Portuguese Orange Cake Recipe (Moist + Fluffy!)

This from scratch, yet simple, Portuguese orange cake recipe is moist and fragrant, with the most unreal bright orange flavour. It's definitely one of the best cake recipes I've got. Similar texture to a sponge cake, but with more moisture than even the best airy cakes you may have had. Both the zest and juice of three oranges are involved, so it is wonderfully orange-y and citrus-y.

4.50 from 8 votes

Portuguese Orange Cake Recipe (Moist + Fluffy!)

This from scratch, yet simple, Portuguese orange cake recipe is moist and fragrant, with the most unreal bright orange flavour. It's definitely one of the best cake recipes I've got. Similar texture to a sponge cake, but with more moisture than even the best airy cakes you may have had. Both the zest and juice of three oranges are involved, so it is wonderfully orange-y and citrus-y.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Portuguese

Keyword: Orange Cake, Orange Cake Recipe, Portuguese Orange Cake

Servings:

Author: Jennifer Pallian BSc, RD

Ingredients

⅔ cup butter softened
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs separated, room temperature
3 large oranges room temperature
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
Confectioners' sugar for dusting (optional)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease an 8x8" baking dish or line with parchment paper.
Beat butter and sugar on medium speed of electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2/3 cup butter, 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each.
4 large eggs
With mixer on low speed, add the zest and juice from all three oranges. The mixture will appear curdled at first - that's ok.
Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until it comes together, pausing to scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
3 large oranges
In a separate bowl, whisk flour and baking powder. With mixer speed on low, gradually beat into the butter mixture until just incorporated.
1 tsp baking powder, 2 cups all purpose flour
In another bowl, whip egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the whites into the cake batter to lighten it up, then gently fold in the rest. (Use a light hand so you don't deflate the whites.)
4 large eggs
Scrape batter into prepared baking pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, until top feels springy when gently pressed and tester inserted in centre comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
Internal temperature will be 190ºF on a meat thermometer.
Once cake is cooled, dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired.
Confectioners' sugar

Video

Notes

Orange yield: The original recipe was given to me as written, for 3 large oranges, and I've made it dozens of time using this quantity without measuring specific quantities of juice. That tells me that the recipe is very forgiving. But as a general guideline: N

Zest: From three large oranges, you might get around 3 to 4 tablespoons of zest.
Juice: These oranges should yield about 1 cup of juice.

Serving: Serve with a dusting of confectioners' sugar, a fluffy dollop of whipped cream, or a scoop of softened vanilla ice cream.

Make ahead: Store cake at room temperature, not in the fridge. Leftovers freeze well!

Nutrition