On our wedding day, we had an orange cake with vanilla frosting. It was an orange lovers cake, if you will. Both in terms of wedded bliss and the fondness of the refreshing orange flavor. I remembered it as this zesty creamsicle type confection and it gave me happy memories.
Years later, I was learning how to eat healthier but our anniversary was coming up and I wanted to celebrate by ordering from the same bakery. It was a special occasion after all.
Sadly, the cake was a huge disappointment. It was shocking at how artificial and horrible that cake tasted years later. When you learn to appreciate fresh fruits and vegetables, artificial flavors begin to taste…well very artificial. So I decided then and there to start learning to bake cakes with fresh and natural ingredients. Not so much for the health benefits. But simply, for the taste.
I recently stumbled across different varieties of oranges. My husband brought home a cara cara orange by mistake and my love for orange cake was renewed with this recipe. Afterward, I went and searched the produce isle. Sure enough, there was a blood orange, a cara cara and a regular old navel. I decided to buy all three and a lemon. Because everyone needs a lemon.
Deciding to make an “orange lovers cake” came to mind instantly. So I did some weighing and basic math and decided how to approach this best. After much deliberation, I decided to do what I did with the lemonade cake and replace some of the fat with fresh juice. So could I make a fresh citrus cake with less calories and fat? Yes, please!
I think it turned out great. We ate half the fruit and used the other half for the cake. If I were to do it over again, I’d decorate the top with the fresh slices of orange as I think it would have been a lovely contrast. But the fruit was delicious, so I don’t mind.
Rinse and dry the oranges you will be using. 
Carefully zest each orange. 
You can freeze leftover zest for another project. 
We are using 1/2 cara cara, blood and navel oranges. 
You’ll need about 1/3 cup (80ml) of juice. 
Isn’t it beautiful when you combine the fruits? 
Mix together wet ingredients. Beat in sugar and zest. 
Then mix in the flour. 
Pour into prepared pan. 
Bake until golden. 
Poke holes and slowly pour all but 2 tbs (30mL) over cake. 
Remove to wire rack after soaking for 10 minutes. 
With remaining juice, make a glaze if desired. 
The more juice you add, the more tart it will be. 
Pour over top of cooled cake. 
Then slice it up and enjoy. 
Happy baking.
Orange Lovers Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (225g) flour
- 4 large (200g) eggs
- ¾ cup (150g) sugar
- ½ cup (120mL) oil
- 1 ½ tsp (6g) baking powder
- 2 tsp (4g) orange zest
- ½ tsp (2.5g) salt
For the Drizzle
- ¼ cup (60mL) orange
For the glaze
- 1 cup (125g) powdered sugar
- 2 tbs (30mL) orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F (160C.)
- Grease and flour a 9×5 loaf tin (23x13cm) or line with parchment paper.
- Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
- Clean and zest the oranges. Squeeze juice in a clean container. Chill orange juice while cake is baking.
- In a small bowl, mix together sugar and zest. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine eggs, oil, and zest using a wire whisk. Beat in sugar. Add flour mixture and whisk until there are no more lumps.
- Pour cake batter into pan and bake 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Center should read between 200F (93C) and 210F (99C.)
For the Drizzle
- Poke holes in the cake with a large stick such as a skewer.
- Pour over top of cake slowly. Allow cake to sit in pan 5-10 minutes to soak up juice.
- Remove cake to wire rake to finish cooling.
For the Glaze
- Mix powdered sugar and juice together until the glaze ribbons off your spoon. Pour over top of cooled cake and allow to air dry before serving.
Did not follow centre should read between 200F to 210F. Please explain… What is baking temperature.
Hello Bertha,
At the beginning of most of my recipes, I will tell you what temperature to heat the oven to for baking. In America, this is often referred to as “preheat oven to” followed by the temperature. For this recipe, you will want to preheat the oven or bake the batter at 325°F or 160°C. At the end of the recipes, I try to give an internal temperature of the baked goods when they are completely baked. In this recipe, the center internal temperature should reach between 200°F (93°C) and 210°F (99°C) when it is finished baking. I hope this helps clarify!