This vegan orange cake is loaded with vibrant orange flavor in every bite and on top goes a yummy orange marmalade frosting. You need just one bowl and 10 ingredients to make it.
Citrus is a marvelous flavor in desserts, like this vegan lemon yogurt cake, vegan clementine cake and vegan orange rolls. This vegan Orange Cake is a dessert I've baked over and over for many years, after first finding the recipe in the Joy of Cooking. Over the years I've made some tweaks and, most importantly, I've multiplied its deliciousness by doubling the recipe and slathering it with a fluffy, decadent orange marmalade buttercream frosting.
This is a delicious cake, full of orange flavor in every bite. It has a tender crumb that's perfectly but not cloyingly sweet, and the marmalade buttercream is soft and fluffy and to die for.
It is also a rather easy cake to make: it should take you no more than 10 minutes to throw the ingredients together and perhaps another 10 to whip up the frosting, if that. It's also a one-bowl recipe because you can throw all your ingredients for the cake in one by one, and then rinse out the bowl and use it to whip up your frosting.
Best of all, you can even make your vegan orange cake a tad boozy, as I sometimes do, by subbing a couple of tablespoons of the orange juice with an orange liqueur.
Ingredients
- Flour. I sometimes use unbleached all purpose but when I'm feeling a little extra-healthy, I use whole wheat pastry flour. Both give great results that are quite comparable. You can also use half and half if you're undecided.
- Oranges. You need both the orange juice and the orange zest for this vegan orange cake. I use the pulpy juice, so if you want to just toss your oranges in a blender and juice them, go right ahead. Or just buy fresh squeezed orange juice that's pulpy off the shelf at your grocer's. You will need a whole orange to zest, though.
- Orange marmalade. This is for the frosting, and it's wonderful.
- Oil. Use a flavorless, neutral oil, like avocado oil. In vegan cakes, oil not only subs for butter, I think it makes the cake more moist, which is a win-win.
- Baking soda. There is no baking powder in this recipe and 2 teaspoon baking soda is all you need for the leavening.
- Vinegar. Use either apple cider vinegar or white vinegar.
- Pure vanilla extract
- Sugar. I use turbinado, which makes the crumb darker, but any granulated sugar will work.
- Powdered sugar or confectioner's sugar, for the frosting.
- Vegan butter for the frosting.
How to make Vegan Orange Cake
- Because this is a one-bowl recipe you don't have to worry about mixing the dry ingredients, then the wet ingredients, then merging them. Add the wet ingredients -- the orange juice, zest, oil, vinegar, vanilla and sugar -- to a bowl, beat with a whisk until combined, then throw in the dry ingredients and mix.
- Scrape the batter into two 8- or 9-inch cake pans lined at the bottom with parchment paper and oiled. Bake for 30-35 minutes in a preheated 350-degree oven until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cakes in the pan, then unmold and continue cooling the cakes on racks before frosting.
How to make Orange Marmalade Buttercream Frosting
- Make sure the butter is at room temperature -- not hard nor melted, but soft.
- Combine the orange marmalade in the bowl with the butter and whisk, then begin to add the powdered sugar, half a cup at a time. Beat in the sugar after each addition and taste as you go to adjust the amount of sugar up or down to your liking. For this cake I used two cups of powdered sugar and it was perfect. More sugar will make the buttercream stiffer.
- Use an offset spatula or a butter knife to frost the cake.
Top tip
If the powdered sugar has been standing around for some time and is clumping together, run it through a sieve before adding it to the frosting to make sure the buttercream is perfectly smooth and fluffy.
Vegan orange cake FAQs
The orange cake is delicious without the frosting and you can definitely serve it plain. Sift some confectioners' sugar on top for a pretty look.
Using just olive oil would overwhelm the orange flavor. I recommend using an unflavored vegetable oil, like avocado oil.
The cake will keep in the fridge for up to five days. For longer storage freeze slices, individually wrapped, in a freezer-safe bag or container. You can also tightly cling-wrap the whole cake, place it in a freezer-safe bag, and freeze for up to three months.
