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Whole Orange Cake (Super Moist!) Recipe

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4.3 from 2 reviews

This Whole Orange Cake is a delightfully moist and soft cake bursting with fresh citrus flavor made from an entire orange, excluding the bitter pith. It is naturally sweet, lightly textured, and perfect for an afternoon tea or a refreshing dessert option. The recipe uses both zest and blended orange pulp to infuse the cake with zesty goodness, balanced by a tender crumb from the use of butter and oil.

  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 12 slices

Ingredients

Fruit

  • 1 large orange

Dry Ingredients

  • 1¼ cups (150 g) all-purpose flour (plain flour in the UK)
  • ¼ cup (30 g) cornstarch
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup (75 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ⅓ cup (70 g) unflavored vegetable oil, such as canola oil
  • 1¼ cup (250 g) white granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons (45 g) milk, room temperature
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract or essence

Topping

  • Powdered sugar (icing/confectioners’ sugar) for dusting

Instructions

  1. Preheat and prepare pan. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) conventional. Grease a 9-inch springform cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
  2. Prepare the orange. Zest the entire orange, avoiding the white pith, and place zest into a large bowl. Peel the orange to remove all white pith carefully, slice in half, remove any seeds, and blend the flesh until smooth. Set aside the blended orange pulp.
  3. Sift dry ingredients. Sift together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.
  4. Cream fats and sugar with zest. To the bowl with the orange zest, add room temperature butter, vegetable oil, and granulated sugar. Using a hand or stand mixer on medium speed, beat for about 2 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
  5. Add eggs. Add the eggs one at a time on low mixer speed, ensuring each one is fully incorporated before adding the next.
  6. Add blended orange, milk, and vanilla. On low speed, add the blended orange pulp, milk, and vanilla extract and mix until combined. The batter may appear slightly curdled; this is normal at this stage.
  7. Fold in dry ingredients. Remove batter from mixer attachments. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet mixture and gently fold using a spatula just until uniform to avoid over-mixing.
  8. Transfer and bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top evenly, and tap the pan once on the counter to release large air bubbles. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
  9. Cool and serve. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then run a thin knife around the edges and remove the springform ring. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature on a wire rack, dust lightly with powdered sugar, slice into 12 pieces, and enjoy!

Notes

  • If using a convection oven, reduce the temperature to 160°C (320°F) because the fan accelerates baking.
  • Only zest the surface layer of the orange to avoid bitterness from the white pith beneath the peel.
  • The blended orange pulp from one large orange typically weighs about 120 g; slight variations will not affect the cake significantly.
  • Author: Monica
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Western
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Find it online: https://monicarecipes.com/whole-orange-cake-super-moist-recipe/