Whole Orange Blender Cake
on Jan 31, 2023, Updated Jan 14, 2024
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My mom’s whole orange blender cake is light, 🍊 citrusy, and moist. It’s always on rotation in my house. I know it’s crazy, but this cake combines a few simple ingredients in the blender, including a whole orange, to make the most amazing cake. My mom and I worked on this recipe to bring you the easiest and most flavorful coffee cake ever! The subtle hints of orange and lemon 🍋 make this cake irresistible.
Why You’ll Love Whole Orange Blender Cake
Using a 🍊 whole orange, blended to perfection, infuses the cake with a zesty and citrusy element that is both refreshing and healthy. Some citrus cake recipes require you to zest, peel, or juice an orange – not this one! All you have to do is clean and cut your orange into 🔶 quarters and toss it in the blender. Don’t worry, the resulting cake won’t reveal your secret and you’ll be making this cake on repeat, just like me!
How to Prepare Whole Orange Blender Cake
🔥 Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a loaf pan with parchment paper and baking spray.
🌀 Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender, starting with the wet ingredients. Blend for 30-40 seconds until a thick pourable batter forms. Do not over-blend!
♨️ Pour the batter into the lined pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean 2 inches from the side.
🧊 Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes, then remove it from the loaf pan.
❄️ Once cooled, dust the cake with powdered sugar if desired. Enjoy!
Nonna’s Tip 🍊
I used a Navel orange which was sweet. Do NOT over-blend this cake. If your blender is not powerful enough to break down the orange peel, please zest it, peel it and use that instead. I use a Vitamix and blend only for 20-30 seconds.
Variations and Substitutions for Whole Orange Blender Cake
Remember to adjust quantities accordingly and have fun experimenting with these variations to create your best version of my whole orange cake 🧡 that suits your preferences!
- You can use alternative flours such as almond flour, 🥥 coconut flour, or 1-1 gluten-free flour for a gluten-free cake.
- Feel free to experiment with 🍯 honey, maple syrup, or monk fruit sweetener instead of sugar if you prefer a natural sweetener.
- Add chopped nuts such as walnuts, pecans, or almonds.
- Include shredded coconut or grated 🥕 carrots for additional texture.
Other Coffee Cake Recipes
Best Served With
- Coffee or tea 🫖
- Other loaf cakes, like my Carrot Cake or cookies with a brunch
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Must Have Knife
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Nonna's Dry Measuring Cups
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My Favorite Parchment Paper
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Best Blender Ever
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Liquid Measuring Cups Set
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Baking Fave!
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This knife is my most used tool in the kitchen. The love I have for this knife is unmatched.
This is my favorite set. I have had mine for 10 years and need a new one. Highly recommend!
This is the parchment paper that I use for all my recipes!
I have had my Vitamix blender for 12 years and I cannot live without it. It is hands down the best blender in the world. Definitely an investment but worth every penny.
This set includes 1-cup, 2-cup, and 4-cup Pyrex measuring cups that are perfect for baking, cooking, and melting ingredients. They're also dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning.
The perfect loaf pan for making baked goods! The ceramic is non-stick and it's super easy to clean.
Common Questions
I used a Navel orange which was seedless and sweet. You could also use a Cara Cara orange. If you are unsure if your orange is bitter, peel it and throw it in peeled! You can also add the zest as well.
Yes you may. However, if the food processor is not powerful enough it may not break down the skin. To be sure, please peel the fruit and add the zest as well.
As per your feedback, this recipe would work with a Cara Cara orange.
I have not tested this, but yes, you can experiment with a blood orange for this recipe. Your cake may turn out a different color (maybe pink!).
Do NOT over-blend this cake. If your blender is not powerful enough to break down the orange peel, please zest it, peel it and use that instead. I use a Vitamix and blend only for 20-30 seconds.
I have not tried making this cake gluten-free but you could try using a gluten-free 1-to-1 all-purpose flour for baking. Let me know if you try it and how it comes out!
Certainly, you can use clementines or tangerines to prepare this cake. Click HERE to make my Clementine Cake.
You can add poppy seeds to this recipe!
If you have any dietary preferences (like keto or low-carb), you will have to experiment with a 1-to-1 monk fruit sweetener and various other alternatives. Please let us know in the comments of this blog how you made this cake differently so others can learn as well.
You can always adjust the sugar in this recipe as it’s not overly sweet. Feel free to add more if you like your baked goods sweeter. Alternatively, you could do less sugar if you’re trying to cut sugar out.
The bake time will depend on the oven and what type of pan you use, so please keep a good eye on it.
I use a ceramic, non-stick loaf pan for this recipe. You can use a different type of pan, but please keep a close eye on it as the baking time may reduce or increase.
I like to spray and line the loaf pan for easier cleanup, but feel free to butter and flour it if you wish to do so as well.
The lemon extract is optional. I would use lemon zest instead of lemon juice, as it has a stronger flavor, like the extract.
You can store this cake, covered, on the counter for a few days but it probably won’t last you that long!
Certainly, you can use Meyer Lemon to prepare this cake. Click HERE to make my Whole Lemon Blender Cake.
Although I have not tried this cake with almond flour, you will have to experiment. You will have to experiment but always add a little at a time until you have the proper consistency.
