Vegan Orange Cake
This vegan orange cake is beautifully soft, tender and moist, and uses the juice and zest of 6 oranges for the brightest flavor! This is the perfect cake for citrus season.
Simple ingredients you’ll need
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Fresh orange juice and orange zest. This cake is packed with 1 1/4 cups of fresh orange juice for the brightest flavor. It also uses the zest of 6 whole oranges for an extra burst of citrus. Orange zest contains a lot of natural flavor, so I don’t recommend skipping it. There’s no need for orange extract in this recipe! I recommend using oranges that are sweet, juicy and very fragrant, for example navel oranges.
Non-dairy milk. I always prefer unsweetened soy milk as it’s higher in protein than other non-dairy milks and gives the cake a softer crumb. Alternatively, any non-dairy milk will work well, for example oat milk.
Neutral oil such as avocado oil, a light olive oil or sunflower oil. Feel free to use extra virgin olive oil if you enjoy its flavor in cakes.
Recipe development note: Orange juice is less acidic than lemon juice, so you can use a large amount in baked goods without compromising their rise and texture (more than lemon juice in a lemon cake). The natural acidity in orange juice helps break down the gluten in the flour and results in an extra soft and tender cake. Unlike many vegan cake recipes, you don’t need to add apple cider vinegar because the acidity in orange juice does the job!
How to make vegan orange cake
First, add the sugar and orange zest to a large mixing bowl and rub the mixture with your fingertips. This releases some of the natural oils from the orange zest, giving the cake a stronger orange flavor and color.
Then add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Finally, add all the wet ingredients and mix until just combined!
While this cake is easy to make, here are my top tips for the very best vegan orange cake:
- Grate only the orange-colored part of the oranges. The white rind can be bitter and this flavor will come through in your cake.
- Spoon and level the flour, or use the gram measurements. Using a measuring cup to scoop flour out of its container will pack in too much flour and result in a drier and denser cake.
- Make sure you mix the dry ingredients well to ensure the raising agents are evenly dispersed and you don’t get bitter pockets in your final baked cake.
- Avoid overmixing the batter as this will make the cake denser and chewier. Mix the batter until it’s just combined – it’s okay if your batter is a little lumpy, as long as there aren’t lumps of dry flour.
Note: The cake batter will taste very acidic due to the baking powder, soda and high amount of orange juice – don’t worry! This acidity is neutralized in the baking process as you’ll end up with a perfectly flavored orange cake.
Baking the cake
This cake is ready when you can insert a toothpick in its center and it comes out clean (a few moist crumbs are fine). If you gently press the middle of the cake, it should bounce back.
Or if you’re baking a two-layered 8-inch cake, the cake will take around 25-28 minutes to bake.
If you’re baking a three-layered 8-inch cake, the cake takes around 18-20 minutes to bake.
Decoration tips
This cake usually doesn’t bake with domes, but if yours does, I recommend trimming them off. Flat layers are much easier to stack and help create a more stable cake.
I filled and decorated my vegan orange cake orange buttercream frosting and homemade orange curd. Alternatively, you can fill and decorate your cake with:
- Raspberry jam, store-bought or homemade (from my avocado lime cake)
- Lemon buttercream frosting from my vegan lemon cake
- Cream cheese frosting from my vegan mango cake
- Chocolate ganache frosting from my sweet potato chocolate cake. You’ll need to triple the recipe to coat this orange cake and may need to add liquid so it’s soft enough for a layer cake.
Customizing this recipe
My recipes normally work with King Arthur’s gluten-free flour but I haven’t tested this particular recipe so I can’t vouch for results. Alternatively, check out my whole orange cake recipe, which uses almond flour and is naturally gluten-free.
A granulated sugar replacer such as erythritol will work, but the flavor and texture of the cake will be different. I don’t recommend brown sugar or coconut sugar as they’ll overpower the orange flavor in this cake. I don’t ever recommend using a liquid sweetener instead of regular sugar as they’ll throw off the wet/dry ratios in the recipe.
