Best Glazed Orange Bundt Cake

Orange cake

The best glazed Orange Bundt cake is a buttery pound cake that is packed with intense orange flavor from both the juice and peel of sweet navel oranges. This Cape Malay orange juice cake recipe tastes equally delicious with the hot or cold glaze and is pure sunshine.

My mother and her sisters each had their own way of making an orange cake from scratch and it was one of my late mother’s favorites. She had fond memories of my grandfather baking the best moist orange cake recipe as a tray bake on a Sunday afternoon, while my grandmother rested.

My favorite scent in the world is the fragrant and aromatic oil contained in the zest of sweet ripe navel oranges… that aroma you smell when you peel an orange and the little droplets of citrus essential oils are released into the air. Sadly, I am highly allergic to that delicious orange oil and have not peeled an orange since my teens.

Many years ago one of my colleagues asked why I always bought oranges in the morning, but never ate any myself. When I mentioned how allergic I was to that burst of orange oil he made a point of peeling one for me whenever we had oranges. I always remember his kindness whenever I smell the scent of oranges now.

When I first came to Dubai I made this orange cake with glaze to share with my colleagues because they asked to taste something that reminded me of home. One colleague who doesn’t like cake or sweets in general, fell in love with the orange soaked cake with the hot and cold glaze, and I have to bake it at least once every year for him. Now that he has returned to his home country I have to make a point of baking it at least once every winter.

Orange cake

Another colleague mentioned that he absolutely loved this fashioned orange bundt cake recipe after tasting it at a staff party. He exclaimed that it was the ‘best moist orange cake recipe in the world’. Since then he tried ordering or buying it whenever he saw moist orange or lemon cake in a bakery or on a cafe menu, but always found those versions to be dry and tasteless.

He has given up trying to find anything close to it and declared that he will wait until whenever I make my glazed orange juice bundt cake recipe so that he can eat a slice or two.

For a variation you can add 125 ml of dried cranberries to make a delicious cranberry orange bundt cake over the festive season.

Orange cake

Orange cake

This recipe is adapted from the Butter cake recipe from the Snowflake Tested Recipes file (year unknown, but probably around 1990) and was updated here on 16/04/2016.

For more cakes please check out the recipes below:

Orange cake

Best Glazed Orange Bundt Cake

Razena Schroeder
This is the best glazed orange bundt cake and is delicious with hot or cold glaze, has a tender crumb and an exquisite fragrance.
5 from 7 votes
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Tea time treats
Cuisine Cape Malay
Servings 12
Calories 520 kcal

Ingredients
  

Cake batter

  • 250 grams butter, lightly salted at room temperature
  • 345 grams sugar fine granulated, approximately 435 ml or 1 ¾ cups
  • 4 large eggs
  • 5 ml vanilla extract approximately 1 teaspoon
  • 420 grams cake flour approximately 750 ml or 3 cups, packed
  • 25 ml baking powder approximately 5 level teaspoons
  • 2 oranges rind finely grated
  • 190 ml orange juice from the above oranges, approximately 3/4 cup
  • 60 ml milk approximately 1/4 cup

Hot syrup

  • 100 grams fine granulated sugar approximately 125 ml or 1/2 cup
  • 125 ml orange juice approximately 1/2 cup

Cold glaze

  • 125 grams confectioner's sugar, sifted approximately 250 ml or 1 cup
  • 20 ml orange juice use less if it's too loose

Decoration

  • Edible flowers
  • 125 ml berries approximately 1/2 cup

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius or 160 fan / 350 F / Gas mark 4.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric hand beater, beat together the butter and sugar until light and creamy. This may take between 5-10 minutes depending on the type of cake mixer you are using.
  • Sift the flour and baking powder together at least three times. Alternately, whisk in a bowl until all the dry ingredients are combined and aerated.
  • Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture one at a time, and beat thoroughly between each addition.
  • Add the vanilla extract and ensure that you scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to mix in all the butter and sugar at the bottom and sides.
  • Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the flour in three parts alternately with the orange juice and lastly the milk.
  • Fold in the grated rind of two oranges.
  • Spoon into a greased bundt baking tin and bake for 40 minutes. It may require a shorter baking time if you are using a fan assisted oven. You can use the same batter for cupcakes and they will take about 12 minutes.

