that are bitter.
  • Spatula – I have this set.
  • Flour sifter to make sure that your flour is nice and airy.
  • Bundt cake pan – this is not the one shown in the images but it’s what I currenly use and recommend.

More Easy Cake Recipes To Try

  • Easy banana cake
  • Vegan carrot cake
  • Upside down plum cake
  • Apple Sharlotka cake

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Recipe
5 from 46 votes
(Click stars to rate!)

Orange Juice Cake

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 50 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins
Author: Diana
Print Rate Recipe Email Recipe
This orange juice cake is bursting with citrus flavour! It’s a one bowl bundt cake that goes so well with a cup of hot tea or coffee and it’s sooo easy to make. Takes just 15 minutes to prepare the batter, and then it’s baked in the oven in less than an hour.
16 slices
This orange juice cake is bursting with citrus flavour! It’s a one bowl bundt cake that goes so well with a cup of hot tea or coffee and it’s sooo easy to make. Takes just 15 minutes to prepare the batter, and then it’s baked in the oven in less than an hour.

Ingredients

  • 1 and ½ cups (340 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 cup (235 ml) vegetable oil
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3 cups (360 grams) sifted all-purpose flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (120 ml) orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest

Equipment

  • Mixing Bowl
  • Whisk
  • Cake pan
  • Oven

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C, and grease and flour a bundt pan.
  • In a mixing bowl, whisk sugar with vegetable oil and eggs. Mix in the vanilla extract.
  • Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the orange zest and whisk the batter until everything is just combined.
  • Add orange juice and give the batter a quick mix. Do not over mix the batter.
  • Pour batter into a prepared cake pan, and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Notes:

  • Always use fresh orange juice if possible. Whilst you could use store-bought bottled juice, I found that fresh orange juice tastes much best. 
  • If you’re not so keen on oranges, you can substitute with any other kind of citrus instead. Grapefruit, lemon, and clementines work well.
  • This cake is not too sweet, so before you think of reducing the amount of the sugar please try my recipe first and then adjust to your preference the next time you bake it.
  • The cake turns out quite dense, this is how it’s meant to be. If you prefer lighter cakes, then reduce the amount of the flour by ¼ cup.
  • Store the cake at room temperature covered in an air-tight cake container, or cover it with cling film if you don’t have a container that fits. If you leave the cake out without covering it, it will dry out.
  • If you like spiced cakes, you could add spices like ground nutmeg and cloves.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 315kcal, Carbohydrates: 40g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Cholesterol: 40mg, Sodium: 162mg, Potassium: 163mg, Sugar: 22g, Vitamin A: 95IU, Vitamin C: 8.1mg, Calcium: 54mg, Iron: 1.3mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© Little Sunny Kitchen

Did You Make This?I love to see what you made! Tag me @LittleSunnyKitchen and hashtag #LittleSunnyKitchen
Pin Recipe Tag on Insta Leave Review

This recipe first appeared on Little Sunny Kitchen on March 9th, 2019 but was updated with new images and more info on January 1st, 2020.

You may also like...

  • Easy Apple Sharlotka (Russian Apple Cake) baked in Multicooker REDMOND
    Apple Sharlotka Cake
  • Spiced Plum Upside Down Cake
  • Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
  • A slice of pumpkin bundt cake served on a small white plate
    Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Previous Post
Taco Seasoning
Next Post
Briam (Greek Vegetable Bake)

Reader Interactions

Leave a Review! Cancel reply

Have a question or just want to say how much you loved the recipe? Leave a rating below, save for later on Pinterest, and share on Facebook. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe!




  1. Bayan TA says

    Posted on 6/2/22 at 01:31

    5 stars
    Super yummy. Our new favorite.

    Reply
  2. Marie says

    Posted on 3/26/22 at 14:16

    I just made this , it’s still baking . I noticed your wet ingredients look very pale , did you whip the eggs , sugar and oil ? I only whisked mine . I hope the cake still turns out !

    Reply
    • Diana says

      Posted on 3/26/22 at 23:30

      I just whisk, how did it turn out?

      Reply
  3. Virginia says

    Posted on 2/16/22 at 17:25

    Orange cake is my husband’s favorite. Since I missed Valentine’s Day maybe I will surprise him with this!

    Reply
  4. Donna says

    Posted on 2/11/22 at 17:41

    how do I adjust the ingredients for high altitude? we are at 6700 feet. Thanks

    Reply
    • Diana says

      Posted on 2/12/22 at 01:01

      Hi Donna, unfortunately, I have no experience in baking at high altitudes so I can’t really help.

      Reply
Older Comments 1 … 6 7 8

Primary Sidebar

Welcome

Meet Diana

Welcome to Little Sunny Kitchen! I'm Diana and I’m here to teach you how to make easy meals that are quick, family-friendly, and delicious!

Read More
Follow on Pinterest for more ideas!
Free ebook!

Download My Free Dinner eBook!


Get my copy!

Free eBook

Download My Free Dinner eBook!

Dinner Tonight

Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry in a skillet

Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry

Garlic Butter Chicken Tenders

Holding a Chick-Fil-A homemade Sandwich, and waffle fries

Homemade Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich

Creamy Garlic Shrimp Pasta

Most Popular

Chocolate Macarons

Penne Arrabbiata

French Fry Seasoning

Alfredo Sauce Recipe

Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Tenders

Chicken Caesar Wrap

Instant Pot Air Fryer Crockpot Easy Dinners Salads Grilling
Opens in a new window Opens an external site Opens an external site in a new window

As Featured On:

Dinner tonight
Free ebook!

Download My Free Dinner eBook!

Join us and receive new recipes every week! Download our FREE eBook with quick and easy dinner recipes that are family-friendly and delicious.

Back to Top

explore

Recipe Index

Videos

Shop

Cooking Guides

Follow Along on Social:

Join My Free Instant Pot & Air Fryer Facebook Group
Back to Top

About

Contact

Privacy Policy

Accessibility

© 2022 Little Sunny Kitchen
|
Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled