So many people have food allergies today that having an easy ‘go to’ set of recipes for those with restricted diets can come in handy. Here’s a cake you can be proud to serve that is vegan and dairy-free (yes I know that’s redundant). It’s Vegan Orange Cake from, you guessed it, my Alice’s Tea Cup cookbook. It is so remarkably easy to make, presents nicely, and is delicious. And when I say easy to make, I seriously mean easy. No mixer required. Simple ingredients, quick, and yummy.
Vegan Orange Cake (From the “Alice’s Tea Cup” cookbook by Haley Fox and Lauren Fox)
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups turbinado sugar
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 ½ Tbsp freshly grated orange zest
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 ½ Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Orange Glaze
- 1 Tbsp freshly grated orange zest
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a deep 9” round pan with cooking spray (I used canola oil)
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, turbinado sugar, baking soda and kosher salt together. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the orange juice, orange zest, vegetable oil (I used canola), apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract together. Whisk a bit.
- Using a mixer, or with a whisk, add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing until the batter is totally smooth.
- Pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake 25-30 minutes (mine took 35 minutes but was in an 8” square pan) until a toothpick stuck in center comes out clean.
- Remove to wire rack for cooling.
- When completely cool, carefully remove the cake from the pan and transfer to a cake plate or salver
- To make the orange glaze, whisk all ingredients in a bowl until smooth.
- When cake is cool, pour the glaze in the center of the cake so it spreads evenly across the top and down the sides (I used a spatula for this)
- Let it sit for 30 minutes – if you can – and serve.
If serving to adults, might be fun to add Grand Marnier to the glaze – not too much. Also more orange zest would be ok or even including a bit of lemon zest. Enjoy. If you have comments or delicious recipes for vegans, non-dairy, or gluten free, please feel free to share them. Next up on the vegan side will be a wonderful vegan ginger cookie so stay tuned.
Sounds very yummy!
The good news on this cake is that it is better day 2 and even better on day 3. So next time, will make it well ahead with confidence. I would never have guessed that it is a vegan cake.
I love orange cakes and have a similar recipe that will also include your friends with gluten-sensitivity or Celiac’s Disease. Instead of flour, use polenta and almond flour. The cake has a bit of a crunch, but is still simply yummy!