This Orange Cake is a soft, spongy, moist, and flavour-packed tea-time delight made using fresh orange juice, aromatic zest, and light oil-based batter. The natural citrus extracts give a refreshing bakery-style aroma, while the special soft & spongy method ensures a fluffy, melt-in-mouth crumb.Perfect for kids’ tiffin, tea parties, festive sweets, and beginners, this cake stays moist for 2–3 days and tastes even better the next day.
Ingredients
- Wheat flour – 1 cup
- Fresh orange juice – ½ cup
- Orange zest – 1 tsp
- Jaggery powder or sugar – ½ cup
- Eggs – 2 (or curd – ½ cup for eggless)
- Oil – ¼ cup
- Baking powder – 1 tsp
- Baking soda – ¼ tsp
- Salt – a pinch
- Vanilla essence – ½ tsp (optional)
- Butter paper or grease cake tin with oil + dust flour
What is Zest?
- Zest is the outer colourful skin of citrus fruits like orange, lemon, and lime.
- For orange cake, you use the bright orange part of the peel.
- It adds a strong citrus aroma and fresh flavor to cakes.
- Only scrape the top layer — avoid the white part (pith), it tastes bitter.
- Zest gives natural flavor without adding liquid.
- Always wash the orange before zesting.
- Use a fine grater or zester for best results.
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 180°C for 10 minutes.
- Prepare cake tin with butter paper or grease + dust flour.
- In a bowl, whisk eggs (or curd), jaggery/sugar, and oil until smooth.
- Add orange juice and orange zest and mix gently.
- Sieve flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add dry mixture to the wet mixture and fold slowly without overmixing.
- Pour batter into the prepared tin.
- Bake for 30–35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool the cake completely before slicing.
Tips
- Only use the yellow part of the peel for zest (white pith is bitter).
- Add cinnamon powder if using curd for extra flavour.
- Jaggery gives a rich colour and mild caramel taste.
- Do not overbake — cake becomes dry.
- Use room-temperature ingredients for best results.
Variations
- Orange Chocolate Cake – Add 2 tbsp cocoa.
- Orange Honey Cake – Brush warm honey after baking.
- Orange Dry Fruit Cake – Add nuts & raisins.
- Orange Rava Cake – Replace ½ cup flour with fine rava.
Health Benefits
- High in vitamin C for immunity.
- Wheat flour provides dietary fiber.
- Jaggery offers minerals like iron and magnesium.
- Citrus helps digestion and refreshes the body.