This orange and walnut drizzle cake is a wonderfully moist loaf, packed with the bright freshness of oranges and the rich nutty crunch of walnuts. Finished with an orange drizzle, this cake is simple to make, yet tastes really special. Perfect for afternoon tea or a sweet treat in a lunch box.
Ever since the success of my pineapple coconut cake, which has been my top recipe since I first posted it about 5 years ago, I've been trying to come up with another cake which would be as popular. And I think I've cracked it with this orange and walnut drizzle cake!
This orange drizzle cake has a soft, moist crumb, packed with the fresh taste of oranges with added crunch from chopped walnuts. To finish it off, and enhance both the texture of the cake and the flavour of the oranges, I drizzled the finished cake with a couple of tablespoons of fresh orange juice and sugar as soon as it came out of the oven.
All I can say is WOW! This orange walnut cake is delicious. Even my husband, who doesn't have a sweet tooth in his head, said 'Oh this is nice - I can really taste the oranges' when I finally managed to convince him to try it! Plus he actually took a slice of it for his lunch when he went down to the allotment today.
The cake is made with fresh orange juice (instead of milk), which adds to the orange flavour. Other than that, this is a standard cake mixture, using just flour, sugar, butter and eggs. I've added chopped walnuts to provide extra texture, but you can leave them out if you prefer a plain cake. The only other ingredient is a splash of orange extract, which is also optional, but does provide a deeper orange flavour.
This orange and walnut drizzle cake is quite small; the batter fitted perfectly into a small 4 x 7-inch loaf tin. If you want to make a larger cake, you can double all the ingredients and add a few extra minutes to the baking time.
Jump to:
Why you'll love this orange walnut drizzle cake
- Fresh and zesty - bursting with orange flavours in both the sponge and the drizzle.
- Nutty crunch - walnuts add a lovely texture to the softness of the cake.
- Simple yet special - easy to make, but with an amazing unique flavour.
- Moist and light - the sponge is light and soft, while the drizzle keeps the cake moist.
- Versatile - perfect with a cup of tea, or dress it up with cream or ice cream for a delicious dessert.
Recipe information
Prep time: 10 minutes to mix the cake batter.
Cooking time: 25 to 30 minutes to bake the cake according to the ingredients in the recipe. If you want to double the recipe to make a larger cake it will take 40 to 45 minutes to bake.
Yield: This recipe yields 8 to 10 slices, depending on how thickly you slice them.
Ingredients for the orange walnut drizzle cake
**You can find the exact ingredient measurements on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
- Oranges. There are 2 oranges in the photo, but if the oranges are very juicy, you will only need one. You only need the juice. Substitute with fresh orange juice from a carton.
- Flour. This is self-raising flour. You could also use plain or all-purpose flour and add one teaspoon of baking powder for each cup (140 grams) of flour.
- Sugar. Caster sugar is best to use because it creams more easily into the butter, but granulated sugar could be used instead.
- Butter. I like to use unsalted butter for making cakes. A good quality baking margarine (such as Stork) can also be used. The butter should be at room temperature, which makes it much easier to cream with the sugar.
- Walnuts. These are optional, but highly recommended. Leaving them out won't affect the texture of the cake (apart from there not being any crunch).
- Orange extract (which I forgot to include in the photo). This can be bought in the baking aisle in any supermarket, normally where you would buy vanilla essence. It's optional, but a teaspoon of orange extract adds to the orange flavour of the cake. Substitute with vanilla essence, or leave it out.
Instructions
Step 1: Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, with a slightly grainy texture. Scrape down the sides of a bowl with a spatula to ensure all of the butter and sugar are combined. This should take 3 to 4 minutes.
Step 2: Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. If you find the mixture curdles slightly, add a tablespoon of flour with the last egg, which should help to emulsify the mixture.
Step 3: Stir in the orange juice, orange extract, baking powder (if using plain flour) and half of the flour until well combined, then gently fold in the remaining flour. Do not beat the mixture.
Step 4: Stir in the chopped walnuts.
Step 5: Transfer the orange cake batter into a 4 x 7-inch loaf tin, which has been lined with a baking liner or baking parchment. Bake in a preheated oven (180C / 360F) for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown.
Step 6: Mix the sugar and orange in a small bowl until the sugar has dissolved. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, use a toothpick or thin wooden skewer to poke holes all over the top of the cake, then spoon the orange juice mixture evenly over the top.
Allow the cake to cool to room temperature before slicing.
Tips for a successful outcome
Here are my top tips to ensure your orange walnut drizzle cake turns out perfectly every time:
- Make sure the butter is at room temperature - if you keep the butter in the refrigerator, place it on the counter half an hour before you plan on making the cake, to give it time to soften.
- Sometimes, when you add eggs to butter and sugar, it seems as though the mixture is curdling. This is nothing to worry about, but you can prevent it from happening by adding one tablespoon of the measured flour with the first egg. The addition of a little flour helps emulsify the mixture.
- Stir in half of the flour with the orange juice, and once it's all combined, fold in the rest of the flour. Work as gently as possible so you don't knock all the air out of the cake mixture.
- Similarly, when stirring in the walnuts, stir just enough to distribute the walnuts evenly through the batter.
- The time to bake the cake may vary, depending on the size of the pan. For my cake (baked in a 4 x 7-inch loaf tin) it took 25 minutes. I tested it after 20 minutes because it looked quite brown, but there was still a little batter clinging to the toothpick I inserted in the middle. I covered it with tinfoil for the final 5 minutes so it didn't brown further.
- The orange juice and sugar drizzle should be spooned over the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven, so it can soak into the warm cake. Prick the cake all over with a toothpick and spoon the orange juice over slowly, taking care to cover the entire cake.