More vegan cake recipes
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Recipe card
Vegan Orange Cake
Ingredients
For the vegan Orange Cake:
- 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour (can use whole wheat pastry flour or half all purpose and half whole wheat)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups orange juice (sub two tablespoon of the orange juice with an orange liqueur if you like)
- Zest of an orange
- 2 cups sugar
- â…” cup avocado oil or any neutral oil
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the vegan Orange Marmalade Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 cup vegan butter (2 sticks)
- ½ cup orange marmalade
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the orange cake:
- Place the orange juice, zest, sugar, oil, vinegar and vanilla in a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer. Use a whisk or the whisk attachment of the stand mixer to mix for one minute or until everything appears to be well-mixed.
- Add the baking soda, salt and flour to the bowl and mix. Scrape down the sides of the pan after 20 seconds of mixing and mix for 20 seconds more, but no longer.
- Spray two 8- or 9-inch cake pans with cooking spray or oil. Preferably line the bottom with parchment paper, or, if you don't have this, flour the pans. Divide the cake batter equally between the two pans.
- Bake the cakes in a 350-degree oven for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then slide a thin knife around the edges of each cake
- Gently flip each cake onto a plate, slide onto a rack, and continue cooling before you frost.
Make the frosting:
- Place the orange marmalade, vanilla and butter in a bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until combined, around 30 seconds.
- Add the powdered sugar, half a cup at a time, incorporating well into the butter mixture after each addition. Your frosting should be smooth, creamy and fluffy.
Assemble the cake:
- Place one of the cakes, on a plate or cake stand. Dump half of the frosting on the cake, use an offset spatula or knife to spread it evenly, then place the second cake on top, taking care to ensure they line up evenly. Spread the remaining frosting evenly over the top of the cake, using anything that remains for the sides.
- Slice and serve.
Nutrition Information
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Shobana. says
Hi.. I have been smitten by this cake ever since I saw it.. am trying it out for a friend's surprise bday party. Have a few questions:
1. would this be enough to fill in a 9 inch round cake tin or do i have to increase the quantities
2. i have neither orange essence nor orange liqueor. Can I sub with some lemon juice/orange rind?
3. Will this cake lend itself to some icing.. Nothing much, just some butterscotch chips heated up and poured on top..? pl help.
Vaishali says
Anonymous, Thanks for the feedback.
Roshni, tulsi rose tea and lime juice sound wonderful. Thanks for your kind words. 🙂
roshni says
Hi Vaishali
Tried your orange cake was superb..made some changes since i did not have those stuff in hand but liked it very much..
Added some pistachios and instead of liqueur & vinegar added decaffine tulsi rose tea and lime juice..
Thanks for your wonderful vegan site we love it..
Anonymous says
I made this cake with the only two exceptions were that I used orange extract and added cardamom. It was so delicious - thank you!
Vaishali says
Hi Kamini, Thanks for agreeing with me. It still hurts me to think of Michael Vick and what he did, and now he's happily back in major league football being a big hero. Meanwhile, the innocent animals he tortured are either dead or struggling to get back to normal lives after years of hard work by groups like Best Friends. It really makes me wonder about the values of the world we live in...
Thanks for the link to the cake! I love Sharan and the work Nandita does, so will look forward to trying this soon.
Kamini says
Hey Vaishali...was looking for some good vegan cake recipes and found this. Am going to try it today. But just wanted to say I so agree with you.... for people who torture animals, there should be no second chance! THATS IT! Or do to them what they did to the animals!
Am so with you on this! BTW, here is a great cake recipe
Vaishali says
Anonymous, Laura, thank you for the feedback! 🙂
Laura says
Hi,
This is the first recipe I have tried from your blog and it was amazing! This has got to be the best cake I've ever eaten, vegan or not. It was so moist and orangey. My whole family of omnivores couldn't stop raving about it. I used a teaspoon of orange extract instead of the liqueur and served it with a warm blueberry sauce.
