Vegan orange loaf cake - this delicious vegan orange cake with chocolate glaze tastes like a giant jaffa cake!
It is moist, tender, orangey and easy to make. A perfect cake for snacking, afternoon tea or a celebration.
This vegan orange loaf cake is addictively good!
It is a moist, tender orange cake made with fresh orange juice and zest, and is topped with melted chocolate; because what is better than chocolate and orange?!
It would be a wonderful cake to make for an Easter celebration, or just for snacking on at any time of year.
I adapted this recipe from my very popular vegan lemon drizzle cake recipe; it turns out it works extremely well in orange too!
What Do I Need To Make Vegan Orange Loaf Cake?:
Oranges: Can't make orange cake without oranges. Most of the flavour comes from the zest rather than the juice so I add the finely grated zest of three large oranges plus 120ml / ½ cup of juice. Either freshly squeezed or from a carton is fine.
Non-dairy milk: Any kind should work but do use unsweetened if you can. Soy is best for baking as it has the highest protein content so that is what I always use.
Non-dairy yogurt: Non dairy yogurt is one of my favourite ingredients to use in vegan baking, it gives cakes a lovely texture and helps keep them moist. Either coconut or soy yogurt works well; I use the Coconut Collaborative. I haven't tested any substitutes for the yogurt.
Olive oil: I like to use olive oil as I think that the flavour goes well with orange. Use a mild one, not extra virgin. You can swap it for another neutral oil if you prefer.
Orange extract: I like to give the orange flavour a boost with a bit of orange extract. Make sure it is extract rather than essence so it doesn't taste artificial. You can swap it for vanilla extract if you don't have any orange.
Plain flour and cornflour: Regular plain (all-purpose) flour with a bit of cornflour (cornstarch) added gives the crumb a nice texture. You can swap the cornflour for an equal weight of plain flour if you don't have any, but I do recommend using it if you can.
Ground almonds: Ground almonds give this cake a beautiful texture. I really, really recommend using them if you can. If you can't have nuts then you can try swapping them for an equal weight of plain flour.
Baking powder and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda): You really do need both for the best texture and rise.
Caster sugar: Caster sugar is best for baking as it's fine grain means that it dissolves into the batter easily. You can use granulated instead if that is all you have.
For The Chocolate Glaze:
Dark chocolate: I use a 70% dark chocolate as I prefer the glaze to not be overly sweet. Any kind of chocolate you like should be fine however. (Don't use chocolate chips, they are designed to not melt properly).
Coconut oil: Adding a little bit of coconut oil to the chocolate prevents it from setting too solid. You can swap it for vegan butter if you want.
How To Make Vegan Orange Loaf Cake:
(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
Sift the flour, cornflour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl then whisk in the ground almonds, sugar and salt.
In a jug whisk together orange juice and zest, vegan yogurt, vegan milk, olive oil and orange extract.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir with a balloon whisk until no dry lumps remain. Be careful not to overbeat the batter as that can make the cake tough.
Pour the batter into a greased and lined 2lb loaf tin and bake for about 1 hour until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the tin for 20 minutes then carefully turn it out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
Once the cake is cool, heat the chopped chocolate and the coconut oil in a bain marie until just melted. Don't let it get too hot or the chocolate may sieze.
Allow it to cool and thicken slightly then pour the chocolate over the top of the cake and serve.
Top Tips:
Try adding a couple of handfuls of chocolate chips to the batter for an extra chocolate hit!
Be careful not to over-beat the cake batter as that can make the cake tough. Just stir it with a balloon whisk until no dry lumps remain. Make sure that your wet ingredients and your dry ingredients are very well combined (in their separate bowls) BEFORE you mix the two together.
Grease your tin well and line it with baking parchment to ensure that your cake doesn't stick. Leave a strip overhanging on either side so that you can lift the cake out of the tin easily.
The cake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for four to five days.
Can I Make A Vegan Orange Drizzle Cake Instead?:
Yes! Instead of adding the chocolate glaze you can easily turn this into a vegan orange drizzle cake.
While the cake is in the oven, mix together 3 tbsp orange juice, 1 Tbsp lemon juice and 50g caster or granulated sugar in a small pan.
Heat while stirring until the sugar has dissolved then set aside.
When the cake is baked, let it cool in the tin for 10 minutes then poke holes all over the top with a cocktail stick.
Drizzle the syrup all over the top of the cake, making sure that you pour it around the edges as well as in the middle.
Leave the cake to cool in the tin.
Can I Freeze It?:
Yes this vegan orange loaf cake freezes well, either whole or in slices.
Freeze well wrapped or in a freezerproof container for up to three months. Make sure the cake is completely cold before you freeze it.
If you are freezing it whole I recommend NOT adding the chocolate before freezing. Allow the cake to defrost at room temperature then add the glaze.