Fresh oranges are sweeter and less acidic than other citrus, so they’ll act different (for example lemons, limes or blood oranges). I suggest checking out my other vegan cake recipes including:
– lemon layer cake
– lemon olive oil
– lemon poppy seed cake
– upside-down blood orange cake
More citrus desserts
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Vegan Orange Cake
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons (~30g) lightly packed fresh orange zest, from about 6 oranges (note 1)
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose plain flour, spooned and leveled (note 2)
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt, optional
Wet ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup (300g) fresh orange juice
- ¾ cup (180g) dairy-free milk, room temperature
- ⅔ cup (145g) neutral flavored oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
Orange buttercream (see note 4 for alternatives)
- 1 ¼ cup (280g) vegan block butter, room temperature
- 4 cups (480g) powdered sugar / icing sugar, to taste
- 2 tablespoons (30g) fresh orange juice, to taste
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Orange curd (optional)
- ½ cup (120g) fresh orange juice
- 3 tablespoons (40g) sugar
- 1 tablespoon (8g) cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons (45g) vegan block butter
- orange food colouring, optional
Instructions
Make the vegan orange cake:
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (355°F). Grease and line 2 or 3 x 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pans with parchment paper.
- Add the sugar and orange zest to a large mixing bowl. Rub with your fingertips until the mixture is fragrant and the sugar is a bright orange color. Add the remaining dry ingredients and whisk until well combined. Add all the wet ingredients and mix until just combined (a few lumps are fine, as long as they aren't lumps of flour). Divide the cake batter between your prepared cake pans.
- If you're baking 2 x 8-inch cakes, bake for 25-28 minutes. If you're baking 3 x 8-inch cakes, bake for 18-20 minutes. The cakes are ready when you can insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean (a few moist crumbs are fine).
- Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 30 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Make the orange buttercream:
- Add the vegan butter to a large bowl or stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Add the sugar, orange juice and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add more sugar for a firmer frosting or a little orange juice (or milk) for a softer frosting. Avoid adding too much orange juice as this can cause the frosting to split.
Make the orange curd (optional):
- Add half of the orange juice and all of the cornstarch to a small saucepan and whisk until there are no lumps. Add the remaining orange juice and all the sugar and mix until combined.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat and whisk constantly until the mixture has thickened. Add the butter and mix until the butter has melted and the orange curd is smooth. If you'd like a brighter-colored curd, add a few drops of food coloring and mix until it reaches your desired color.
- Let the curd cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator to cool completely. The orange curd will thicken a lot when chilled. To loosen the mixture, whisk it vigorously until it's smooth and spreadable again.
Assemble the cake:
- When the cakes have completely cooled, place one layer on a serving plate. Spread or pipe 1/2 – 3/4 cup of buttercream on the cake. If you're filling your cake with orange curd, create a dam of frosting and spoon the curd in the middle. Layer and repeat with the remaining cake layers.
- Spread the remaining frosting around the cake. If desired, swirl the remaining orange curd on top of the cake.
- Store the cake at room temperature in an airtight container until serving. If it's a hot day, keep the cake in the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature before serving.
- Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day, in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving.
Notes
- I don’t recommend skipping the orange zest, as it gives the cake a lot of natural orange flavor. For the cake itself, you will need around 5-7 oranges, depending on their size. For the frosting and curd, you’ll need an extra 3-4 oranges.
- Make sure you measure the flour accurately, otherwise your cake will be dry and dense. If you’re using measuring cups, use the spoon and level method where you fluff up the flour in the bag, use a spoon to add flour to a measuring cup, then level it off with a knife. Don’t use the measuring cup to scoop flour out of your container, as it will pack in too much flour. Alternatively, use the grams measurements.
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Can I bake a whole cake and then cut it into two layers? How long would it take in the oven?
Hi Sandra, yes you can however the cake will be denser. I haven’t baked this whole cake in a round cake pan so I can’t say for sure. However, I would try to bake it for 50 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of your pan. Let me know how you go!
Have you tried making this gluten free?
Hi Anita, no I haven’t sorry. Most of my recipes work well with King Arthur’s measure for measure flour but I haven’t tested this particular recipe!
Perfect summer craving 😋
Thank you so much for this recipe!
I’m very happy and I’ll do this recipe and then I’ll post on instagram
Looks amazing! How far in advance can this cake be made & how should it be stored?
Hi Rose, this cake is best served on the day or day after baking. You can store the cake layers in an airtight container at room temperature (as long as it’s not too hot) and everything else in the fridge. If you assemble the cake in advance, best to keep it in the fridge and let it fully come to room temperature before serving. Hope that helps!