Orange and Poppy Seed Cake

Why you’ll love it

Orange and poppy seed cake is zesty, citrusy, and pairs wonderfully with a cuppa. The crunch of the poppy seeds as well as their mildly nutty and sweet flavour is the perfect match for bright oranges and earthy vanilla.

• An unmistakable hit of orange flavour from both the juice and zest of fresh oranges.
• The crumb is tight yet tender, soft, and moist.
• It’s a bundt cake so it’s effortlessly beautiful. Plus, single-layer cakes are so easy to make.
• The 2 ingredient orange glaze takes just minutes to make.
• It stays perfectly moist for 3-4 days!

I love baking just as much as I love cooking, so I’m constantly experimenting in my kitchen. But I love simplicity, so single layer cakes with an easy icing like this bundt cake are definitely my jam. Check out this much-loved Greek orange semolina cake too.

This orange & poppy seed cake is my latest bundt love – it’s perfect served for a morning or afternoon tea, or even a special occasion since she’s so pretty.

Detailed quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.

• Oranges: For the gorgeous citrus flavors from fresh orange juice and zest in this orange and poppy seed cake recipe, you’ll need 3 medium-sized oranges. It’s used in both the batter and the glaze. You could also use blood oranges if they’re in season but you’ll need more of them as they are generally a smaller orange.
• Plain Yoghurt: Make sure it’s at room temperature. You could use Greek yogurt instead.
• Vanilla: A teaspoon of vanilla extract adds a certain warmth and earthiness to this orange bundt cake — in the best way possible.
• Flour: Use plain flour (aka all-purpose flour). Or, if you want to make this gluten-free, use your preferred GF blend.
• Baking Powder: To help your orange cake rise.
• Poppy Seeds: Nutty, sweet, and subtle, poppy seeds make this cake a lot more interesting — both visually and in terms of texture and taste. You can leave them out though if you don’t like them and you’ll still have a gorgeous orange bundt cake.
• Salted Butter: I’m not adding any extra salt to the batter, which is why I lean on salted butter. That said, you could use unsalted plus an extra ¼ teaspoon of salt if that’s what you have on hand.
• Vegetable Oil: I like canola oil or rice bran oil.
• Eggs: 3 whole large eggs at room temperature are needed for this orange poppyseed cake.
• Sugar: You’ll use granulated sugar in the cake batter and icing sugar (also called powdered sugar) for the orange glaze.

Detailed quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.

1. Prepare the oranges: Start by zesting the oranges – I always use a microplane for this as it gets the zest without getting the bitter white pith beneath it. Once you have about 2 tablespoons of zest, place it in a small jug and set aside. Next, juice the oranges until you get ⅔ cup of orange juice. Add half of it to the orange zest jug and save the rest for the glaze. Add your vanilla and yoghurt along with the zest and juice.
2. Combine the dry ingredients: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and poppy seeds in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Cream the butter and sugar: Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium speed until they are blended together nicely (photo 1). You can use a handheld electric mixer too.
4. Add the oil: Add the vegetable oil and beat for another few minutes. The mixture should become very pale and fluffy (photo 2).

5. Next, the eggs: Reduce the speed to low and incorporate the eggs one at a time, making sure to mix after you add each one (photo 3).
6. Incorporate the dry ingredients: Add one-third of the flour mixture to the bowl and continue to mix on low until it’s almost fully combined (photo 4).

7. Add the orange and yoghurt mixture: Pour about half of the orange zest, juice, and yoghurt mixture into the bowl and beat again on low until combined (photo 5). Repeat the process and add half of the remaining flour, then the yoghurt mix. Finally, use a spatula to mix through the very last portion of the flour mixture. Be careful not to overmix!
8. Add the batter to the tin: Gently pour the orange and poppy seed cake batter into your prepared bundt tin (photo 6).
9. Bake: Bake your bundt cake for 35-40 minutes. Let it cool in the tin for 5-10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Say a little prayer that you got into all those nooks and crevices when you greased and floured the pan.
10. Make the icing: When your orange poppy seed cake has cooled down, you simply combine the icing sugar and orange juice then pour it over the orange poppy seed bundt cake and garnish with some extra orange zest. Enjoy!

Storage

Leftovers will keep 3-4 days in an airtight container at room temperature. I don’t recommend storing it in the refrigerator, as the fridge tends to dry out cakes. Orange and poppy seed cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. Let it thaw overnight before enjoying.

More recipes you’ll love

• Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Blood Orange Jelly
• Orange Almond Crescent Cookies
• Orange Marshmallows
• Blood Orange Loaf Cake
• Orange Donuts with Pomegranate Icing