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A moist glazed vanilla orange loaf cake bursting with bright citrus and fragrant vanilla bean, finished with a soak of orange syrup and a glossy vanilla orange glaze. When oranges are in season, I find excuses to add them to just about everything, this ultimate winter citrus cake, baked into an easy to slice loaf is perfect for breakfast or dessert.
Key Ingredients & Test Notes
- Oranges are the main flavor profile of this moist loaf cake. The orange zest will offer a stronger citrus taste to the cake over just adding juice to the cake.
- Test Note: Try naval, cara cara, or blood oranges for the best flavor.
- Orange Marmalade is added to the batter to give even more orange flavor to the cake. This is an optional add in or can be swapped for freshly squeezed orange juice.
- Vanilla Bean Paste: I love seeing little black vanilla flecks in my cake so I usually grab vanilla bean paste, but pure vanilla extract will still deliver on vanilla flavor.
- Sunflower Seed Oil is used for the fat component instead of butter ensures the cake will stay be moist and tender for days.
- Heavy Cream: Its higher fat content creates a lush dessert cake.
- Test Note: It can be substituted for equal weighted amounts of creme fraiche or sour cream in this recipe.
- All Purpose Flour: I’m opting for lower protein (10-11%) all purpose flour for a soft tender cake crumb.
Jenn’s Tips!
- Rub the orange zest into the granulated sugar with a fork to allow the zest’s oil to be absorbed by the sugar. This step enhances the orange flavor in the cake.
- Eggs and heavy cream should be at room temperature in order to create a smooth cake batter.
- Don’t over mix the eggs and sugar, keep an eye on them and stop when the mixture is lighter in color and slightly foamy.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Over working the batter can cause the final texture to be too crumbly.
- Use a microplane to zest your oranges. The zest of one whole orange measures about the same as one packed tablespoon.
- Brush the orange syrup over the top of the orange loaf cake while its still warm. Once you remove the cake from its pan, brush a thin coating of syrup across the sides of the cake as well.
- Make the orange cake glaze thick and pour over the cake once it has completely cooled.
Leftovers & Storage
- Room Temp: Store the vanilla orange cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. It can also be kept in the fridge to prevent drying out after a few days. Place cut slices on their side in tupperware to prevent smooshing the icing.
- Freeze: Skip the icing and wrap the whole cake or cake slices in freezer safe plastic wrap. I would wrap the slices individually. Add another layer of aluminum foil on top of the plastic wrap to prevent additional moisture from seeping into the cake. Frozen loaf cake should stay fresh for up to 3 months. Thaw to room temperature before icing and serving.
★★★★★ Please leave a star rating and review below if you make this recipe! THANK YOU!!
Glazed Vanilla Orange Loaf Cake
Glazed vanilla orange loaf cake is bursting with flavor, made with orange zest, vanilla bean, orange syrup, and an orange glaze.
Click for Ingredient Details
Equipment
- pastry brush
Recipe Video
Ingredients
Cake Batter
- 250 grams (2 cups) all purpose flour , 10-11% protein
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 200 grams (1 cup) granulated sugar
- zest of 3 large oranges
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 180 grams (¾ cups) heavy cream, 33-35% fat
- 1 vanilla bean pod split and seeds scraped, *or 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 tablespoon orange marmalade jam, *or 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 125 grams (½ cup + 1 tablespoon) sunflower oil
Orange Syrup
- 100 grams (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 100 grams (⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon) fresh orange juice
Cake Glaze
- 1 batch Simple Orange Cake Glaze
Instructions
Vanilla Orange Cake
- Preheat oven to 350℉ / 180℃ / 160℃ Fan (convection). Butter and flour the inside of a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line the center with overhanging parchment paper.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.250 grams all purpose flour, 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Combine the granulated sugar and orange zest in a large mixing bowl. Massage the zest into the sugar with a fork until the sugar has started to absorb the orange oils.200 grams granulated sugar, zest of 3 large oranges
- Next, add the eggs to the sugar and using an electric hand mixer, whisk together for about 2 minutes on medium speed, until thicker and paler in consistency.3 large eggs
- Add in the heavy cream, vanilla, almond paste and marmalade then mix again to distribute.180 grams heavy cream, 1 vanilla bean pod split and seeds scraped, ½ teaspoon almond extract, 1 tablespoon orange marmalade jam
- Pour in the oil slowly while continuing to mix.125 grams sunflower oil
- Add the dry ingredients into the liquid mixture and fold with a silicone spatula until no flour streaks remain.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Place the pan on the middle oven rack and bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Make Orange Syrup & Glaze Cake
- While the cake is baking, make the orange syrup. Place the sugar and orange juice in a small saucepan on medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and set aside.100 grams granulated sugar, 100 grams fresh orange juice
- Once the cake is baked, place it on a wire rack to cool. Immediately glaze the top of the warm cake, by painting with a thin coating of orange syrup using a pastry brush.
- Let the cake cool for 15 minutes before removing it from the loaf pan. Transfer the slightly warm cake to a serving dish and brush the sides with a thin coating of orange syrup.
Glaze the Cake
- Allow the cake to cool completely before adding the vanilla orange cake glaze.1 batch Simple Orange Cake Glaze
Notes
- Ingredients Used
- Flour: Gold Medal all Purpose Flour 10.5-11% protein
- Oven: This recipe was written for a conventional oven (top and bottom heat). For convection fan ovens, reduce the temperature by 25 degrees and begin checking for doneness 75% of the way through baking.
Tried this recipe?Mention @twocupsflour or tag #twocupsflour!
