The Baking Cat

This easy orange loaf cake is a soft, moist, and flavorful quick bread made with fresh orange juice and zest. It’s the perfect citrus dessert for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon treat. The natural sweetness of oranges shines through. It gives the loaf a light and refreshing flavor. The taste is not too heavy or overly sweet.

Home bakers love this simple orange bread recipe because it’s quick to make. It uses basic pantry ingredients. The recipe delivers bakery-style results with minimal effort. You can enjoy this loaf plain. Alternatively, top it with a sweet orange glaze. Either way, it makes a bright and delicious addition to any table.

Why we love it:

• Bursting with real orange flavor
• One-bowl, no-fuss recipe
• Perfect for spring, summer, or holiday baking
• Can easily add other mix-ins
• Freezes well and makes a great edible gift

Notes:

• This is a quick recipe to build, so get your oven pre-heated to 350 for atleast 20 minutes.
• Make sure you leavener (baking powder) is not expired. This will not rise if this is expired or old.
• Add the Zest to a bowl of Sugar and rub it in. This helps release the oils and flavour.
• I choose to use orange juice for the icing so I do not have to cut a new orange. If you have extra laying around or just want to eat one too, fresh will taste just as good!
• I like to add a small drizzle of icing to the top after coming out of the oven. It helps seep down into the bread for some surprise bites of icing! The rest of the icing I add once cooled.

Ingredients	Metric	U.S.
Sugar	200 grams	1 Cup
Orange Zest	1 Large Orange	1 Large Orange
Salted Butter	1 Stick	1 Stick
Eggs	2 Eggs	2 Eggs
Juice of Orange	1 Large Orange	1 Large Orange
All Purpose Flour	180 Grams	1.5 Cups
Baking Powder	1.5 Teaspoon	1.5 Teaspoons
Vanilla	1 Tablespoon	1 Tablespoon
Powder Sugar	60 Grams	1/2 Cup
Orange Juice	1-2 Tablespoons	1-2 Tablespoons

Directions:

• Get all of your ingredients together, including the bowls you will be using.
• Measure sugar and place into a bowl. Add Orange Zest and gently rub together. This helps release the natural oils and heighten the flavour.
• Measure flour and baking powder. Sprinkle in wanted salt.
• Melt Butter and let cool slightly.
• While butter is cooling, mix sugar, orange juice, eggs and vanilla together. Add in the butter until smooth and shiny.
• Add Flour mixture to Egg mixture and gently combine. Mix until the batter comes together and shows no signs of lumps of flour.
• Pour into a lightly greased 9X5 glass loaf/bread pan.
• Cook 45-50 minutes. Turn halfway through to avoid any uneven cooking.
• Visible crust on the sides should be golden and crispy. Stick a fork in the top and ensure it comes out clean. Watch for it to get too dark.
• Let cool on baking rack in glass pan for 15-20 minutes to ensure a final set.
• Add Icing (1/2 powdered sugar to 2-3 Tbsp Orange juice) after the setting period.
• Best Eaten warm or cooled. Store for 2 days in the refrigerator.