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
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 9x5 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.
Notes
Use room temperature ingredients for best results.