Hot syrup

  • Boil together the fine granulated sugar, orange rind and orange juice until thick and syrupy at least 5-7 minutes. 
  • Pour over the warm cake when it has finished baking and return to the oven for 5 minutes to set the syrup. 
  • Removed the cake from the oven and use a thin blade knife or smalll offset spatula to loosen the edges of the cake.
  • Let the cake cool in the bundt pan for 10 minutes before trying to remove it, or it may break apart.
  • Ensure that you have loosened the cake sufficiently and place the serving plate over the pan. 
  • Invert the cake tin over the plate and give it one or two gentle shakes to ensure the cake comes loose from the bottom and sides.

Cold glaze

  • Mix together the confectioner's sugar and orange juice until it is smooth with no lumps.
  • When the cake is cool but not cold, spoon over the cold glaze. The residual heat will melt the cold glaze and make it less sugary and more silky.
  • Use the back of a spoon to rub the glaze on the inner walls of the center of the cake before adding the berries.
  • Decorate with edible flowers.

Notes

  • You may use either the hot syrup or the cold glaze, but I prefer using both.
  • For a variation you can add 125 ml of dried cranberries to make a delicious cranberry orange bundt cake over the festive season. Toss it in 5 ml of the cake flour in the recipe before adding to the cake mixture. This will prevent it from sinking to the bottom of the cake.  

Nutrition

Serving: 75gCalories: 520kcalCarbohydrates: 82gProtein: 6gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 99mgSodium: 175mgPotassium: 348mgFiber: 1gSugar: 55gVitamin A: 690IUVitamin C: 19.7mgCalcium: 125mgIron: 0.8mg

Disclaimer: Nutritional information for the recipe is an approximation and varies according to the ingredients and products used.

Keyword easy dessert, easy holiday baking, halaal recipes
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This recipe was first published on 17/04/2016 but has since been updated.

Best Glazed Orange Bundt cake

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36 Comments

  • Reply
    Lauren
    August 31, 2020 at 2:32 pm

    I can’t wait to make this! I’m from Cape Town too and this looks just like my mums recipe which I have in her handwriting but she altered it and I can’t get it to work in New Zealand. Thank you for sharing

    • Reply
      Razena Schroeder
      August 31, 2020 at 2:35 pm

      Hi Lauren. It may have something to do with the type of flour you are using. Our default is cake flour but many countries use all purpose or plain flour that results in a denser cake. I use 140 grams as a standard cup of cake flour to achieve the most consistent result and you can try the following substitute for cake flour.

      1 cup AP flour – 2 Tablespoons AP flour + 2 Tablespoons cornstarch (like Maizena) = 1 cup cake flour.

  • Reply
    Rafeeda@The Big Sweet Tooth
    November 3, 2016 at 8:41 am

    Just look at that cake! It looks so good… the pictures are amazing as well… must try this when we have a gathering InShaAllah…

    • Reply
      Razena Schroeder
      November 6, 2016 at 4:34 pm

      You are too kind. I hope you like it and let me know how it turns out in shaa ALLAH. 🙂

  • Reply
    Jessy @ The Life Jolie
    October 31, 2016 at 5:54 pm

    What beautiful cake- it looks so moist!

  • Reply
    Platter Talk
    October 31, 2016 at 5:11 pm

    That looks really, really tasty. I like the orange flavor and the glaze, plus your pictures are beautiful.

    • Reply
      Razena Schroeder
      October 31, 2016 at 7:03 pm

      Thank you for the kind words 🙂 The cake has a really intense orangey flavour!