More Vegan Loaf Cakes:
Vegan Earl Grey Tea Loaf
A slice of this easy, fat-free fruity tea loaf spread with vegan butter is an ideal mid-morning or afternoon snack.
Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake
The ultimate vegan lemon drizzle cake recipe! A soft, moist, easy to make & intensely lemony loaf cake soaked in tangy lemon syrup & lemon glaze.
Vegan Marble Cake
Vegan marble cake - this vegan chocolate and vanilla pound cake is moist, soft and very moreish!
Vegan Carrot Cake Loaf
Vegan carrot cake loaf - this is the best vegan carrot cake! Easy to make, moist, sweet and spicy with a zingy lemon glaze.
If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess
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Vegan Orange Loaf Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 280 g (2 ¼ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 20 g (2 packed Tbsp) cornflour (cornstarch)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 50 g (½ cup) ground almonds
- 200 g (1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- finely grated zest of 3 large oranges
- 120 ml (½ cup) orange juice
- 90 g (6 Tbsp) non-dairy yogurt (I use the Coconut Collaborative)
- 90 ml (6 Tbsp) non-dairy milk (I use soy)
- 120 ml (½ cup) mild olive oil (or another neutral oil)
- 1 tsp orange extract (or use vanilla)
Chocolate Glaze:
- 100 g (3 ½ oz) dark chocolate chopped
- 10 g (2 ½ tsp) coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Grease an approx 11.5 x 21.5 cm / 4.5 x 8.5 in loaf tin (2lb loaf tin) and line it with baking parchment.
- Sift the flour, cornflour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl then whisk in the ground almonds, sugar and salt.
- In a jug whisk together the orange juice and zest, vegan yogurt, vegan milk, olive oil and orange extract.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir with a balloon whisk until no dry lumps remain. Be careful not to overbeat the batter as that can make the cake tough.
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for about 1 hour until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the tin for 20 minutes then carefully turn it out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
- Once the cake is cool, place the chopped chocolate and the coconut oil in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Do not let the base of the bowl touch the water.
- Stir until the chocolate is just melted then remove it from the heat. Do not let it get too hot or it may sieze.
- Allow it to cool and thicken slightly then pour the chocolate over the top of the cake and serve.
Notes
- For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them. A gram is always a gram, but a cup won’t always measure out the same amount.
- Be careful not to over-beat the cake batter as that can make the cake tough. Just stir it with a balloon whisk until no dry lumps remain. Make sure that your wet ingredients and your dry ingredients are very well combined (in their separate bowls) BEFORE you mix the two together.
- Read the post above for tips, substitutions and step-by-step photos.
Julie
Can this be frozen, if so would it be with or without the topping.
Hannah
Hi Julie, if you are freezing it in advance to serve later I would freeze it without the topping. If you are just freezing leftovers then with topping is fine.
Mickey
I've made this twice now and I love and everybody has liked!
The 1st time I used neutral oil but the 2nd I'd ran out so used mainly olive oil and stirred some choc chips through, both times have been delicious.
Jenny
How much will it affect the cake if I use almond milk instead of soy milk?
Hannah
Hi Jenny, that will be fine.
Oni
Hi Hannah,
Would love to make this cake can it be done without the sugar? Could I sub with Agave or other sweetener instead of the caster sugar.
Thanks Oni
Hannah
Hi Oni, no, that would affect the texture of the cake. You can use coconut sugar though if you want a natural alternative.
George
I have made this following the recipe exactly but reducing the sugar by a half and adding in a plant sugar substitute instead, it turns out perfect !! Coconut sugar would add a different taste in my opinion.
Benny
Hi Hannah, I love this recipe but would like to try it as a sandwich cake with buttercream. Would this recipe as is be adequate for 2 6in pans?
Thanks
Hannah
Hi Benny, yes there would be adequate batter, perhaps even a little too much depending on how deep the pans are.
Vicky
I made this minus the glaze as a way of veganising a different recipe for a cranberry, orange and marzipan loaf - followed the main recipe and at the end stirred in 50g cubed marzipan and 150g fresh cranberries. It was absolutely delicious, so moist and flavourful. I used oat milk and sunflower oil
Genevieve Cooke
Another fantastic recipe. Thank you!
Siobhan Murphy
Can I use an alternative to vegan yoghurt
Hannah
Hi Siobhan, you could try unsweetened applesauce, aquafaba or just more milk.
Lauren
amazing as always! I'm always worried about loaf cakes sinking on themselves but the structure was perfect and still really soft 😀
Olivia
Made a lemon version of this with a powdered sugar glaze. My husband ate half of it within the hour. I will make the orange version for Christmas! (perhaps 2 instead of 1) Thank you for this recipe!