Whole-Orange Snack Cake

By Samantha Seneviratne

Published March 23, 2021

Whole-Orange Snack Cake
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Laurie Ellen Pellicano.
Total Time
45 minutes, plus cooling
Rating
4(2,584)
Comments
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It may strike you as curious, but adding an entire orange to this easy snacking cake, rind and all, imparts a wonderful flavor reminiscent of orange marmalade, pleasantly bitter and sweet. A high-speed blender is the best way to process the orange, but a food processor works too. You want the purée to be as smooth as possible. While the cake bakes, prepare an easy orange glaze. For that step — or any recipe requiring both orange zest and juice — be sure to zest your orange before juicing it, as it’s much more difficult the other way around.

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Ingredients

Yield:16 servings

    For the Cake

    • 6tablespoons/85 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
    • 1small navel orange (about 250 grams), ends trimmed, cut into large chunks, and seeds removed, if necessary
    • ¼cup/60 milliliters whole milk
    • 1½cups/192 grams all-purpose flour
    • 1teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼teaspoon baking soda
    • ½teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¾cup/151 grams granulated sugar
    • 2large eggs, at room temperature

    For the Glaze (optional)

    • ¾cup/77 grams confectioners’ sugar
    • ½teaspoon freshly grated orange zest, plus 3 to 4 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice (from 1 orange)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (16 servings)

154 calories; 5 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 15 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 113 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the pan: Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Butter the parchment.

  2. Step 2

    Transfer the orange chunks and milk to a high-speed blender (or food processor) and process until it is the texture of smooth applesauce. (You should have about 1 generous cup.)

  3. Step 3

    In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

  4. Step 4

    In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed.

  5. Step 5

    Add half the flour mixture and beat just until combined. Beat in the orange mixture, then beat in the remaining flour mixture. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top.

  6. Step 6

    Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool for 20 minutes. Then, using the parchment, transfer the cake to a rack to cool completely.

  7. Step 7

    While the cake cools, prepare the glaze, if using: In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, orange zest and orange juice. (Use a little less juice for a thicker glaze that will sit on top of the cake, or add a little more juice for a thinner glaze that will soak into the cake.)

  8. Step 8

    Spread the glaze over the cooled cake, then slice to serve. Store leftovers well-wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
2,584 user ratings
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Comments

DL

Did I add triple sec to the glaze? I did.

Melissa

I swapped out the butter for olive oil, mostly because I am lazy and didn't feel like cleaning the mixer after creaming butter. It came out moist and tasty with a tender crumb and allowed us to feel okay about calling it breakfast.

Michelle

I did this recipe twice and I have to admit that I am NOT a baker, but it looked easy enough. First time I used blood oranges. This produced the ugliest cake ever. Blue-green algae colored batter and peto-pink glaze. A truly foul combination that looked even worse the next day. Frankencake. Next try was with tangelo, which made a pretty cake and put tangerine slices on top of the glaze and sprinkled a bit more zest. Much, much better. Both cakes tasted and smelled great.

Mrs. MacGreco

I made this for office treats day and felt it could use a little more orange flavor, so the next time I made it I added the zest of an extra orange to the batter and added 1/16 tsp pure orange oil to the icing (in place of the zest). I like the texture of this cake -- a little like the texture of cornbread. It's a humble cake, not a showstopper, and I'm cool with that.

SeattleCindy

Same experience. No idea why it gets five stars.@JP

JP

I had high hopes for this cake as I love oranges, but it really disappointed me. I made it exactly as it instructed and found it to be dense and without much orange flavor other than the icing. This one is NOT a keeper.

Syd5

@JP I had the same experience with mine - too dense. I baked it long enough to have a clean toothpick but it still seems under-baked and just too gummy. I made it for a bake sale but ended up not taking it. I’m going to add some strawberries and cream for an easy dessert tonight which will probably brighten it up.

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