A six inch orange cake recipe that's moist and full of bold orange flavor. It’s the perfect size cake for a small group!
This orange cake is one of the first cakes I ever made that became a regular favorite. It’s always a refreshing change from plain vanilla! Over the years, I have changed my recipe quite a few times but this one is hands down the best!
Why I Like This Orange Cake Recipe
First, I down-sized it to a six inch cake recipe. I’m a big fan of small cakes as you can tell from this six inch chocolate cake recipe and this six inch carrot cake recipe.
Because the recipe uses smaller cake pans, there is more of a chance of over baking quickly or getting one of those annoying dome tops on your cake layer.
To avoid this, I lowered the oven temperature to 325℉. (Typically cakes bake at 350℉). Baking at a lower temperature for a longer period of time decreases the chance of your cake doming in the middle.
This recipe also uses cake flour instead of all purpose flour. Cake flour produces a lighter and more tender cake. That’s right, this cake just got more sophisticated!
Next, I used pure orange extract for an extra punch of flavor. I have also used frozen orange juice concentrate in the past but it’s not something I would normally have on hand. The orange extract combined with the zest of a whole orange is perfect!
Finally, to keep the cake moist, I added a small amount of olive oil. You can use vegetable oil too but olive oil actually works well in orange cakes. Many orange cake recipes are made entirely with olive oil and no butter!
Frostings For an Orange Cake
I have two favorite choices for frosting this cake. I can’t decide which one is better. I love them both! I have frosted this cake so many times with cream cheese frosting and thought it was perfect for the cake.
Then, I also frosted it with my chocolate fudge frosting. So good! I can never say no to the combination of orange and chocolate. Both of these frostings taste marvelous with this cake so I guess the choice is yours!
Decorating Your Cake
Since this is an orange flavored cake, you can’t go wrong cutting orange slices as a garnish. If you want to get more creative, you can also make some candied orange peel twists. These would look pretty sitting on top of the cake. Alternatively, you can candied orange slices like I did on my flourless chocolate orange cake.
Orange Cake Recipe
A six inch orange cake recipe that’s moist, bold and full of flavor. It’s the perfect size for a small group!
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups cake flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- 2 teaspoons zest
- 2 eggs
- ⅔ cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F. Prepare two six inch pans by buttering and then lining the bottom with parchment. Dust with flour.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the orange zest, vanilla extract, orange extract and oil. Mix to combine.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating each until incorporated.
- On low speed, add the flour mixture in three batches alternating with adding the milk. Begin and end with flour.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not overbake!
- Remove the cakes from the pan by inverting the pan over a cooling rack. Cool completely.
- Place the first layer of cake on a cake plate. Using an offset spatula spread desired frosting over the top. Add the second layer and spread the frosting over the top and around the sides.
- Add additional frosting decorations with a piping bag if desired and/or decorate with fresh or candied orange slices.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 152Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 115mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 3g
This nutrition information is only an approximate provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. Information comes from Nutritionix, an automated nutrition calculator.
Laura says
So how much baking soda? You either forgot it in the ingredient list or mistakenly added it in the directions. Good thing for mise en place.
Urvashee says
Hi Laura,
Thank you for pointing out the error. It should not have been in the directions and has been corrected above.
rose says
I don't have cake flour. Can I use all purpose flour and if so, any modifications I need to make?
Jane says
My god-daughter asked me to make a smash cake for her son's first birthday. Thankfully I already had the 6 inch pans lol. She just wanted a vanilla cake so I sort of adapted this recipe. I omitted the zest and orange extract and it turned out amazing! (had to level the tops for layering and might have snacked on those pieces lol). Very moist and tender - not dense in the least! The only thing was that it needed almost an extra 10 minutes of baking time in my oven. Next time hubby and I are craving a little bit of dessert this is the one I'll go to!
Heather says
How much olive oil did you put in to keep it moist?