Orange Cake

Want a burst of sunshine to brighten a gloomy day? Make orange cake. Packed with zesty citrus and crowned with orange-flecked icing, this simple snackable loaf cake will bring brightness into any rainy day—and a matching boost of vitamin C. Ready to add some sunshine to your weekly routine? Keep reading on for all of our top tips on how to make this easy dessert:

How to make the best orange cake:
— How to get the most orange flavor. Rubbing orange zest into the granulated sugar by hand releases the zest’s citrus oils, allowing it to more fully permeate and infuse into the cake once it’s incorporated with the butter. This might seem like an unnecessary additional step, but it’s worth it for the extra flavor. Bonus: Your hands will smell like orange for the rest of the day.
— Room temperature is the best temperature. Starting with room temperature ingredients is key to success with any cake batter, and this cake is no exception. Both butter and eggs will cream and incorporate with other ingredients in the batter much easier this way. The butter should be soft enough to give slightly under your finger; if it’s too cold, chop it into tablespoon-sized chunks and microwave in 5-second bursts until it reaches that soft (but not melted) texture. The eggs should be about the same temperature; if their shells feel cold to the touch, try soaking them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes to bring them up to temp. Small details? Maybe. But if you’re making a cake from scratch, set yourself up for success by starting with properly tempered ingredients.

How long to bake your orange cake:
Like most loaf cakes, this cake takes a long time to bake and tends to brown around the edges long before the inside is cooked. This is completely normal, but to minimize the browning, it’s best to use a light-colored metal pan as opposed to a dark one.

Storage:
This orange cake is best served the day it’s made, but if you need to work ahead, you can make the cake a day in advance and store it at room temperature in an airtight container. Glaze it on the day you’d like to serve it. Once iced, any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can also refrigerate if you’d like, but make sure to return the cake to room temperature before enjoying.

Did you try making this? Let us know how it went in the comments!