Zingy Orange Drizzle Cake

This moist orange drizzle cake is light, fluffy and full of flavour. Made with fresh orange juice, zest and extract, it’s wonderfully zingy. 

I’ve added a glaze made with icing sugar and orange juice to accentuate the citrus flavour. But this loaf cake is also lovely plain or with a more traditional glaze syrup (to make this, follow my notes below).

Bake this wonderful loaf cake for summer desserts and afternoon tea. And for more delicious dessert, try Easy Toffee Cream Tart.

Recipe Tips

• If you prefer to use self-raising flour, reduce the baking powder to 1 teaspoon. 
• If you wish, you can also add a tablespoon or two of poppy seeds or some dried cranberries to the batter. 
• I like a glaze that looks like icing but if you prefer more of a traditional syrup glaze, add more orange juice and use a toothpick or thin skewer to make small holes in the top of the cake before slowly pouring on the glaze. The syrup will soak into the cake and will make it extra moist and zingy throughout.

Recipe Variations

1. Traybake variation: If you love orange cake, try this delicious orange traybake loaded with buttercream frosting. 
2. Cupcakes variation: If you wanted to make orange drizzle cupcakes, I recommend using my lemon cupcakes recipe as a starting point and simply substituting the citrus fruit. 
3. Flavour variations: The citrus juice and zest can be substituted for lemon, lime or grapefruit.

Storing Leftovers

Store orange drizzle cake leftovers in an airtight container on the countertop for up to 3 days.

INGREDIENTS

• 275 g (2 cups) plain (all purpose) flour
• 200 g (1 cups) granulated sugar or caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• Grated zest of 1 orange
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 120 ml (½ cups) neutral vegetable oil I like sunflower oil
• 180 ml (¾ cups) cold water
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon orange extract

FOR THE DRIZZLE ICING GLAZE:

• 100 g (¾ cups) icing (powdered) sugar
• 1 teaspoon orange extract
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh orange juice you may not need it all

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 200C (390F) and grease or line a loaf pan with baking paper.
• In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and orange zest.
• In a separate bowl or jug, mix together the orange juice, oil, water, vinegar and orange extract.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring gently until combined.
• Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin.
• Bake for 5 minutes at 200C (390F) then reduce the heat for 180C (350F) and bake for a further 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
• Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes in the tin before transferring to a cooling rack.

WHILE THE CAKE IS COOLING, MAKE THE ORANGE ICING:

• Place the icing sugar in a bowl and add the orange extract and then the juice, one teaspoon at a time, stirring well after each addition. You may not need all of the juice. You want the glaze to be the consistency of thick pouring cream. It needs to be runny enough to drizzle down the sides of the cake but not so liquid that it all runs off the cake.
• Spoon the glaze over the cake while it is still warm, allowing it to drizzle down the sides of the loaf.
• Allow the glaze to set before cutting.

NOTES

1. If you prefer to use self-raising flour, reduce the baking powder to 1 teaspoon. 
2. If you wish, you can also add a tablespoon or two of poppy seeds or some dried cranberries or chocolate chips to the batter. 
3. I like a glaze that looks like icing but if you prefer more of a traditional syrup glaze, add more orange juice and use a toothpick or thin skewer to make small holes in the top of the cake before slowly pouring on the glaze. The syrup will soak into the cake (rather like adding brandy to a Christmas cake) and will make it extra moist and zingy throughout.
4. For flavour variations, the orange juice and zest can be substituted for lemon, lime or grapefruit.
5. Store leftovers in an airtight container on the countertop for up to 3 days.

NUTRITION

• Calories: 222kcal
• Carbohydrates: 52g
• Protein: 3g
• Fat: 1g
• Saturated Fat: 1g
• Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g
• Monounsaturated Fat: 1g
• Sodium: 131mg
• Potassium: 50mg
• Fiber: 1g
• Sugar: 31g
• Vitamin A: 22IU
• Vitamin C: 6mg
• Calcium: 79mg
• Iron: 1mg

This fabulous orange drizzle loaf cake is light, moist and full of flavour. It’s the perfect taste of summer, and makes a lovely dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.