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. The recipe includes step-by-step photos and lots of tips.
Easy Eggless Orange Cake Recipe Highlights
This Eggless Orange Cake is definitely one of my most requested recipes by you! And I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.
It’s sweet, tangy, fresh, and bright… each bite is simply delightful! This Eggless Orange Cake is super-easy and quick to make from scratch, and very light and fluffy.
The orange buttercream amplifies the refreshing citrus.
The perfect cake for breakfast, brunch, snack, or dessert. It’s simple and really tasty. If you love the citrus flavor as much as I do, you’ll love this cake!
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and instructions (scroll down).
You’ll need:
- Flour: Standard all-purpose flour works best here, skip the cake flour, bread flour, and wheat flour.
- Baking powder & Baking soda: Make sure they’re not expired or too old.
- Salt: I prefer kosher or sea salt. If you only have table salt handy, I recommend reducing the amount to half.
- Fresh orange: You’ll need the juice and zest.
- Milk: For baking, I like to use whole milk. However, you can use any milk you have handy.
- Vanilla Extract: For optimal flavor, reach for pure vanilla instead of imitation. Even better, try homemade vanilla extract!
- Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter, but if you only have salted butter handy, you can use it. In this case, skip the salt called in the recipe.
- Sugar: Regular white granulated sugar o caster sugar.
Step By Step Recipe Photo Tutorial
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down).
1 – Prepare the pans and preheat the oven
2 – Make the cake batter
Mix dry ingredients. Then, mix wet ingredients. After that, cream butter and sugar. Add orange zest. Add dry half of the flour mixture. Then add the wet ingredients mixture in three additions. And finally, add the remaining half of the flour; beat just until combined. Evenly divide the batter between the prepared pans.
3 – Bake
Bake at 350º F for 25-30 minutes. Allow cake to cool on a wire rack for 10 – 15 minutes before removing it from the pans. Allow the cakes to cool completely on the wire rack.
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4 – Decorate
Decorate your cake as your heart desires! I did a very simple decoration with Orange Buttercream and orange slices. See details below.
Orange Buttercream
This orange buttercream is super easy to make and so delicious! It’s made with freshly squeezed orange juice and plenty of freshly grated orange zest, so there’s a real punch of orange flavor in this frosting.
Simple Orange Cake Decoration
My motto when it comes to decorating cakes is: Keep it simple. Make it easy on yourself!
This is a true naked cake. This means the sides of the cake are bare. This beautiful eggless orange cake is simply decorated with generous amounts of orange buttercream and candied orange.
How to Make Candied Orange Slices
Combine 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. See details and quantities in the recipe card below.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is enough to make two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans, three 6-inch cake pans, or one 9×13-inch rectangular cake pan. Please, remember to adjust the baking time accordingly.
Yes, you can! Just omit the extra salt called in the recipe.
Yes! Substitute all-purpose for 1-to-1 Gluten-Free flour (this is my favorite).
Yes! Substitute milk for your favorite dairy-free milk and butter.
Eggless Cake Success Tips
Measure the ingredients correctly. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
Preheat the oven for at least 15 minutes before getting started to give it plenty of time to reach the ideal recipe temperature.
Don’t overmix the batter. Instead, mix just until you’ve evenly distributed the ingredients throughout the batter.
Bake the batter as soon as it is ready.
Don’t open the oven door until your baked good has set. Leave the oven closed until the minimum time is stated in the recipe.
Every oven is different, so baking times always have to be taken with a grain of salt. Oven thermostats can be wildly off, affecting baking time, so keep an eye on yours.
Adapt This Recipe to Other Food Allergies
This recipe is egg-free and nut-free, but you can certainly adapt it to other food allergies.
Gluten-Free
Substitute all-purpose flour for 1-to-1 Gluten-Free flour mix. My favorite brands are Cup4Cup and King Arthur. Just be sure to stir the batter longer than normal to help give the baked goods proper structure. Also, gluten-free batters need to rest. So let your batter rest for about 30 minutes, so the flour has time to hydrate and soften before baking it.
Dairy-Free
Use your favorite plant-based, dairy-free, or vegan butter and milk. Make sure to use an unflavored, unsweetened variety of non-dairy milk. Soy and oat milk have the best consistency and very neutral flavors. My favorite dairy-free butter brands for baking are:
Storing & Freezing Instructions
Cover leftover cake and store it at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Freezing:
- Let the eggless lemon cake cool completely.
- Wrap it up in 2 layers of plastic wrap, then with foil to avoid freezer burn.
- Place inside a large freezer Ziploc bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
Ready to eat it? Thaw overnight in the fridge and bring to room temperature before slicing and serving.
More Egg-Free Cake Recipes You’ll Love!
- Eggless Vanilla Cake Recipe
- The Best Eggless Chocolate Cake Ever
- Eggless Red Velvet Cake
- Eggless Lemon Cake
- Easy Eggless Banana Cake
- Browse more recipes…
Easy Eggless Orange Cake
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.
- 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
Eggless Baking Frequently Asked Questions
You’ve asked, and I’ve answered! Read on for a handful of answers to the most frequently asked questions about eggless baking.
Originally posted in July 2020, the post content was edited to add more helpful information, with no change to the recipe in May 2022.
