Orange drizzle cake

Orange drizzle cake is a deliciously moist loaf cake. Full of syrupy zestiness from the orange, it a super easy recipe that children and beginner bakers alike will enjoy making.

Orange drizzle cake is a classic treat – a mixture of moist cake with a slightly sweet zing from the crunchy orange topping. This recipe for orange drizzle cake is based on our ever popular lemon drizzle cake (which in turn is based on a Mary Berry recipe). It works every time and the crisp orange topping is full of syrupy delicious.

How can kids help make orange drizzle cake?

One of the reasons we love this orange drizzle cake is because it’s all mixed together in one bowl aka the all in one method. When you’re baking with kids, being able to just throw everything together in one bowl and mix it up saves so much time and mess so they’re always my favourite recipes.

In this recipe, your kids will be able to practice measuring out all the ingredients, and mixing them all together. There are also a few chances for them to practice cracking eggs which is an important skill for any young baker to learn.

As with most loaf cakes, there’s no complicated decoration to content with. Your kids should therefore be able to help make the orange drizzle and spoon it over the top of your loaf.

How do you store an orange drizzle cake?

This orange drizzle cake will keep in an air tight container for 2-3 days.

If you want to keep it for longer, it will keep in the freezer for up to a month. Before you freeze it, make sure it has cooled, then wrap it well in cling film and pop it in a freezer bag.

Defrost it fully before you serve it.

Why has my lemon drizzle cake sunk?

This is one of the most common questions about an orange drizzle cakes. If your loaf sinks a lot in the middle there are a couple of things that may have caused that to happen:

1. Too much raising agent. If you use too much baking powder, it can add more air to your loaf than the structure can support, which may cause it to sink. Make sure you follow the recipe and level the teaspoon with your finger before adding it.

2. Out of date raising agent. Double check that your baking powder and self raising flour are still in date.

3. The batter was over mixed. Don’t be tempted to mix it more than it needs (it’s easily done, when you’re using a stand mixer to help you). Beat it until it is smooth and there’s no lumps of flour showing.

4. The oven was too hot/cold or the oven door was opened before the cake was ready.

5. The cake batter wasn’t put in the oven straight away.

What sized loaf tin should I use?

Our loaf tin was advertised as a 2lb tin and measures 23cm x13cm x 6cm. I’ve noticed not all 2lb loaf tins have the same dimensions so if yours differs from this, you may need to alter amount of cake batter you add to the tin. If your tin is smaller than ours, fill it 3/4 full of batter to prevent it from overflowing in the oven.

Can you make this into an orange drizzle traybake?

Yes. If you want to make this into a traybake rather than as a loaf, use a 23x30cm (9×12 inches) baking tin. You’ll need to adjust the baking time as it wont take as long to cook in the middle. Pop it in the oven for around 35-40 minutes.

What is baking spread?

Baking margarine or spread, (Stork being a well known brand in the UK), is just a non-dairy margarine. It’s perfect for baking as it can make cakes and cupcakes lighter and fluffier than if you use butter.

What can I use instead of self-raising flour?

If you don’t have any self-raising flour (which you should be able to find easily in the supermarket here in the UK), you can swap it for an equal amount of plain or all-purpose flour and add an extra 2 teaspoons of baking powder and a pinch of salt.

What else can you make with oranges?

If you liked this orange drizzle cake, you might like some of our other orange recipes. They’re a great way of using up more oranges if there are a few left over in your pack.

Orange sponge cake
No bake orange cheesecake
Orange biscuits
Orange cupcakes

Or why not try one of our other loaf cakes:

Chocolate banana bread
Raspberry and white chocolate loaf
Tea loaf
Cinnamon banana bread
Caramel apple loaf
Chocolate chip loaf cake
Mary Berry’s banana bread
Banana and blueberry loaf
Treacle sponge
Lemon and blueberry loaf
Apple and blackberry loaf cake
Carrot loaf cake

Useful equipment

You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make orange drizzle cake:

Digital scales
Freestanding mixer
Measuring cups
Spatula
Juicer
Measuring spoons
Wire rack

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Ingredients

For the orange loaf cake
225g (1 cup) softened butter or baking spread
225g (1 cup) caster sugar
275g (2 1/4 cups) self-raising flour
2 level tsp baking powder
4 large eggs
4 tbsp milk
Finely grated rind of 2 oranges

For the crunchy orange drizzle topping
175g (3/4 cup) granulated sugar
Juice of 2 orange

How to make an orange drizzle cake

Pre-heat the oven to 160C / 150C Fan / 320F and prepare your loaf tin

Get your kids to grease a 2lb loaf tin then line the base and sides with baking or parchment paper. We tend to find the easiest way of doing this is to cut a strip that fits in one direction and lay it in then repeat it in the other direction. If you make the strips longer than the tin it will be easier to lift the loaf cake out once its baked.

Mix all the ingredients together

Get your child to help measure all the ingredients out then add them to the bowl of a free-standing mixer or a large mixing bowl. You can add them to your bowl in any order, but if you follow the order the ingredients are listed above, you’re less likely to forget anything.

Start with the butter or baking spread if you’re using it. If your butter is not soft enough, you can pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it. Don’t do it for too long as you don’t want to melt it.

If you’re using baking spread it should already be soft enough so you can add it straight in.

Measure the sugar and flour into a small bowl then add them to your mixing bowl. Now add the baking powder. Make sure your kids use their finger to level the tea spoon so that you add just the right amount.

Crack the eggs into a small bowl (to make sure there’s no shell), then add it to your large mixing bowl/mixer. If you get some rogue shell in your eggs simply fish it out with a larger piece of shell or a teaspoon. It will stick to that more easily than your finger.

Add the milk. You might find you need to hold the table spoon steady while your kids pour in the milk or vice versa.

Finally, grate the orange zest either using a zester or the small side of a regular grater then add that in. If you have older children and feel confident that they wont cut their fingers you can get them to help do this.

Once all the ingredients have been added, mix everything together using the k paddle of your freestanding mixer, a hand held mixer or just some wooden spoons until everything is well blended. It should have a nice soft, smooth consistency.

Bake the orange drizzle cake

Pour or spoon the cake batter into your prepared loaf tin. Using a spatula, an offset palette knife or the back of a spoon get your kids to spread the batter well into the corners and level the top.

Bake it in the oven for 60-70 minutes. It’s ready when the sides have shrunk away from the tin and the middle springs back if you press it gently with your fingers. You can also check by poking a skewer or cocktail stick into the middle. When it’s ready, the skewer should come out clean.

Remove it from the oven and leave it in the tin while you make the orange drizzle topping.

Make the crunchy orange drizzle topping

Measure the granulated sugar into a small bowl. Then get your kids to help squeeze the orange juice. If you blast the oranges in the microwave for 10 seconds or so then roll them around on your work surface you should get even more juice out of your oranges.

Mix the sugar and orange juice together until it has mixed in and you have a runny, syrupy consistency, then get your kids to spoon it over your loaf cake while it is still a little warm. If you have some cocktail sticks or a fine skewer, you can poke some small holes right through your cake to make the drizzle go into the centre more easily.

Once the loaf has cooled, remove it from the tin.

Cut it into slices, serve and enjoy.