This orange juice cake is moist, tender, and packed full of yummy orange flavor. It’s a family favorite that I’m sure you’ll love making for Christmas or to serve with a cup of coffee.

Orange Juice Cake

This simple old fashioned orange juice bundt cake is so refreshing! It’s sweet, full of incredible orange flavor, and so moist.

It has the perfect density. It’s dense enough to hold up as a bundt cake without crumbling and will hold its shape, but it doesn’t taste dense. It tastes light, refreshing, and delicious.

This orange cake recipe with orange juice is infused with an amazing amount of orange flavor from using both orange juice and orange zest. Plus, you can see the little bits of orange zest poking through in the slices, which is so beautiful.

The orange juice glaze is really the cherry on top. The cake soaks it up so well and it keeps the cake super moist for days. My entire family was so excited to dig into this cake and everyone wanted seconds. It’s a perfect cake for summertime or Christmas.

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Ingredients

Flour: We’re using all-purpose flour for this cake instead of cake flour. Even though you might automatically assume that cake flour is better for cake, all-purpose flour is better for bundt cakes because it adds the necessary structure to support a denser, taller cake.

Baking Powder: This is the leavening agent we’re using in the cake. It makes the cake rise, which makes it fluffy.

Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix: This adds flavor, moisture, and helps stabilize the bundt cake. It’s important to make 100% sure that you purchase instant pudding mix for this recipe to work.

Fine Sea Salt: A little bit of salt enhances the flavor of the orange juice and balances out the flavor of the sugar.

Eggs: Eggs help create cakes that have an appropriate amount of rise. They also add structure and a rich flavor.

Granulated Sugar: This is the sweetener we’re using in our cake recipe. I prefer white granulated sugar in recipes like this one.

Vegetable Oil: Vegetable oil is my secret ingredient for incredibly moist cakes. Since it’s liquid at room temperature, it creates this incredibly luscious, tender, moist mouth feel that butter can’t mimic since butter is solid at room temperature.

Vanilla Extract: This adds flavor. I recommend using pure vanilla extract instead of imitation vanilla if you can.

Orange Juice: The orange juice is the star of the show here. It adds tons of bright, delicious flavor. Freshly squeezed orange juice will have a brighter, sweeter flavor than bottled orange juice, which can sometimes taste bitter. If you have to use bottled, I recommend using one of the kinds sold in the refrigerated section that’s advertised as “100% real orange juice.”

Orange Zest: Including orange zest is a fun little trick to add more orange flavor without having to add more liquid to the cake, which would change the consistency. That’s because orange zest contains orange oil in it, which packs a ton of flavor. If you’re going to use freshly squeezed orange juice, I recommend zesting your orange first.

Butter: This helps make the glaze rich and flavorful. Since butter is solid at room temperature, it also helps the glaze set and adds structure to the cake as it cools. You could try browning the butter for the glaze slightly if you’d like to add a little bit of depth and a slightly nutty flavor.

Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar is perfect for glazes because it dissolves so easily.

How To Make Orange Juice Cake

Prep: Grease and flour a 10–12 cup bundt pan and set aside. (See the recipe card below for the full printable instructions.)

Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Whisk in the instant pudding mix and salt until evenly combined.

Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, beat the eggs, then whisk in the sugar, oil, and vanilla until smooth and well blended.

Combine: Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and whisk until just combined. Mix in the orange juice, then add the remaining dry ingredients and whisk until incorporated.

Add Orange Zest: Fold in the orange zest with a rubber spatula, scraping down the sides of the bowl and being careful not to overmix.

Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake until the cake begins to pull away from the sides and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Make the Glaze: In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Stir in the powdered sugar and orange juice, mixing until smooth and fully combined. Remove from the heat.

Glaze the Cake: While the cake is still in the pan, use a skewer to poke holes all over the top. Slowly pour the warm glaze evenly over the cake, allowing it to soak in.

Cool and Release: Let the cake rest in the pan to absorb the glaze. Run a thin spatula around the edges, then carefully invert onto a wire rack. Cool completely before slicing and serving.

Optional: Lightly dust the top with powdered sugar before serving. See the recipe card below for the full written instructions, including ingredient amounts, cooking times, and helpful tips, etc.

Pro Tips

• Grease The Pan Well: Bundt cakes are notorious for sticking to the pans. Make sure to grease every single nook and cranny of the pan, and coat it in a light layer of flour.
• Use Room Temperature Eggs: Using room temperature eggs helps them mix in more easily, and results in a cake with a lighter, more tender crumb.
• Don’t Overmix: If you overmix cake batter, it activates the gluten, which makes cake taste dense. It’s best to mix just as much as you have to.
• Zest Before You Juice: If you’re going to use freshly squeezed orange juice (which is honestly better because it tends to taste sweeter and less bitter), it’s much easier to zest the orange before you juice it.
• Tap The Cake Before You Bake: Once you pour the batter into the bundt pan, lightly tap the bottom of the pan on the counter to get any air bubbles to rise to the top. This makes sure that you don’t end up with any big holes inside your cake.
• Glaze The Cake While It’s Warm: Warm cake does a much better job of absorbing glaze than cool cake does. The glaze is what infuses it with so much incredible flavor and makes it taste so moist, so you really want it to have a chance to sink all the way into the cake.

Can You Use Orange Juice In A Cake Mix?

Absolutely! It’s such a delicious upgrade. I recommend replacing about half of the liquid the box calls for with freshly squeezed orange juice. If you replace all of the liquid with orange juice, the cake may brown a little bit more than you hoped for. If you want more orange flavor than that, mix some orange zest into the batter.

What Is The Secret Ingredient For Moist Cakes?

Using vegetable oil instead of butter in cake batter is the secret to making deliciously moist cakes. Since vegetable oil is liquid at room temperature while butter is solid, cakes made with vegetable oil will naturally taste more moist. It’s also important not to overbake cakes, which dries them out. Adding a glaze is another great way to lock in moisture and flavor.

Does Orange Juice Cake Need To Be Refrigerated?

This particular cake can be stored at room temperature in a cool, dry place. If you ended up adding a cream cheese frosting or any dairy heavy element, you’d need to refrigerate it.

Storing And Freezing

You can store this cake in an airtight container in a cool, dry place at room temperature for 2-3 days. It will dry out if it’s exposed to air, so make sure that you either wrap it tightly or store it in an airtight container. If you want it to last longer than that, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To freeze it, I recommend wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap, then in foil. It can be frozen whole or in individual slices for up to 2 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight before serving it.

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Dessert Recipes

If you like this recipe, be sure to check out all of our other dessert recipes. Some reader favorites are:

• Yellow Cake Mix Cookies
• Not Yo Mamas Banana Pudding
• Whipping Cream Pound Cake
• Pecan Pie Cobbler
• Cinnamon Coffee Cake
• Bisquick Coffee Cake
• Chocolate Jello Pudding Pie
• Lemon Olive Oil Cake

The next time you feel like baking, you’ve got to try this from scratch simple orange juice cake recipe with an orange juice glaze. It’s truly delicious!