Orange Syrup Cake

This is the best orange syrup cake you’ll ever try! Made with real orange zest and juice, it is packed full of citrus flavour with a buttery, tender crumb. It’s also ultra-moist and wonderfully zesty, thanks to a drizzle of simple orange syrup. Served warm with a dollop of cream, it will be love at first bite!

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Easy to make – with simple, everyday ingredients.
• Bursting with orange flavour.
• It’s garnished with vibrant, colourful orange slices, making it an impressive, show-stopping dessert with minimal effort.
• Stays moist for days.
• Perfect for any occasion – serve it for Easter, morning or afternoon tea, parties, Mothers’ Day or special occasions.
• Oranges are available year-round, so this cake can be enjoyed any time.

Incredibly moist and tender from the sweet orange syrup, this beautiful cake is lovely enjoyed warm with a dollop of cream.

Ingredients you will need

** This post contains tips and instructions to achieve the best possible results. This photo is a great guide for when you are in the supermarket, but for full ingredient quantities and methods, please scroll down to the detailed recipe card below!

• Oranges – any type of fresh oranges can be used in this recipe, so choose your favourite or whatever is in season. Blood oranges, Navel oranges or Valencia are great options. Choose freshly picked oranges with firm, bright peel. Both the zest and juice of the oranges are used, as well as thin slices of orange for the topping. A seedless variety is recommended (but not essential), as nobody wants to bite into a seed!
• Hazelnut meal – also called hazelnut flour, hazelnut meal is made by grounding whole, raw hazelnuts. In this recipe, it gives the cake an incredibly tender, soft crumb and the sweet and earthy flavour pairs beautifully with the oranges. Hazelnut meal can be found in most supermarkets and specialty stores or you can make your own. It can be swapped for equal quantities of almond meal, if preferred.
• Caster sugar – also called superfine sugar, caster sugar sweetens and tenderises the cake and forms the base of the simple orange syrup.
• Eggs – 4 whole eggs provide structure, moisture and richness. They should be at room temperature before use, so they easily incorporate into the batter.
• Butter – unsalted butter, softened at room temperature. Use real butter rather than margarine or butter substitutes, for maximum richness and to enhance the flavours of the cake. You’ll need a little extra to grease the cake tin too.
• Sour cream – using sour cream ensures the cake is super-moist. Use regular, full-fat sour cream for best results.

Step by step guide

Full ingredient notes and quantities can be found in the detailed recipe card below. But here is a brief overview of what you can expect;

Grease a 20 cm (8 inch) cake tin and line the bottom and at least 1-2 cm of the sides with baking paper.

Step 1 – Make the orange syrup;

Add the orange juice and caster sugar to a large pot and bring to a low simmer until the sugar has dissolved.

Add the orange slices and simmer until soft (image 2).

Gently remove the orange slices from the syrup and lightly tap any excess syrup from the slices. Set aside the orange syrup to use later.

Arrange the orange slices in a single layer along the bottom of the cake tin, with the edges slightly overlapping (image 3).

Tip: shake as much syrup as possible from the orange slices before arranging them in the tin. Excess syrup can burn at the bottom of the tin.

Step 2 – Make the orange cake;

Use a wooden spoon to cream the butter, caster sugar and orange zest together in a bowl until pale and fluffy.

Alternatively, handheld electric beaters can be used.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined.

In a small bowl, whisk the flour, hazelnut meal and baking powder together until combined.

Fold in half of the flour mixture, reserving the other half, until just combined (image 8).

Stir in the orange juice and sour cream until combined (image 9).

Add the remaining flour mixture and fold until just combined (image 11).

Gently pour the cake batter into the tin, on top of the arranged orange slices.

Step 3 – Bake;

Cover the top of the cake tin with foil. Bake until the cake is fluffy and springs back in the middle when lightly pressed (full cooking times in recipe card below).

Step 4 – Drizzle with orange syrup;

Place a wire cooling rack above a large tray. The tray will catch the excess orange syrup so it doesn’t run all over your bench.

Gently turn the finished cake out onto the cooling rack (orange slices facing up).

Use a wooden skewer to poke holes into the top of the cake, being careful not to dislodge the orange slices (image 14).

Carefully pour the reserved orange syrup over the top of the cake while it is still warm.

The syrup soaks into the top of the cake through the little holes, making it even more moist and flavourful.

Slice and serve with a dollop of whipped cream, mascarpone or natural yoghurt.

Expert tips

• Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature. This will help them incorporate into the batter more easily and ensure the batter is smooth, with no lumps.
• For accuracy, weigh your ingredients using a baking or kitchen scale. The measurements need to be precise to ensure you end up with a perfectly tender and moist cake. Too much flour will result in a dry, dense cake.
• Don’t overmix the cake batter. Gently fold in the dry ingredients until just combined. Overmixing can result in a dry or rubbery cake.
• Line the cake tin with baking paper. Don’t skip this step. Baking paper must be used to line the tin, or the sliced oranges will stick to the bottom of the tin and become burnt and bitter. Use a single layer of baking paper, cut to fit the bottom of the tin and run slightly up the sides.
• I recommend leaving the peel on the orange slices used to decorate the cake. Leaving the peel on provides extra orange flavour and adds to the overall presentation, but you can remove the peel if you prefer.
• Gently tap the excess syrup from the orange slices, before adding them to the cake tin. Excess syrup can burn at the bottom of the tin as the cake bakes.
• This cake is best eaten when warm. It can be sliced and eaten straight after being soaked in the orange syrup. If the cake has cooled by the time you want to eat it, warm individual pieces in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.
• Serve it with a big dollop of double cream, mascarpone, crème fraiche or unsweetened natural yoghurt.

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Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in November 2019, but was re-published with new information and photos in July 2023.