Orange Drizzle Cake

Name: Orange Drizzle Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 175 g Butter or Margarine (at room temperature); 175 g Caster Sugar; 3 Medium Eggs; 1 Large Orange (Juice and Zest); 175 g Self-Raising Flour; 75 g Sugar (caster or granulated); 75 ml Orange Juice (This is around ½ a large orange); 50 g Icing Sugar; 2 Tablespoons Orange Juice

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This orange drizzle loaf cake is super sweet, outrageously moist, and absolutely delicious. It’s also an easy recipe that makes a perfect summer treat.

Orange Loaf Cake is one of my favourites.

I actually adapted this recipe to make myself a three-layer orange drizzle birthday cake, with white chocolate orange and white stripes, and orange and white meringue kisses and buttercream swirls on the top. It was glorious!

You don’t see orange drizzle in cafes and teashops as much as lemon drizzle, so I need an easy orange cake recipe that I can throw together at home.

This one is perfect. Fairly quick, super easy and always delicious!

served slice of cake on plate. Another slice on pink plate to the side. Halved oranges, and glass cake stand also in frame.

Why I Love Orange Drizzle Loaf Cake

I love baking loaf cakes because they are easy and rarely go wrong. I used to struggle with round cakes sinking in the middle, but loaves have always been my friend. Even now, I can make all different shapes and sizes (usually) without any trouble. Loaf cakes remain my favourite.

This Recipe for orange drizzle cake is extra special because:

It’s so sweet and moist, it’s hard not to love the orange flavour!
If you don’t like the sourness of lemon or lime, easy orange drizzle cake is a fantastic alternative.
The kids prefer chocolatey cakes. So, I get to eat most of it!
It’s a really refreshing flavour, perfect on a warmer day.
You can easily add more or less orange to your orange drizzle recipe.
Grating orange zest makes your kitchen smell amazing!
An orange soak cake like this stays nice and moist for days.

orange drizzle cake on cake stand with silver cake slice. 2 slices falling away.

Ingredients for Orange Drizzle Loaf Cake

For this Moist Orange Drizzle Cake, you will need:

Margarine or Butter – something like Stork or a store’s own version is perfect.

Caster Sugar – use this for the loaf and orange syrup to pour over. You can also use granulated sugar or golden caster sugar for the syrup.

Eggs

Large Oranges

Self-Raising Flour – If you don’t have this, you can also make orange drizzle cake with plain flour. Just add a teaspoon of baking powder.

Icing Sugar

That’s it! Sugar and Orange juice cover all the different layers, so you don’t need extra ingredients for your orange drizzle syrup or orange drizzle icing.

You’ll Also Need

For the best orange drizzle loaf cake, I use a large mixing bowl, either a hand or electric whisk, and a 2lb loaf tin with reusable baking paper.

For the syrup, you’ll need a wooden spoon and a small flameproof pan.

You can also use a piping back to drizzle on the orange icing, but a spoon will do.

How to Make Orange Drizzle Loaf Cake – Step-by-Step Instructions

Full, easy-to-follow instructions and quantities are available in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step One

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (fan-assisted) and grease or line a 2lb loaf tin. I use reusable baking paper that I’ve cut to size.

My oven’s a little crazy and runs super-hot, so I actually bake at 150. Get to know your oven.

Step Two

Whisk together the butter and sugar. You can use a hand or an electric whisk. I often do it by hand, which only takes a few minutes.

butter and eggs whisked in white mixing bowl.

Step Three

Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until there are no lumps.

Step Four

Add the zest and juice from one large orange. Add more zest if you like a stronger flavour. I don’t recommend adding more liquid.

cake batter in bowl. Orange to the side.

Step Five

Stir through. Don’t worry if it looks a little split. It will come together when you add the flour.

Step Six

Add the flour and whisk until the mixture is smooth.

orange cake batter in mixing bowl with whisk.

Step Seven

Pour into the prepared loaf tin and spread out evenly. I use a silicon spatula just to level the top off.

Step Eight

Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes until a skewer comes out of the centre clean.

If after 45 minutes, the middle is still raw, return to the oven and check every 5 minutes. Cover loosely with tin foil if the top is starting to darken too much and you are worried about burning.

orange drizzle can in loaf tin with baking paper.

Step Nine

Leave in the tin for a few minutes while you prepare the syrup.

Step Ten

To make the orange syrup, place the orange juice and sugar in a small pan.

orange drizzle syrup in small pan on hob.

Step Eleven

Gently warm over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Remove from the heat once the sugar has dissolved. This generally only takes a few minutes, and you should be able to feel that the grains have gone. It’s ok that it’s still really thin. Don’t try to simmer it until it thickens. It will set rock hard if you do this.

Step Twelve

Stab the cake all over with a skewer. I use a large wooden skewer and stab right to the bottom of the sponge.

Step Thirteen

Pour over the syrup while both the syrup and cake are warm. It might seem like a lot, but keep going.

