What's big, orange, and full of delicious citrus flavor? This Big Orange Bundt Cake, of course! If you're a fan of oranges, you'll love this refreshing cake.
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This colossal cake elicits oohs and ahs when set out for serving, but the proof is in the tasting—and this cake goes to the head of its class! It tastes fabulous on its own, but you can also serve it with ice cream or a fresh fruit salad.
How to Make Big Orange Bundt Cake
- Mix dry ingredients together.
- Mix wet ingredients together.
- Combine to make batter, then pour into bundt pan.
- Bake cake, then let cool.
- Make orange cream glaze.
- Pour cream over cake and enjoy!
Full directions for how to make Big Orange Bundt Cake are in the printable recipe card below.
Tips & Tricks for Big Orange Bundt Cake
Orange Zest
The orange zest adds superb flavor to the cake, so I do encourage you to seek out organic, unwaxed fruit. You can certainly use the juice as well as the zest in the cake. Remember to use just the brightly colored zest, not the bitter white pith underneath.
Bundt Pan
A bundt pan is a deep pan with a hollow center core, similar to an angel food cake pan, but with fluted sides. The hollow center is absolutely necessary here to ensure that the large amount of batter bakes through.
As a rule (and I’ll admit it is my rule) to ensure the finest crumb and texture, vegan cake batter should not fill the baking pan more than a scant half full. Measure carefully using the proper measuring tools for dry and liquid ingredients, and use an oven thermometer.
De-Panning Cake
If you are having trouble de-panning your cake (i.e. the cake sticks to the pan even when it is inverted), wet a kitchen towel in hot water, wring it out, and place it over the inverted pan for few minutes. Then shake pan gently to release the cake.
Variations to Big Orange Bundt Cake
Extra Orange
To make your cake extra orange—both in color and flavor—simply eliminate the soymilk and use 2 cups of orange juice instead. This is also a great option for those with nut or soy allergies or who don't like to use plant-based milks.
Extra Sweet
If you want to make your cake extra sweet, or you just prefer organic, you can swap the dark whole cane sugar for organic sugar. This will give you a total of 1 ¼ cups organic sugar in your cake, making it slightly sweeter!
Exrta Sauce
After pouring the orange cream over your cake, you can make a yummy sauce with the leftovers! Stir some dried cranberries into the remaining orange cream and serve alongside the cake.
Extra Chocolate
Instead of the orange cream glaze, you can use a chocolate ganache. Simply pour the ganache over the cooled cake in place of the cream glaze.
The flavor combination of orange and chocolate is one of my favorites, and you can really emphasize it by using orange-flavored chocolate. I like the ones made by Theo, Equal Exchange, and Nemans!
Big Orange Bundt Cake FAQs
Can I make this as a layer or sheet cake instead?
You can easily make this orange cake into a layer or sheet cake instead of a bundt cake. For a layer cake, you will need two 9x3-inch round pans, and for a sheet cake, you will need one 9x13x20inch pan. Reduce the baking time to 25–35 minutes, regularly checking for doneness.
How can I use my leftover orange cream?
You can use your leftover orange cream to transform simple fruit salads into special treats, amp up plain cakes, and complement other baked desserts like cobblers and pies. Simply serve your favorite treats with a dollop of orange cream!
Sweet tooth still craving? Here are more Vegan Baking and Sweets.
Recipe
Big Orange Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 ½ cups unbleached white flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp aluminum-free baking powder
- 1 cup organic sugar
- ¼ cup organic dark whole cane sugar such as Sucanat or Rapadura, finely ground
- ⅔ cup organic canola oil or a mild extra virgin olive oil such as arbequina
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 cup soymilk or another non dairy milk
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 organic oranges zested and finely grated
Soft Orange Tofu Cream
- 1 box firm organic silken tofu 12.3 oz, drained
- 5 tbsp organic cane sugar or to taste
- 5 tbsp organic orange juice concentrate thawed
- 1 tbsp organic canola oil or another neutral oil
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp orange extract or ⅛ tsp pure orange oil
- 1 tbsp Grand Marnier or another orange flavored liquor; optional
Instructions
- Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Oil a 10- to 12-cup bundt pan thoroughly.
- Place a wire mesh strainer over a medium bowl.
- Add the pastry flour, white flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and both of the sugars to the strainer and sift the ingredients into the bowl.
- Stir with a wire whisk to distribute and aerate the ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, combine oil, orange juice, soymilk, vinegar, vanilla extract, and orange zest. Whisk until thoroughly emulsified.
- Pour wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk until the batter is smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Rotate the pan to level the batter, and tap it lightly on the counter to eliminate some of the air bubbles.
- Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until the cake is golden and firm at the center when very lightly touched. A toothpick inserted in a few spots near the center of the cake should come out clean or with only a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the bundt from the oven and cool on a rack for 10 minutes.
- Place another wire rack on top of the cake and turn the pan upside down. Tap the pan gently and the cake should release. Make sure cake is completely cool before glazing or serving. You’ll need to allow at least 40 minutes for this big cake to cool.
Soft Orange Tofu Cream
- Combine all the ingredients for the cream in a blender or food processor, and process 2 to 3 minutes or until thoroughly mixed and creamy.
- Taste the cream and add more sugar if you want a sweeter whip.
- Pour orange cream over your cake. The cream will soak into the cake a bit, so only pour enough cream to flavor, not drench, your cake.
- Spoon the leftover cream into a container. Refrigerate for up to two days.
Nutrition
From More Great Good Dairy Free Desserts Naturally* by Fran Costigan. For more about Fran's amazing pastries, visit FranCostigan.com.
*This post contains affiliate links. If the product is purchased by linking through this review, VegKitchen receives a modest commission, which helps maintain our site and helps it to continue growing!
Ronni says
Just made this cake. It's delicious, with a perfect crumb. I added fresh cranberries to the batter.