Looking forward to more great recipes!
Anonymous says
Vaishali,
i am finally getting to thank you for this recipe. I have made it several times now. I have brought it to friends' homes and they have loved it and asked for the recipe. Made it for my sick mom and she loved it and asked for it again.
The texture comes our so light and airy in this eggless recipe - it surprises everyone that its eggless. USually eggless cakes come out dense, not this one.
Vaishali says
Hi Mindhaven-- it's exactly what it sounds like. You need two tablespoons less than one full cup. Instead of measuring out 14 tbsps (a cup is 16 tbsps), it is easier to measure out one cup and remove two tbsp from it. Does that help?
Katalin says
Very tasty! I found this recipe an hour ago and I am already eating it.
It is super moist, you couldn't tell it is vegan. Can't wait to share it with my friends!
I added some orange zest for a stronger orange flavor. Really good!
Aparna says
Love the crumb-like texture of your cake. Great tea-time snack. I made a vegan cake once and it came out good, using vinegar.
Amy D says
I love your blog, you express yourself well and you have great recipes! I receive your posts via email, but they enter my email box as holy cow! and no description of the post. Is there a way to write Orange Cake in the subject line so that when I save your recipes they'll be easier to retrieve? Just a suggestion, I'll keep subscribed either way.
Curry Leaf says
Love it Vaishali.I love oranges in baked goods.
G3 says
Omg - that cake looks absolutely delicious! I am going to give it a try this weekend for sure!! One qn - if I were to use the orange zest instead of the Liquer - how much would I use? and I guess the orange juice would be an entire cup then!
I am with you on Vick's issue. DIsgusting ... wouldn't want him anywhere near a humane society!
Ashwini says
Wow yummy orangy cake. Looks delicious and tempting.
Kitchen Flavours says
Oh wow simple, sweet and vegun....Awesome...
Indhu says
yummy cake... I love anything orange... will definitely try this 🙂
Nithya Praveen says
First time to ur blog...u have a neat one here.I love the citrus flavor in any food...a gud one to try.Thanks for sharing!
Shreya says
beautiful cake:-)
Sharmila says
That cake sounds very doable Vaishali ... am trying it. 🙂
Looks too good.
madhuram says
How have you been Vaishali? Thanks for your detailed comment in my previous post. We have sort of settled and things are back to routine again.
I have tried a similar recipe from Joy of Vegan baking. It's blueberry muffin recipe. Just throw in a cup of bluberries and you have a blueberry cake.
I'm totally with you on the Vick issue. I don't understand how a life of a dog is cheaper than a life of a human. If he had killed a human will be let free if he simply accepts to do some community service?
A2Z Vegetarian Cuisine says
First time here, nice blog with lot of interesting recipes. This cake looks really delicious.
Cham says
I just imagine the flavor of citrus!
Pavithra says
Wow the cakes looks so moist and yummy... Great recipe thanks for sharing this.
Jain says
I’m having a houseful of omnivorous company next weekend (they’ll be eating vegan, whether they know it or not ;o) and this recipe would be ideal to throw together in a hurry.
I don’t follow football nor animal cruelty stories because violence disgusts me, but a mere football ban seems too mild a punishment. We need to get to the point where people recognize that non-human animals are on the same plane with human ones – then let the punishment fit the crime.
A_and_N says
Anything citrusy or orangey, I have to try! So far, I've tried out at least 12 diff versions of citrus cakes 😀
sowmya says
cake looks awesome..moist and soft..
Priya says
Wow cake looks moist and prefect...Delicious orange cake!
Poornima Nair says
Wow that cake looks really moist, I love citrus flavored cakes.
Nancy says
Thank you for this recipe: your Vegan Orange Cake was an instant favorite in our home; in my sisters' home; in my daughters' home; in my cousins' home. In other words, whenever I make this cake it becomes the favorite! I have added a tablespoon of cardamon for a yummy flavor.