Yes, you use the whole orange with the skin and just blend everything! It's so easy and proved to be a success. This recipe has more than 4 million views on our Youtube channel (as to this post's publish date). It's also one of our reader's favourite recipes!
This is one of the first cakes that I baked when I first started. As a beginner back then, I was thrilled because it felt so easy to make (it still is). I was also happy because the ingredients list was super short and basic.
One bite of this, and ohhh la la! I felt like a pro immediately! Can you blame me? I mean look at the texture, the colour and I wish you could smell the amazing orange scent lingering in the air.
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Why This Recipe Works
Despite the hesitations that you might feel, trust me, it works like magic. It's because of these reasons:
- Easy method (blend and briefly whisk).
- Easy basic ingredients.
- Unbelievably delicious orange cake
For the effort, you will get a moist, tender cake with amazing orange flavour. You can tell it's going to be an amazing cake just by the smell of the raw batter. And ohh, don't get me started on the heavenly smell as it bakes.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Self-rising flour - It's all-purpose flour with the addition of leavening agents that helps the cake rises when baked.
SUBSTITUTION: Make your own self-rising flour. For this recipe you'll need 2 cup all-purpose flour (250 g), 3 teaspoon baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt. Mix well and use it as self-rising flour as per instructions in the recipe below.
Oil - I originally used vegetable oil in the video but I've since changed to better ones like olive oil, coconut oil or avocado oil. Use any oil that you prefer.
BUTTER: You can, of course, use butter. For this recipe, use 7 tablespoon melted butter (105 ml).
Sugar - Granulated sugar. I've also made it with brown sugar, coconut sugar and erythritol (I use ⅔ cup or 130 g for erythritol). Just know that if you use brown or coconut sugar, the colour of the cake would be darker.
What Orange To Use
I've made this cake a million times and what I noticed is that, the type of orange matters. So I'm sharing my findings with you here.
- Orange for juice - Here in Spain we have the option to choose between oranges to make juice from or simply to eat or snack on. Choose the orange to make juice because they're sweeter and in general have thinner skin.
- Orange size - The most common, which is more or less an adult's fist size.
- Thin-skinned - Yes, choose orange with thinner skin. This is to avoid that strong bitter taste.
- Seedless - Preferably seedless orange since it's easier, you don't need to remove the seeds one by one. But it's not like it's going to take 5 minutes anyway if you have to. Bottom line, remove seeds if there's any.
What Utensils To Use
- Loaf pan - I highly recommend you use a 5x9 inch loaf pan (13x23 cm) for this recipe amount. The silver color reflects the heat, meaning the cake cooks slower, doesn't get overly brown, and helps in avoiding dry cake.
- Blender - I use this food blender, which blends everything in less than 1 minute. The tall jar and multiple blades help to blend the ingredients and amount perfectly. It's from a whole set of kitchen systems. Very useful for me in the kitchen!
How To Make Whole Orange Blender Cake
- Blend: Add the whole orange, oil, eggs and sugar in a food blender and blend.
- Whisk: Pour into a bowl and add in self-rising flour. Whisk to combine.
- Assemble: Pour into a loaf pan.
- Bake: Bake. Cool completely, slice and enjoy!
How To Store
Room temperature - This delicious orange cake lasts up to 4 days in an air-tight container.
Fridge - It lasts up to a week, in an air-tight container. Bring it to room temperature before serving, or warm it up in a microwave for a few seconds. You won't regret it.
Freezer - Wrap each slice individually in cling wrap (easier to take the only amount that you need), and freeze. Best consumed within 3 months. Thaw at room temperature. Warming it up for a few seconds in the microwave will make it feels as if it just came out of the oven.
FAQs
Like a fresh natural homemade orange cake that you eat when you visit somebody who bakes their entire life. So homemade and naturally fresh.
This cake is with amazing orange, citrusy flavor (and smell!). It's not overly sweet at all. It has that light hint of natural bitterness that you find in freshly squeezed orange juice. Not the artificial orange juice from the box that has 50 more ingredients added to it, alright?
This is just pure orange flavor transferred into a soft tender cake.
Nope, it's not bitter.
Do you notice that freshly squeezed orange juice has that very light hint of natural bitterness to it? Well, that's the extent of bitterness (if we were to say it's bitter) in this cake.
I know this recipe works magically with oranges. I haven't tried with other citruses though.
I have a killer lemon loaf cake that I really think you should try. It's also one of our readers' favorites!
It's because I use self-rising flour which already comes with leavening agents to help the cake rises beautifully when baked. You can make your own self-rising flour, I've written the recipe down below.
Most probably due to 2 factors. 1) You've changed the recipe by using only all-purpose flour, thinking that it's the same as self-rising flour. It's not the same. See the question/answer above 👆. 2) You over-mixed the batter, producing gluten in the process which results in a dense and chewy cake. Less is always more, remember that.
Because of the orange. Use the orange to make juice from, not to snack on. Use a ripe, sweet one, the size of an adult's fist.
Or perhaps you're used to sweeter cakes. No worries. Simply add more sugar, I've written the adjustment in the recipe below.
Due to 2 factors. 1) Again, it's the orange. Use oranges to make juice from, not to snack on. Those oranges are so common. Remove the seeds if any. See the question/answer above 👆 . 2) Perhaps you're not familiar with the natural bitter touch of freshly squeezed orange juice. Might I recommend you my amazing lemon loaf cake then, I promise it's a hit. No blending whole lemons here.