Step Fourteen

Leave the cake in the tin to cool completely.

Step Fifteen

To make the orange icing, mix the icing sugar with a bit of orange juice until you get a thick, pourable consistency.

orange icing in small white bowl with whisk.

Step Sixteen.

Roughly drizzle over the completely cooled cake after removing it from the tin. You can use a piping bag or just roughly drizzle with a spoon.

Top Tips

Orange Drizzle Loaf is super simple, and there are lots of tips in the instructions above, too. My main tips are:

Don’t worry if the batter mixture looks a little curdled. It will come together when you add the flour.
You can use a knife or even a fork to stab your cake, but a skewer gives you nice, thick, deep holes, which are ideal.
Pour the syrup over when both the cake and syrup are still warm.
Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin before adding the final drizzle of icing.

Serving Suggestions

Serve your easy orange loaf cake just as it is. A nice thick slice with a drink is perfect. You could add a scoop of ice cream if you wanted something more decadent.

Variations

There are a few variations to this recipe.

The first is adding lemon for an Orange and Lemon Drizzle Cake. I haven’t tried this. I don’t like the idea of it! But I can see why other people would.

I’d still add the same amount of liquid, half of each, instead of adding extra.

Another option is Chocolate Orange Drizzle Cake, which I actually have a recipe for. It’s very yummy!

You can add more zest for a stronger flavour and miss the syrup or icing phases if you want less orange.

orange drizzle cake on cake stand with silver cake slice. halved oranges and plates to the sides.

Can You Make Orange Cake with Orange Extract?

I always prefer fresh oranges for a better flavour, and fresh orange juice is definitely better for the syrup.

But if you want to use extract, use one teaspoon in the cake and a teaspoon in syrup and icing. Add water to the syrup and icing to have the same amount I’ve used in juice.

I must say, though, I’ve never tried this for myself. I think fresh juice is best for flavour and also to give you a very moist orange loaf.

Size and Shape

You can use this recipe to make a round orange drizzle cake.

I’d just make one round cake and not a sandwich. This orange drizzle cake recipe is super moist, and you absolutely don’t need a filling.

This recipe will make a 9-inch round cake. Reduce the bake to around 20-25 minutes, as it will cook faster. If you did want to make two sandwich cakes and add a filling, a plain or white chocolate buttercream would be lovely.

This recipe would be great in a tin like my brownie tin if you want to make an Orange Drizzle Traybake. Follow the baking instructions in one of my traybake cake recipes and follow this recipe for drizzle.

Decorating an Orange Drizzle Cake

Once my cake is cool, I remove it from the tin and just drizzle over a mix of icing sugar and orange juice. You can also add some swirls of peel or a little zest if you want to.

served slice of orange drizzle cake on green plate with fork. Oranges round the sides, leaving frame.

Leftovers

This Sticky Orange Cake will last for about 3-4 days, so you should have plenty of time to eat it all up.

However, you can wrap it tightly and freeze it if you are worried that there’ll be some left.

Storage

I store my orange drizzle cake in a glass cake stand on my kitchen side.

I recommend popping it in the fridge if it’s very hot, but this isn’t usually necessary.

FAQ

What Size Tin Should You Use for a Loaf Cake?

I use a 2lb loaf tin for a nice big cake. If yours is different, adjust the bake time accordingly.

How Do You Make Drizzle Icing?

To make drizzle icing, I mix orange juice and icing sugar. Nice and simple. For the syrup for my orange drizzle cake, I warm caster or granulated sugar with orange juice until the granules dissolve.

What is Cake Drizzle Made of?

Usually, it’s just sugar and juice.

How Do You Melt Icing to Drizzle?

Don’t melt icing to drizzle. Instead, make a thin, drizzlable icing.

How Do You Stab the Cake?

Stab your cake using a skewer. Stab liberally and all of the way down to the bottom.

Should the Sponge Be Warm When You Add the Drizzle?

Both the sponge and syrup should be warm.

Why is my Orange Drizzle Cake Soggy?

Orange Drizzle Cake is very moist because it’s been filled with syrup. It’s not meant to be a dry sponge. However, your sponge might have been underbaked if it’s very soggy.

Why Did My Orange Drizzle Cake Sink in the Middle?

Generally, when cakes sink in the middle, it’s because they’ve been underbaked or the oven has been opened too early.

Why Does My Orange Drizzle Cake Split?

There are lots of reasons your cake might have split, but it’s usually because the balance of ingredients isn’t right. You may have used too much liquid or even too much butter when greasing your tin. Cakes can also split or crack because the oven temperature is too high.

Can You Make Round Orange Drizzle Cakes?

Yes, this recipe would make a 9-inch round cake.

Other Recipes You Might Enjoy

If you like this orange drizzle cake recipe, you might also want to try:

slice of lime drizzle loaf cake on pink plate, cut limes on table to sides.

The Recipe