Vanilla Orange Loaf Cake
This is a moist, tender loaf cake that gets a bright flavor from orange zest and vanilla bean. The batter uses oil and heavy cream, which keeps it soft. A hot orange syrup is brushed on the warm cake, and it’s finished with a thick vanilla-orange glaze.
Ingredients (for a 9×5 loaf pan)
Cake Batter
- 2 cups pastry flour (9-10% protein)
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- Zest of 3 large oranges
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 cup + 1 Tbsp heavy cream
- 1 vanilla bean pod, split and scraped (or 2 tsp vanilla bean paste)
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 Tbsp orange marmalade
- 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp sunflower oil
Orange Syrup
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp fresh orange juice
Vanilla Orange Icing
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp orange juice
- 2 tsp orange zest
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
Prepare the Batter
Set your oven to 350F. Butter and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan, then line it with parchment paper so there is an overhang on the two long sides.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, add the granulated sugar and orange zest. Use your fingers or a fork to rub the zest into the sugar until it becomes fragrant.
Add the room-temperature eggs. Using an electric hand mixer on medium speed, whisk for ~2 minutes until the mixture is thicker and paler.
Add the heavy cream, vanilla, almond extract, and orange marmalade. Mix again to combine.
With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the oil.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and fold with a silicone spatula. Stop mixing as soon as no flour streaks remain.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
Bake the Cake and Make the Syrup
Place the pan on the middle oven rack and bake for ~45-55 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
While the cake is baking, make the orange syrup. In a small saucepan, combine the 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of orange juice. Heat on medium, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat.
Soak and Glaze the Cake
As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, brush the top evenly with the hot orange syrup.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Use the parchment paper overhangs to lift the slightly warm cake out of the pan. Place it on a wire rack over a baking sheet and brush the sides with the remaining orange syrup.
Let the cake cool completely.
In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla bean paste until smooth; The icing should be thick but spreadable.
Spoon the icing over the top of the cooled cake.
Vanilla Orange Loaf Cake
Ingredients
Cake Batter
- 2 cups pastry flour 9-10% protein
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- Zest of 3 large oranges
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 3/4 cup + 1 Tbsp heavy cream
- 1 vanilla bean pod or 2 tsp vanilla bean paste, split and scraped
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 Tbsp orange marmalade
- 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp sunflower oil
Orange Syrup
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp fresh orange juice
Vanilla Orange Icing
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp orange juice
- 2 tsp orange zest
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
Method
- Preheat oven to 350F. Butter, flour, and line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
- Rub orange zest into sugar until fragrant.
- Beat eggs into sugar mixture for 2 minutes until pale and thick.
- Mix in cream, vanilla, almond extract, and marmalade.
- Slowly add oil while mixing.
- Fold in dry ingredients until just combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 45-55 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
- Make syrup by heating sugar and orange juice until dissolved.
- Brush hot cake with syrup immediately after baking.
- Cool cake in pan 15 minutes, then transfer to wire rack.
- Brush sides with remaining syrup.
- Whisk icing ingredients until smooth.
- Drizzle icing over completely cooled cake.
