Eggless Orange Cake

Ingredients and Notes

All-Purpose Flour: This cake starts with basic all-purpose flour. If you’d like to add more fiber, try using white whole wheat flour.

Baking Soda and Baking Powder: Use both baking powder and baking soda. The baking soda reacts to the vinegar in the vegan buttermilk to give it an airy crumb.

Vegan Buttermilk: Buttermilk is used in cakes for a tangy flavor. Since this cake is dairy-free, the buttermilk is made with a combination of almond milk and apple cider vinegar.

Orange Juice and Orange Zest: This is what gives the cake its citrus flavor. The more zest you use the more orange flavor will come through in the cake. I recommend using at least 2 tablespoons of zest. That’s about 1-2 oranges depending on their size. Then squeeze the oranges you zested for the fresh orange juice you need for this recipe. You may need to squeeze a few more oranges to get enough juice.

Olive Oil: Most cakes don’t use olive oil, instead opting for coconut oil or vegetable oil. But olive oil complements the citrus flavor nicely in this cake, and I highly recommend using it. If you don’t have olive oil, you can use a different type of vegetable oil or room-temperature vegan butter.

Organic Sugar: I always recommend using organic sugar over white sugar. This is because not all white sugar made in the United States is vegan. However, you can use regular white sugar if you wish.

Vanilla and Almond Extract: Vanilla and almond extract are both used in this cake because they bring out the natural flavors of the oranges. If you have orange extract, feel free to use that instead of the almond extract, to really amp up the citrus flavor.

Orange Syrup: A combination of sugar and orange juice is whisked together to create an orange sugar syrup that is poured on top of the cake after it is baked to infuse it with more flavor.

Toppings: Powdered sugar and sliced orange rounds make for a beautiful presentation.

Instructions for Eggless Orange Cake

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare a 9-inch cake pan by lining the bottom with parchment paper.

Step 2: In a small bowl or glass measuring cup whisk together the almond milk or soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside for 10 minutes to curdle and become dairy-free buttermilk.

Step 3: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Step 4: In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the sugar, curdled almond milk, olive oil, orange juice, orange zest, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Make sure that the sugar has dissolved.

Step 6: Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin. Smooth out the top with a spatula to even out the batter.

Step 7: Place on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

Step 8: While the cake is baking make the orange syrup. Whisk together 2 tablespoons of orange juice, and 2 tablespoons of orange juice. Make sure the sugar is dissolved.

Step 9: After the cake has cooled for 10 minutes on a wire rack, use a skewer to poke holes around the cake. Pour the orange syrup on top of the cake and into the holes.

Step 10: Run a knife around the edge of the cake. Carefully remove the cake from the pan. Allow the cake to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar using a sieve, and garnish with orange slices.

Expert Tips

• Measure the flour for the cake by spooning the flour into the measuring cup rather than scooping the measuring cup into the bag of flour. This will ensure that you don’t end up with too much flour as it gets packed down into the bag.
• Ensure that the sugar has fully dissolved into the other wet ingredients before adding it to the dry ingredients.
• For a light and fluffy batter don’t overmix when folding the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
• For a more intense orange flavor use a teaspoon of orange extract, or add 2 additional tablespoons of orange zest.
• Check the cake at the 25 minute mark. Cake is done when the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Recipe FAQS

Serving Suggestions

Powdered Sugar: I served this cake dusted with powdered sugar and topped with slices of fresh oranges.

Buttercream Frosting: Whip up a simple buttercream frosting. Add some orange zest or orange extract to give the frosting a citrus flavor.

Orange Glaze: Make an orange glaze with powdered sugar, almond milk, and orange zest, and melted butter. Drizzle over the top and add fresh oranges for garnish.

Storing

Cover the cake and store it at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

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