Easy Orange Juice Cake
If you love oranges and orange-flavored foods, you’re going to be in love with this orange bomb of a cake. I worked in orange in three ways: orange juice in both the batter and glaze, orange extract in the batter, and orange zest both in the batter and sprinkled on top. Holy orange. Best way ever to get your Vitamin C! I used my favorite, foolproof, no mixer, buttermilk cake recipe that I also used for Lemon Buttermilk Cake with Lemon Glaze, The Best Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, Caramelized Banana Upside-Down Cake, Vanilla Cake with Vanilla Bean Browned Butter Glaze, Homemade Funfetti Cake, and many more. I love this cake base because it’s fast, easy, and the cakes always turn out supremely moist, springy, and fluffy thanks to buttermilk, sour cream (or Greek yogurt), and oil. That trifecta of moisturizing and tenderizing ingredients makes it impossible to have a dry cake. Not to mention it’s a poke cake. They’re never dry. This super soft, moist, and easy poke cake is completely from scratch. I have a lot of poke cake recipes and many start with a box of cake mix, but not this one. The orange glaze for the cake is very sweet thanks to the honey and confectioners’ sugar. On its own, it’s ridiculously sweet but the slight tartness of the orange zest and the cake itself help balance it. But if you’re a person who doesn’t have a big sweet tooth, this probably isn’t the cake for you. After baking, poke holes all over the cake with a fork and let the glaze seep in and work its magic. It’s a great make-ahead cake because the cake tastes even better after the glaze has had a chance to seep in and set up overnight.
What’s in Orange Juice Cake?
To make the orange cake and the orange glaze, you’ll need:
All-purpose flour Granulated sugar Baking powder Salt Orange juice and zest Egg Buttermilk Sour cream Canola oil Orange extract Honey Unsalted butter Confectioners’ sugar
How to Make Orange Juice Cake
Simply whisk the dry ingredients together in one bowl and the wet in another. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined. Turn the batter into a foil-lined 8×8-inch baking dish and bake until done. As soon as the orange cake comes out of the oven, poke it all over with a fork. Whisk together the orange glaze for the cake, then evenly pour over the still-warm cake. Sprinkle the top of the cake with orange zest, then let rest for 1 hour before serving.
Can I Use a Buttermilk Substitute?
You absolutely need to use buttermilk, not another type of milk. I wouldn’t try to makeshift the DIY methods of making buttermilk that sometimes work in a pinch. I wouldn’t risk it here. Trader Joe’s has the cheapest buttermilk in my area. And just think, you can make all those other cakes that I listed above with your leftover buttermilk.
How to Store Orange Juice Cake
This orange poke cake will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Tips for Making Orange Poke Cake
If possible, use freshly squeezed orange juice to make this orange cake recipe. Bottled orange juice isn’t as light and fresh tasting. Also, be sure to wash your oranges with warm water before zesting them. You don’t want to zest anything nasty into your orange juice cake! This orange cake with orange glaze can be prepped a day in advance and enjoyed the next day. It actually tastes better after it’s had some time to rest, and it doesn’t dry out since the orange glaze seeps into the cake.
More Orange Desserts:
Favorite POKE CAKE RECIPES Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes! Orange Crush Poke Cake — Bold Orange Crush flavor in this easy cake that’s super moist and light! The kid in all of us will love this orange tie-dyed cake!
Orange Lemon Orangies – Like brownies, but made with orange, lemon, and white chocolate!! Fast, EASY, dense, chewy, and packed with big, BOLD citrus flavor!!
Orange Olive Oil Cake — A super soft and moist cake that’s made with olive oil!! Orange zest, orange juice, and Gran Marnier add tons of AMAZING orange flavor to this easy, no-mixer cake that’s unique, refined, and INCREDIBLE!!
The Best Glazed Orange Sweet Rolls – The softest, lightest, and most irresistible rolls ever! Try them and you’ll be a believer, too!
Orange Creamsicle White Chocolate Chip Softbatch Cookies – Cookies that taste like Orange Creamsicles! Loaded with white chocolate and so easy!
Cranberry Orange Bread — The fresh cranberries in this cranberry orange bread contrast nicely with the sweet orange glaze, making it the perfect blend of sweet and tart!
