Super moist, soaked in buttery orange syrup, and packed with richness, this orange butter cake is too delicious. It strikes the perfect balance between feeling decadent and being easy to make!
With its soft crumb and bright citrus flavor, it’s ideal for the everything from a coffee break at home to a dinner party where you want to impress!
If you love citrus baked goods, check out my orange chocolate cupcakes and lemon bars!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Incredible Moisture: The cake gets drenched in a buttery orange syrup from whole oranges that soaks into every nook and cranny.
- Buttery Goodness: It’s rich, buttery, and indulgent without being heavy. Orange shortbread are buttery too!
- Simple Ingredients: No fancy ingredients or trips to specialty stores needed.
- Versatile: Fancy enough for celebrations but low key enough for an afternoon treat.
- Better the Next Day: It’s one of those magical cakes that somehow gets even tastier as it sits.
Baking Tips
- Using a kitchen scale is a total game changer for baking. It makes measuring ingredients super precise, so your recipe comes out perfect every single time. Plus, fewer measuring cups means less cleanup — and who doesn’t love that? Invest in one, and you’ll wonder how you ever baked without it!
- I absolutely love baking with fine kosher salt—it gives the perfect balance of flavor. Table salt, on the other hand, can be a bit too harsh, so if you're using it, be sure to cut the amount in half to avoid over-salting your treats.
- Always check your oven temperature! Ovens can be sneaky, sometimes running hotter or cooler than what the dial says, and that can really affect how your baked goods turn out. For the most consistent results, I recommend using an oven thermometer to make sure your temps are spot on every time
Ingredients
What you'll need for this orange moist cake recipe!
- Unsalted Butter: The star ingredient. It’s what makes the cake rich and flavorful, and it’s in both the cake and the syrup. You can use salted butter if that is all you have, just cut the salt in half.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the cake and helps achieve that dreamy tender crumb.
- Eggs: Large eggs hold everything together and adds fluff to the texture.
- Orange Zest from whole oranges: Packs a big punch of citrus flavor and makes the whole cake smell amazing. I use a microplane zester to get super fine zest that melts into sugar easily. My orange chocolate ganache cake is amazing too!
- All Purpose Flour: Keeps the structure sturdy but soft enough to melt in your mouth.
- Baking Powder: Ensures the cake rises beautifully without being too dense.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances all the flavors. I always use kosher salt.
- Milk: Adds creaminess and just the right amount of moisture. I like to use whole milk, I do not recommend using almond milk or plant based milks.
See recipe card below for quantities.
Instructions
Let's make orange butter cake!
- To grease a bundt pan, coat it thoroughly with softened butter, ensuring every nook and cranny is covered, especially in intricate designs. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of flour into the pan, rotate and tilt to distribute evenly, and tap out the excess.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the granulated sugar and orange zest together until fragrant on medium speed. Add the softened butter and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Adjust the mixer to low, add the dry ingredients and milk alternately to the wet mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined, try not to over mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and smooth the top. Tap it on the counter a few times to make sure it settles into the pan. Bake for 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- In a small saucepan, combine the butter, salt, sugar, and orange juice. Heat over medium heat, stirring until the mixture is melted and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add the vanilla. Slowly pour the warm glaze over the cake, ensuring it seeps into the holes.
Hint: Don't pour the glaze on top all at once, make sure it has time to absorb before adding all of it.
Pro Tips
- Use Room Temperature Ingredients: It’s the secret to a smooth, even batter that bakes like a dream. If you don't have time to take out the eggs, submerge them in a bowl of warm water. You can pop the butter in the microwave for 6 seconds at a time, flipping it over to take the chill out.
- Don’t Over mix the Batter: Just stir until everything is combined; over mixing can make the cake dense.
- Batches: Add the flour and milk in batches, mix after each. Adding all at once will create a very dense crumb.
- Poke Holes in the Cake: A skewer or toothpick works great for this. More holes = better syrup absorption.
- Bundt Pan Prep: To grease a bundt pan, coat it thoroughly with softened butter, ensuring every nook and cranny is covered, especially in intricate designs. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of flour into the pan, rotate and tilt to distribute evenly, and tap out the excess.
FAQ
Can I add anything to the cake?
I wouldn't add anything because I've never made it with mix ins, but serving with berries would be delicious!
Can I bake the cake in a different pan?
You can use any 10-12 cup bundt pan. If you want to make 2 cakes, you can divide the batter evenly over 2 eight inch cake pans, the baking time will vary.
How do I store and freeze the cake?
The orange butter cake can be wrapped well and stay out at room temperature for up to 3 days. To freeze the cake, wrap well and place in a freezer bag or airtight container, freeze up to 3 months.
More Sweet Treats
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Orange Butter Cake
Super moist, soaked in buttery orange syrup, and packed with richness, this orange butter cake is too delicious. It strikes the perfect balance between feeling decadent and being easy to make!
Equipment
- 10-12 cup bundt pan
- Hand held or stand mixer
- Measuring Spoons
- Measuring cups or kitchen scale
Ingredients
Orange Butter Cake
- 3 cups (360 grams) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 4 medium naval oranges, zested zest only
- 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar
- 16 tablespoons (226 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk room temperature is best
Glaze
- 5 tablespoons (70 grams) unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat your oven to 325°F. Generously butter and flour a 10-12 cup bundt pan, ensuring all crevices are well coated to prevent sticking. To grease a bundt pan, coat it thoroughly with softened butter, ensuring every nook and cranny is covered, especially in intricate designs. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of flour into the pan, rotate and tilt to distribute evenly, and tap out the excess.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the granulated sugar and orange zest together until fragrant on medium speed. Add the softened butter and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Adjust the mixer to low, add the dry ingredients and milk alternately to the wet mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined, try not to over mix. Scrape the bottom of the bowl making sugar everything is combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and smooth the top. Tap it on the counter a few times to make sure it settles into the pan. Position it on the center rack of the oven to ensure even baking, avoiding placement too close to the top or bottom. rack of theBake for 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Butter Glaze
- In a small saucepan, combine the butter, salt, sugar, and orange juice. Heat over medium heat, stirring until the mixture is melted and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add the vanilla.
- Once the cake is out of the oven, use a skewer or toothpick to poke holes all over the bottom of the cake while it’s still in the pan. Slowly pour the warm glaze over the cake, ensuring it seeps into the holes. Allow the cake to sit for another 20 minutes before carefully inverting it onto a serving plate.
Notes
Storage: The orange butter cake can be wrapped well and stay out at room temperature for up to 3 days. Do not refrigerate the cake, it will dry it out. To freeze the cake, wrap well and place in a freezer bag or airtight container, freeze up to 3 months.
Use Room Temperature Ingredients: It’s the secret to a smooth, even batter that bakes like a dream. If you don't have time to take out the eggs, submerge them in a bowl of warm water. You can pop the butter in the microwave for 6 seconds at a time, flipping it over to take the chill out.
Don’t Over mix the Batter: Just stir until everything is combined; over mixing can make the cake dense.
Batches: Add the flour and milk in batches, mix after each. Adding all at once will create a very dense crumb.
Recipe adapted from Preppy Kitchen
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