This Old Fashioned Orange cake is a light, fluffy and moist cake that is perfect for holidays and special occasions. This easy orange cake is also known as an orange chiffon cake or orange juice cake.
This heirloom recipe is one that has been around for most of my life and it is truly wonderful!
Why This Recipe Rocks
Old-fashioned cakes are always enjoyed for their classic flavors. This beautiful cake has a nice citrus flavor that is perfect for celebrating the season. It is my favorite orange cake recipe from scratch!
This cake takes less than a dozen ingredients to make and that includes the light orange icing that topes the cake.
This cake is as delicious as it is beautiful. So tasty and perfect for parties, teas and showers.
This is a wonderful way to use fresh oranges in a delicious baked dessert.
Ingredients
The ingredients for the cake and frosting are below.
- eggs separated into yolk & whites
- cake flour or all purpose flour
- granulated sugar
- fresh orange juice 3 large oranges
- vegetable oil
- butter
- orange zest
- cream of tartar, baking soda, salt
- confectioners' sugar
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Below are some photos of the step by step process:
Step One: Prepare pan with flour non stick spray. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients: flour, sugar, salt and baking soda.
Step Two: In a separate bowl add orange juice, egg yolks, oil and zest. Whisk together into the flour mixture.
Step Three: In a clean, oil free glass bowl beat egg whites and cream of tarter on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into batter and blend. Pour cake batter into prepared pan.
Step Four: Bake as directed and let cool. while preparing orange frosting.
Step five: Top with frosting. If making in a tube pan, you can omit the frosting and use the recipe for the orange glaze (included in the recipe card below).
Timesaving Tips:
- This cake gets its light and airy texture from all of the ingredients being room temperature.
- Chiffon cakes are typically baked in a tube pan but can also be baked as layer cakes. I like to use round cakes because they are more forgiving than a tube pan.
- Chiffon cakes are broken into three parts, thus the use of three bowls. One for wet. One for dry.and one for the meringue.
Substitutions & Variations
Here are a few substitutions you can make if needed:
- All purpose or cake flour can be used for this cake. Cake flour yields a more fluffy cake crumb.
- You can frost the cake orange with buttercream or add dollops and sprinkle with powdered sugar as shown above.
Equipment
- bowls
- whisk
- sifter (recommended)
- hand or stand mixer
- 2 - 9 inch round pans or one bundt cake pan
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Top tip
A tip for a super fluffy cakes: sift the dry ingredients to effectively remove any lumps and then whisk the dry ingredients to combine them.
Garnish the top of the cake with a few bits orange rind made from the orange peel.
More Delicious Cake Recipes
📖 Recipe
Old Fashioned Orange Cake
Equipment
- Bundt pan or 2 9 inch cake pans
- Cooling rack
- Rubber Spatula
- 2 large bowl
- medium bowl
- Whisk
- electric mixer or stand mixer
- Strainer
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs separated into yolk & whites
- 2 cups cake or all purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup fresh orange juice
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup butter melted
- 2 tablespoons grated orange zest
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
Glaze
- ½ cup butter
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 2 to 4 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- ½ teaspoon grated orange zest
Instructions
Classic Orange Cake Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 350 ° F.
- Bring eggs to room temperature by placing them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl combine dry ingredients: flour, sugar, salt and baking soda.
- In a separate bowl add orange juice, egg yolks, oil and zest. Whisk together.
- Pour the wet ingredient mixture into the dry and whisk until incorporated.
- In a clean, oil free glass bowl beat egg whites and cream of tarter on high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Fold egg whites into batter until no streaks are there, scraping the sides of the bowl.
- Lightly grease only the bottom on the tube pan or 2 nine inch round pans.
- Carefully and gently spoon the batter into tube pan.
- Drag a butter knife through the batter to release any air pockets and bake for 45-50 minutes.
- You will know it’s done when the top springs back when lightly touched.
- Gently set the cake (still in the pan) on wire racks to cool completely (40-50 minutes).
- Gently glide a knife around the sides and center of the pan to release the cake.
- Place serving plate on top of pan and flip the cake over.
Orange Glaze Sauce
- Glaze for cake in tube pan
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan.
- Whisk in the confectioners sugar, orange juice and zest until smooth.
- Pour or spoon over the top of the cake allow it drizzle down the sides.
Orange Buttercream Frosting
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 2-3 tablespoon heavy cream
- In a large bowl, cream butter, powdered sugar, cream and half the orange juice.
- Add more orange juice only if necessary.
- Mix on high using an electric mixer for 5-7 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Spread between the layers.
- Add remaining frosting to a piping bag or ziplock bag.
- Dust the cake with powdered sugar
- Squeeze out dollops of icing around the top of the cake.
- Serve and enjoy
Nutrition
We hope you enjoyed this old fashioned cake recipe.
Marcellina
Classic cakes are always a winner in our house. At the moment we have a lot of oranges on the tree and this is perfect. So tender and melts in your mouth.