This orange loaf cake is a moist and tender cake that is packed with citrus flavor and drizzled with orange icing! It's made with fresh orange juice and zest for a dessert that is so incredibly delicious it is sure to be a new favorite! In fact, it is perfect for using up some extra fresh oranges you may have on hand!
Orange Loaf Cake With Orange Icing
This orange loaf cake makes me feel like I'm on a warm, sunny vacation- no matter what time of year it is! Both the tender cake and vibrant glaze are packed with orange juice and orange zest so you definitely won't be missing any flavor!
While this loaf cake can certainly be enjoyed for dessert, it is also perfect for serving alongside your breakfast or as a snack with some coffee! It's such an easy treat to make that you don't even need a special occasion; just go ahead and whip it up for no reason at all!
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🥘 Orange Loaf Cake Ingredients
In addition to your typical cake ingredients, you'll need some oranges! Both the icing and the cake use orange zest and orange juice, so choose vibrant and juicy oranges!
Orange Loaf Cake
- Butter - ½ cup of butter (or one stick), softened at room temperature.
- Sugar - 1 cup of white granulated sugar.
- Eggs - 2 large, room-temperature eggs.
- Orange Zest - 3 tablespoons of orange zest.
- Orange Juice - ½ cup of orange juice. You can use either freshly squeezed or store-bought.
- Coconut Oil - 1 tablespoon of melted coconut oil.
- Baking Powder - 2 teaspoons of baking powder.
- Salt - ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Flour - 2 cups of all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled.
Orange Icing
- Powdered Sugar - 2 cups of confectioners' sugar.
- Orange Juice - ¼ cup of orange juice.
- Orange Zest - 1 tablespoon of orange zest.
- Salt - A pinch of salt.
- Butter - 1 teaspoon of melted butter.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Orange Loaf Cake
This orange loaf cake is completely beginner-friendly! Even the icing is super simple to make! You will need a loaf pan, an electric mixer, measuring utensils, a whisk, and a mixing bowl.
This recipe will yield one loaf, which can be sliced into 10-12 servings. It's up to you if you're going to share, though! 🙂
Prepare The Orange Loaf Cake
- Preheat. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a standard-size loaf pan.
- Cream the butter. Using a stand or hand mixer, beat ½ cup of butter and 1 cup of sugar at medium speed until smooth and creamy.
- Add ingredients. Beat in the two large eggs, one at a time, mixing well in between each one. Then, mix in 3 tablespoons of orange zest, ½ cup of orange juice, 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, and ½ teaspoon of salt until thoroughly combined.
- Mix. Add the 2 cups of all-purpose flour to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. *Do not over-mix the batter.
- Transfer & bake. Pour the cake batter into the prepared loaf pan and use your spatula to smooth the top. Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick, knife, or cake tester inserted into the center comes out mostly clean, with just a few moist crumbs.
- Cool. Remove the loaf from the oven and let it cool in the pan until you can easily handle the loaf cake, then turn it out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
Make The Orange Icing
- Whisk. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the 2 cups of confectioners' powdered sugar, ¼ cup of orange juice, 1 tablespoon of orange zest, and a pinch of salt until nice and smooth.
- Mix. Add the teaspoon of melted butter and whisk again until the mixture is smooth and there are no lumps.
- Drizzle. Once the orange loaf cake is completely cool, drizzle the orange icing over the orange cake, slice, and serve immediately.
You could easily snack on this loaf cake with a glass of orange juice or a cup of coffee. Serve it alone or with some of your favorite brunch or breakfast recipes! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- One medium-sized orange will yield approximately 1-2 tablespoons of orange zest and ¼ cup of orange juice.
- If your cake is not done baking yet, but the top is beginning to brown too much, you can cover it with aluminum foil and finish baking.
- This recipe tastes fantastic with freshly squeezed orange juice. However, if you are in a pinch or don't have fresh, flavorful oranges, you can also use orange juice from a carton.
- Use oranges that are bright on the outside and have a fresh smell; this will give you great flavor when zesting them!
- You can easily adjust the consistency of the orange icing by adding more powdered sugar to thicken it or more orange juice to thin it out.
🥡 Storing
Keep your orange loaf cake in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days. I don't recommend refrigerating it, as the loaf cake won't stay soft and moist.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
The most obvious difference is that loaf cakes are always baked in a loaf pan, while regular cakes can be baked in a round or rectangular cake pan. In addition, there is a different ratio of sugar, fat, and flour. As a result, loaf cakes are more similar to sweet bread, as they are denser than your typical cake.
I recommend using navel oranges because they are sweet, fragrant, and have tons of juice! Alternatively, you could use mandarins or blood oranges.
Sure! Go ahead and bake your cake and let it cool completely, but don't add the icing. Wrap it tightly in plastic cling film, followed by a layer of aluminum foil. This way, it can be frozen for up to 3 months!
When ready to serve, defrost the cake on the countertop and prepare the icing fresh. Drizzle with icing, slice, and serve!
🍊 More Fruit Desserts
- Thumbprint Cookies - Incredibly soft and delicious sugar cookies that are filled with fruity jam or jelly.
- Lemon Almond Cookies - Gluten-free cookies topped with a sweet lemon glaze.
- Cracker Barrel Fried Apples - Apple slices are boiled in apple juice and then tossed in sugar and spices.
- Dutch Apple Cake - Soft vanilla cake is topped with thinly slice cinnamon apples.
- Key Lime Pie - A classic citrus-packed pie that is perfect for summertime.
- Blueberry Dump Cake - Cake mix, butter, and pie filling are combined in this ultra-easy and completely yummy dessert!
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📖 Recipe Card
Orange Loaf Cake
Ingredients
Orange Loaf Cake
- ½ cup butter (softened, at room temperature)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 3 tablespoon orange zest
- ½ cup orange juice (freshly squeezed or store-bought)
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (melted)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
Orange Icing
- 2 cups confectioners sugar
- ¼ cup orange juice (freshly squeezed or store-bought)
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon butter (melted)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
Prepare the Orange Loaf Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a standard-size loaf pan.
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar at medium speed until smooth and creamy.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well in between each one. Then, mix in the orange zest, orange juice, coconut oil, baking powder, and salt until thoroughly combined.
- Add the flour to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. *Do not over-mix the batter.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top. Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean, with just a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the loaf from the oven and let it cool in the pan until you can easily touch it with your hands, then turn it out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
Make the Orange Icing
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, orange juice, orange zest, and salt until nice and smooth.
- Add in the melted butter and whisk again until the mixture is smooth and there are no lumps.
- Once the orange loaf cake is completely cool, drizzle the orange icing over top and serve immediately.
Notes
- One medium-sized orange will yield about 1-2 tablespoons of orange zest and ¼ cup of orange juice.
- If your cake is not done baking yet, but the top is beginning to brown too much, you can cover it with aluminum foil and finish baking.
- This recipe tastes fantastic with freshly squeezed orange juice. However, if you are in a pinch or don't have fresh, flavorful oranges available, you can also use orange juice from a carton.
- Use oranges that are bright on the outside and have a fresh smell; this will give you great flavor when zesting them!
- You can easily adjust the consistency of the orange icing by adding more powdered sugar to thicken it or more orange juice to thin it out.
- To store: Keep your orange loaf cake stored in a sealed container. It can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days. I don't recommend refrigerating it as the loaf cake won't stay soft and moist.
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