Easy Eggless Orange Cake
This Easy Eggless Orange Cake is soft, tender, and bursting with fresh orange flavor! It’s quick and easy to make from scratch. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.
Servings 12 slices
Calories 602kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
Eggless Orange Cake:
- 4 cups (560 gr) all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (120 ml) orange juice
- 1 1/2 cup (360 ml) milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (230 gr) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups (400 gr) white sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
Orange Buttercream:
- 1 cup (2 sticks | 230gr) unsalted butter, softened
- 4 1/2 cups (540 gr) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 - 3 tablespoons (30 – 45 ml) fresh orange juice
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) heavy cream or milk
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- Pinch salt
Candied Orange Slices:
- ¾ cup (150 g) white sugar
- ½ cup (120 ml) water
- 6 orange slices
Instructions
Make the Eggless Orange Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350º F (180°C). Generously grease and flour two 8- or 9-inch cake pan and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl or liquid measuring cup, stir together orange juice, milk, and vanilla extract.
- In a large bowl, beat the sugar and butter until creamy and pale at medium-high speed. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add orange zest and mix until incorporated.
- Reduce speed to low and mix half of the flour mixture until just combined. Add wet ingredients mixture in three additions, scraping down the mixing bowl with a spatula, and turn the batter over several times to ensure all ingredients are well incorporated. Add the remaining half of the flour; beat just until combined. Do not overmix the batter.
- Evenly divide the batter between the prepared pans. NOTE: The orange cake batter is thick, so use a spatula to spread it into the pan, if necessary.
- Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool on a wire rack for 10 – 15 minutes before removing them from the pans. Allow the cakes to cool completely on the wire rack. The cake must be completely cool before frosting.
Orange Buttercream:
- Beat the butter on medium speed until creamy – about 3-4minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, one cup at a time. Add orange juice, heavy cream, orange zest, and salt with the mixer running at low speed. Once incorporated, turn the mixer up to medium speed and mix for 3 -5 minutes until fluffy and smooth.
- NOTE: Add up to 1/2 cup more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin or another tablespoon of heavy cream if frosting is too thick.
Assemble the Cake:
- Place one cake layer on a cake board or serving plate.
- Spread half of the buttercream with an offset spatula.
- Top with the second cake layer and add the remaining buttercream.
- Garnish with candied orange slices, if desired.
Candied Orange Slices:
- Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Add the orange slices one at a time. Make sure they don't stick together. Continue to cook the oranges over medium heat until they’re translucent, about 15 minutes, turning them from time to time. Then, reduce the heat to low and cook for 5-8 minutes, occasionally turning, until the slices are tender but still whole.
- Carefully remove the slices with tongs to a parchment paper-lined baking pan or plate. Let them stand at room temperature until they’re thoroughly dried and cool. Then, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
Store: Cover leftover cake and store at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Make-Ahead: This eggless orange cake can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly at room temperature overnight. Likewise, the frosting can be prepared and then covered and refrigerated overnight. Let the refrigerated frosting sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, then beat with a mixer for a couple of minutes to bring it back to a spreadable consistency.
Freeze: Unfrosted cake can be frozen for up to 2 months. Make sure to wrap the cake tightly in several layers of plastic wrap to ensure it is tightly sealed. If you like, you can also add an extra layer of aluminum foil for additional protection against freezer burn. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before decorating/serving.
Extra Tips:
- Measure the ingredients correctly. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
- Make sure to cream the butter and sugar together for 4 – 5 minutes, until creamy and pale. To achieve this, the butter must be at the right consistency; ideally, the butter will easily bend without breaking and give slightly when pressed. If it looks or feels oily is too soft.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Mix just until you’ve evenly distributed the ingredients throughout the batter.
- Bake the cake(s) as soon as the batter is ready.
- Don't open the oven door until the cake(s) has set. Leave the oven closed until the minimum time stated in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven at least 15 minutes before you get started to give it plenty of time to reach the ideal recipe temperature.
- Every oven is different, so baking times always have to be taken with a grain of salt. Oven thermostats can be wildly off, which will all affect baking time, so keep an eye on yours. The cake(s) are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice witout frosting | Calories: 602kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Sugar: 42g