  • Reply
    Michelle @ Vitamin Sunshine
    October 31, 2016 at 4:39 pm

    This cake looks delicious! I love orange and have been meaning to make an orange cake– a friend asked me to a while back. Love this recipe.

    • Reply
      Razena Schroeder
      October 31, 2016 at 7:04 pm

      Thank you. I hope you try it, and let me know what you think 🙂

  • Reply
    Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
    October 31, 2016 at 2:33 pm

    Beautiful and so bright in color!

    • Reply
      Razena Schroeder
      October 31, 2016 at 7:06 pm

      Yes it’s like a burst of sunshine to brighten up the day 🙂

  • Reply
    Sam | Ahead of Thyme
    October 31, 2016 at 4:01 am

    This bundt cake looks too pretty to eat!! Thanks for the recipe, I will have to try it soon!

    • Reply
      Razena Schroeder
      October 31, 2016 at 7:07 pm

      Haha you made me giggle… never, ever, no cake is too pretty to eat 🙂

  • Reply
    cookingwithshy
    June 21, 2016 at 9:14 am

    This looks divine!!!

  • Reply
    Sadia Mohamed
    June 2, 2016 at 5:44 pm

    Wow! This is a beauty! very beautiful cake and can make out from the pic itself that it is super moist. 🙂

    • Reply
      Razena Schroeder
      June 2, 2016 at 9:39 pm

      Thank you for your kind words. This is a simple cake but one of my favourites of all time, and you are right it is beautifully moist 🙂

  • Reply
    Molly Kumar
    May 6, 2016 at 12:19 am

    What a Gorgeous Looking cake Razena! I would love to nosh on it with some hot tea/coffee. Love teh flower decoration on it too.

    • Reply
      Razena Schroeder
      May 8, 2016 at 8:26 am

      Thank you Molly… this is my favorite cake so I had to prettify it accordingly 🙂

  • Reply
    Mackenzie
    May 4, 2016 at 8:02 pm

    Oh yum! I’m not normally a cake fan, I bet that I would love it with the hot syrup!

  • Reply
    Kylee
    April 20, 2016 at 2:23 am

    Wow, that looks like a heavenly orange cake! the color on it is so gorgeous. I love orange!

    • Reply
      Razena Schroeder
      April 29, 2016 at 5:35 am

      This is hands down my favourite even though it is such a simply flavoured cake… only the orange rind and juice with a little vanilla to enhance it.

  • Reply
    Kate @ VeggieDesserts
    April 18, 2016 at 5:22 pm

    What a gorgeous cake, and so lovely of your colleague to peel your oranges for you!

  • Reply
    Kelly // The Pretty Bee: Allergy Friendly Eats
    April 18, 2016 at 5:11 pm

    Wow, this cake just screams spring! It’s stunning, and I bet it’s delicious!

  • Reply
    Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy
    April 18, 2016 at 5:05 pm

    What a beautiful looking cake. Perfect for an afternoon coffee break, or on weekend brunch.

    • Reply
      Razena Schroeder
      April 19, 2016 at 3:23 pm

      I served it for afternoon tea yesterday and it went down a treat. A few of them had seconds.

  • Reply
    Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy
    April 18, 2016 at 3:02 pm

    I usually just go for chocolate cake, but I am going to have to give this a try too.

    • Reply
      Razena Schroeder
      April 19, 2016 at 3:21 pm

      I love chocolate cake too, but the tanginess of the orange cake is soo nice.

  • Reply
    Sarah
    April 18, 2016 at 2:31 pm

    This sounds yummy! I love anything with citrus flavors this time of the year!

  • Reply
    Simone Claudia Fortuin
    July 16, 2015 at 11:39 pm

    When I tried this recipe I received so many compliments. I even got some requests as well… Its easy and the taste is there!!

    • Reply
      Razena
      July 24, 2015 at 12:18 am

      Did you use the hot syrup or icing glaze?

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