Of course! Any oil that you prefer. You can also use melted butter (7 tablespoon or 105 ml).
I understand and I've got you. I've made this many times with whole-grain spelt flour and it turns out amazing every single time. Be alert on the baking time though as spelt flour tends to cook faster (we don't want your cake to over-bake and get dry).
Recipe Video
📖 Recipe
Whole Orange Blender Cake
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 1 seedless sweet orange with skin (or remove seeds if any)
- 3 large eggs , room temperature
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil (80 ml)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 gr), add ¼ cup (50 gr) more if you like it sweeter
Dry Ingredient
- 2 cup self raising flour * (250 gr)
* Make Your Own Self Rising Flour
- 2 cup all purpose flour (250 g)
- 3 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Wet Ingredients
- Add all ingredients into a blender jar and blend into a smooth mixture and pour it into a bowl.
Dry Ingredient
- Add flour into the mixture and mix everything together. You can use a spatula or a hand whisk. Do not over mix to avoid dense cake.
- * If you're making your own self rising flour, mix all purpose flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and use that flour mixture instead.
Bake
- Pour the batter into a 5x9 inch (13x23 cm) loaf pan, previously greased and floured. Bake in a preheated oven on the ⅔ lower rack, using upper and lower heat, at 340ºF (170ºC) for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out almost clean.
- Remove from the oven and cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use ripe, seedless, sweet orange with thin skin.
- Use spoon and level method if you're using cup measurement.
- Use a portable oven thermometer to make sure your oven has the accurate temperature. I use it every single time.
- Check the doneness of your cake 10 minutes before the recipe says, to avoid over baking it (since all ovens are different).
Nutrition Facts
The nutrition facts provided are an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Originally published on Aug 16, 2017. Updated with improved text, recipe and pictures on Apr 16, 2022.
Denise says
With a chilly start to Spring in the Northeast of New York, this loaf cake was just perfect! I used the nutribullet to mix the wet ingredients and then added the dry ingredients into the wet with a rubber spatula until blended. I baked with parchment lined pan to avoid the greasing and flouring of the pan. I believe it comes out better by using the convection mode at 340 degrees. I did not switch to concection until after 40 min and it took another 15 min. And I did add an extra 1/4 cup of sugar. Bon apetite!
Tina says
Wow, such an amazing recipe! So easy to follow, tastes incredible, family loved it!
Thanks for sharing. Definitely recommend it!
Janet says
I just made this. I didn't have an orange but had several small tangerine type oranges. I used 4 of them and it came out awesome. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Liisa says
This recipe is fabulous - made it into muffins instead of loaves. Absolutely delicious! Definitely will make this again.
Carol Thomson says
Yes. Make this cake every week. Love it but find three satsumas works very well because they have thinner skins.
Highly recommend.
Loretta says
Can you double and bake in a bunnt pan?
Bea & Marco says
I haven't tried it but I don't see why not. Just adjust the baking time though, it might take longer to bake. Hope it helps!
melg says
Would it work to fold in some fresh blueberries into the batter once blended?
Bea & Marco says
I haven't tried but maybe it would work?
Sheba says
This is a blissfully easy method. It is not very sweet at all but one can always add extra sugar or even make a syrup to soak into it.
Mine took 55 minutes.
I also used rapeseed oil as I didn't have any vegetable oil. I also added some rosewater to give it some je ne sais quoi but could not really taste that.
I would definitely make this again though I would make it sweeter.
Janet says
Easy and delicious, used 2 clementines
Benny Bahtom says
Absolutely divine and not too sweet. I followed same measurements and substituted with olive oil too. I hate baking/cooking if it takes too much time and effort - life is just too short 😁. This is one foolproof easiest cake to make and a hit with the boys at home. Thank you!
Bea says
Totally agree! I'm all for easy recipes 🙌. Really happy to hear that everybody loved it, thanks for your feedback Benny!
Sudie Gelok says
Third time. Easiest cake I have ever made. Last year when I made it, I told you I was going to try figs. You told me to let you know how it worked. I cut up several figs and substituted for the orange in your recipe. Added walnuts and it worked great. Thank you for your recipe.
Bea says
Ahhh really? That's so awesome! You're making me drool here thinking about the combo of figs and walnuts. Thank you Sudie for sharing your twist on this recipe!
Daisy says
This cake never fails me. I have made it so many times and have passed it to my 10 yo son. He loves to bake. Thanks for this!
Bea says
Awesome! He's going to be a brilliant baker! Happy that you guys are enjoying the cake, thank you Daisy!
Chico says
Super easy to make and taste delicious thanks
Vani says
Hi, today I try your recipe, very delicious and tasty my daughter really like the cake..thanks for sharing..God bless you.
Wai Yee Kok says
Hi Bea, can I replace veg oil with olive oil for this cake?
Bea says
Hi Wai! Yes, of course you can 👍.
YW Tham says
i like your recipe but my cake came out not moist enough, what would i have done wrong? Please give me a tip! Thanks.
Bea says
Hi! If it's towards dry then you must have over baked it. All ovens are different so a portable thermometer would help to get the accurate temperature (I use it all the time). Hope it helps!