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.

Orange Lovers Cake

Not only is this delicious, it uses fresh oranges to flavor the cake. No artificial flavors in this zesty little wonder!

Print Recipe

Prep Time10 minutes minutes

Cook Time50 minutes minutes

Total Time1 hour hour

Servings12 people

Calories 263.3

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.

Notes

If using self-rising flour, omit baking powder and salt.

You will need between 1 – 1 1/2 oranges to get the amount of zest and juice required depending on the size of the fruit.

Nutrition Facts

Orange Lovers Cake

Serving Size

 

1 slice

Amount per Serving

Calories

263.3

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

15.7

g

24

%

Saturated Fat

 

1.5

g

9

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

3.7

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

9.7

g

Sodium

 

117.6

mg

5

%

Carbohydrates

 

28.5

g

10

%

Protein

 

3.5

g

7

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

* Calories provided as a courtesy and not guaranteed.