To ensure lemons/oranges are clean, you can soak them in a vinegar and water solution and scrub them to draw out any impurities. Mix 1/4 cup of vinegar + 2 cups of water and soak for 5-10 minutes. Rinse and use as directed.
Any oil will work for this cake. You can also use melted butter if you’d like.
Yes, you can certainly use butter instead of oil for this recipe.
A Nutribullet is not nearly as powerful, but If you try it in a Nutribullet, I would suggest peeling the orange before blending.
Always check the baking powder and flour before use! If the cake comes out too dense and not fluffy or moist, the baking powder is most likely out of date.
You can test if your baking powder has expired by adding ½ teaspoon baking powder to ¼ cup hot water. If the water bubbles up, it’s not expired; if it does not bubble, it’s expired and should be tossed. When using baking powder, always check the expiration date. Expired baking powder will not help your recipe rise in the oven, and you’ll have a sad, deflated cake.
Whole Orange Blender Cake
Ingredients
- avocado oil spray
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- ¾ cup avocado oil, 175ml
- 1 cup granulated sugar, 200 grams
- 1 whole seedless navel orange, washed, quartered, and seeds removed
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract, 5 grams
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, 250 grams
- ¾ tablespoon baking powder, 8 grams (make sure it's not expired)
- ½ teaspoon salt, 3 grams
- powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Please check if the baking powder or flour is expired prior to starting.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and spray with baking spray. You can use a bigger size pan as well, but the cake will be larger and thinner, so you may need to adjust the baking time.
- Add all of the ingredients to a high-power blender, starting with the wet ingredients. Be sure to add the wet ingredients first so that the blender doesn't get stuck. Blend for 20-30 to seconds or until a thick pourable batter forms. Do NOT over-blend.
- Pour the batter into the lined pan and bake on the middle rack for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean 2 inches from the side.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes. Take the cake out of the loaf pan and once it has cooled, dust the cake with powdered sugar, if using. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi, can I freeze the cake?
Hi there, you absolutely can. Make sure it cools completely, cover in plastic wrap, then foil (or in a freezer bag) label it and date it. Should be good for 1-2 months
Fantastic, can make another one tomorrow and save it for the Christmas holidays. Brilliant thank you.
I have made both the lemon and orange Gluten Free. Came out fantastic. No one knew it was gf.
Woohooo way to go Laurie!
Hey Laurie, could you please share what gluten free flour you used? Almond/coconut/ a 1 for 1 measure? I really want to try this recipe but it must be gluten free and was going through the comments to see if anyone had tried it.
Made this, not great. And this is the problem – it would be very helpful if you specified a weight for the orange. I have one of those gift boxes of Florida oranges in the kitchen right now, and some of them weigh 8 ounces, and some over 12 ounces. If you are using a 12 ounce orange, it will have more peel and pith and make a thicker, denser batter that is harder to blend and take a long time to cook. An 8 ounce orange will make a thinner batter that may not take as long to cook.
Hi there, thank you for the feedback, I will absolutely weigh it and add it to the notes next time.
I have made this cake 3 times now and my family just loves it! Thank you for sharing.
OMG Maddalena, you made my day! ❤️🥹😘
I tried this with the blender and it came out super dense and almost uncooked in the middle even thought I baked it for more than an hour. I suspect it was over blended. Do you think it would work if I blended the oranges first with the wet ingredients and then hand mixed the dry ingredients into the wet? The taste was amazing, but the texture not so much. I’m not ready to give up on trying this one again.
Hi Jennifer, it’s so important not to over-blend this one, because, like you said, it will make for a dense cake. Yes, I think blending the wet ingredients and then mixing in the dry ingredients by hand should work. Please note that I recommend a high-power blender over a food processor. I recommend blending for 30 seconds maximum. Hope this helps! Glad the taste was still delish for you 💕
I’ve tried this recipe twice and for some reason I can’t get it to work out for me! It’s missing something…. It turns out very dense and maybe I need to weigh everything idk 🤷🏽♀️
Hi Vanessa! oh nooo! Should be light and airy, I do think if you over blended it can cause the cake to be dense. You can also try adding the ZEST of the peel and juice of the orange because if you don’t have a powerful enough blender, it won’t break down the orange skin fast and it may cause over blending. Hope that helps. All my love
I don’t have a blender. Can u use a cuisinart..
Hi Laurie, yes, a Cuisinart food processor will work fine.
Hi, I was toggling between 1x, 2x and 3x variations of the recipe and I noticed some ingredient amounts change but others remain the same I.e. the amount of flour is the same for 1x and 3x variations. Is this correct?
Thank you
Hi Emilia, thanks for your comment. We are currently in the process of updating all recipes so that metric weight is separate from cup measures. 2x recipe uses 4 cups flour (500 grams) and 3x recipe uses 6 cups (750 grams).
Love the look of this!! Do you think I could substitute half of the oil with applesauce.. trying to reduce the calories for my husband. Thanks so much. ❤️🇨🇦
Hi Carol, I have not tried that but it sounds like a good substitute. The cake may come out a bit denser. Please let us know how it turns out.
Can we use any other oil too?
Hi Mazo, you can use any oil or even melted butter. I like neutral oils, such as avocado oil, but something like refined coconut oil would work well too.