Variations
You could easily turn this orange drizzle cake into a lemon drizzle cake - here are a few tips on how to do it:
- Swap the orange juice for an equal amount of lemon juice
- Lemons are sharper than oranges, so the cake may taste more tart. This is how to modify the sugar:
- If you like a tangy cake, keep the amount of sugar the same.
- If you prefer a sweeter cake, you can add an extra 2 to 3 tablespoons of sugar to the batter, or make the drizzle slightly sweeter by adding extra sugar.
Other variations:
- Nuts - swap the walnuts for chopped pecans, hazelnuts or pistachios.
- Coconut - leave out the walnuts and add half a cup of coconut to the mixture.
- Dried fruit - swap the walnuts for sultanas - oranges and sultanas make a great flavour/texture combination.
Equipment
These are the main items of equipment you will need to make this orange drizzle cake:
- Orange juicer to squeeze the juice from the oranges.
- Large mixing bowl to mix the batter.
- Electric hand mixer or wooden spoon for mixing.
- Spatula for folding in the flour.
- A 1-pound loaf tin (normally 4" x 7" in size) to bake the cake.
Storage
Store the cake in a covered container on the counter. It will stay fresh for 3 to 4 days.
You can also freeze the cake. Wrap the cooled cake in a layer of aluminium foil and either wrap it in plastic wrap or place it in a large freezer bag. Freeze for up to 4 months. Defrost the cake on the counter and allow it to come to room temperature before eating.
FAQ
The cake should be golden brown on top, and a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean with no raw batter sticking to it.
Absolutely. Cream cheese frosting (combine cream cheese with icing sugar) makes a delicious frosting.
Save for later
If you would like to make this orange walnut drizzle cake why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
Related recipes
Visit my cakes, biscuits and dessert recipes page for other easy bakes. Here are a few you might enjoy:
📋The recipe
Orange and walnut drizzle cake
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Ingredients
Orange and walnut cake
- ½ cup / 113 grams butter at room temperature
- ⅔ cup / 125 grams sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup / 140 grams self-raising flour add 1 teaspoon of baking powder if using plain or all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon orange essence or extract
- ¼ cup / 60 ml fresh orange juice approx half a large orange
- ½ cup / 50 grams walnuts chopped into small pieces
Orange drizzle
- ¼ cup / 60 ml fresh orange juice approx half a large orange
- 2 tablespoons / 25 grams sugar
- Extra walnuts for decoration optional
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, with a slightly grainy texture. Scrape down the sides of a bowl with a spatula to ensure all of the butter and sugar are combined. This should take 3 to 4 minutes.½ cup / 113 grams butter, ⅔ cup / 125 grams sugar
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. If you find the mixture curdles slightly, add a tablespoon of flour with the last egg, which should help to emulsify the mixture.2 large eggs
- Stir in the orange juice, orange extract, baking powder (if using plain flour) and half of the flour until well combined, then gently fold in the remaining flour. Do not beat the mixture.1 cup / 140 grams self-raising flour, 1 teaspoon orange essence or extract, ¼ cup / 60 ml fresh orange juice
- Stir in the chopped walnuts.½ cup / 50 grams walnuts
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 180C / 360F
- Transfer the mixture to a 4" x 7" loaf tin (1 pound tin), which has been lined with a cake liner or baking parchment.
- Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out cleanly.
Orange drizzle
- Combine the orange juice with the sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved.¼ cup / 60 ml fresh orange juice, 2 tablespoons / 25 grams sugar
- As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, use a toothpick to prick holes all over the cake and spoon the drizzle over the cake while it is still hot.
- Leave the cake to cool in the tin to room temperature before slicing.
- Optionally, decorate with extra crushed walnuts.
Notes
- Make sure the butter is at room temperature - if you keep the butter in the refrigerator, place it on the counter half an hour before you plan on making the cake, to give it time to soften.
- Sometimes, when you add eggs to butter and sugar, it seems as though the mixture is curdling. This is nothing to worry about, but you can prevent it from happening by adding one tablespoon of the measured flour with the first egg. The addition of a little flour helps emulsify the mixture.
- Stir in half of the flour with the orange juice, and once it's all combined, fold in the rest of the flour. Work as gently as possible so you don't knock all the air out of the cake mixture.
- Similarly, when stirring in the walnuts, stir just enough to distribute the walnuts evenly through the batter.
- The time to bake the cake may vary, depending on the size of the pan. For my cake (baked in a 4 x 7-inch loaf tin) it took 25 minutes. I tested it after 20 minutes because it looked quite brown, but there was still a little batter clinging to the toothpick I inserted in the middle. I covered it with tinfoil for the final 5 minutes so it didn't brown further.
- The orange juice and sugar drizzle should be spooned over the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven, so it can soak into the warm cake. Prick the cake all over with a toothpick and spoon the orange juice over slowly, taking care to cover the entire cake.
- Store the cake in a covered container on the counter. It will stay fresh for 3 to 4 days.
- You can also freeze the cake. Wrap the cooled cake in a layer of aluminium foil and either wrap it in plastic wrap or place it in a large freezer bag. Freeze for up to 4 months. Defrost the cake on the counter and allow it to come to room temperature before eating.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
If you made this recipe and enjoyed it, I'd love it if you could give me a star rating in the comments below. And if you'd like to get in touch, you can email me at [email protected]. I'd love to hear from you. And don't forget to subscribe to my mailing list so you can grab yourself a copy of my FREE COOKBOOK!
If you'd like to continue browsing, just click on this link to all my recipes.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!