Just in time for all the holiday baking!
And it just happens to be the easiest cake you will ever make in your life!
Orange Cardamom Cake with vanilla bean cardamom icing
Orange and cardamom are exotic partners
Light and fluffy orange cake batter that is ready in less than five minutes!
Well you still have to bake it! But the batter itself is ready in less than five minutes!
Simply throw all the ingredients into a food processor ~ orange skins and all!
While the cake layers are baking the orange cardamom icing gets whipped up!
A beautiful rustic decor of dried orange slices and fresh rosemary sprigs make this one festive holiday cake!
Candied Cranberries for garnish are optional but they are a staple in my house all winter long since they store really well in the freezer
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Pan Sizes and Baking Times & Notes for Success:
Making this one into 2 thick 8″ cake layers for a more rustic look
But you can bake this cake batter into any size pan(s) you prefer, even cupcakes would be amazing with this recipe!
Rule of thumb for changing pan sizes for any recipe is to fill the pans just a handful more than half way full to give the batter ample room to rise properly
3-7″ Layers, 24 Cupcakes, 1- 9″ x 13″ layer, 4- 6″ layers, 1 Large Loaf pan (10″ x 5″ x 4″) or 1 – 12 cup capacity bundt pan
Be aware that I am using a 14 cup capacity food processor and this recipe takes it to the max
If you do not have that size food processor, you can simply blend the oranges separately & then add it into the batter which can all be mixed by hand in a large mixing bowl
Smaller oranges like navels or clementines are the best oranges to use for this recipe since the skin is much thinner with bright citrus and floral notes
The recipe below calls for 10 ounces of total orange weight which is approximately 4-5 small clementines
Be sure to wash the orange skin thoroughly and pull out the hard stem
Also cut them open to remove any seeds before adding to the food processor
Many people have had problems using cake flour in their recipes, so I have adjusted the recipe to use all ~ All Purpose flour instead
Butter Emulsion in the Buttercream Recipe is optional but I do love the addition!
GLUTEN FREE OPTION!
While I am not an avid gluten free baker this recipe works great with a 1:1 GF blend like Bob’s Red Mill in the total amount listed for both flours
Last, I bought the dried orange slices for the decor for this cake, but you can always make your own with a dehydrator
WATCH THE FULL VIDEO FOR HOW TO MAKE THIS CAKE
Orange Cardamom Cake
Ingredients
For the Orange Cake Batter
- 1½ cup Plant Milk (350ml)
- 4-5 small clementine oranges (10 Ounces)
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (10ml)
- 3¾ cup All Purpose Flour (470g)
- 3 teaspoon Egg Replacer
- 1½ cup Granulated Sugar (300g)
- 6 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoon Ground Cardamom
- 18 Tbs Vegan Butter or Vegetable Oil (270ml)
For the Cardamom Icing:
- 3 cup Vegan Butter (6 sticks) (672g)
- 6 cup Confectioners Sugar (720g)
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste
- 1 teaspoon Butter Extract *optional
- Salt ¼ teaspoon
- Ground Cardamom 3 teaspoons
- Orange Zest from 1 large navel orange (2 teaspoons)
for the garnish
- Candied Cranberries optional
- Dried Orange Slices for garnish
- Rosemary Sprigs for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F & grease & parchment line 2-8" cake pans
- First wash the oranges with their skins with warm water & remove the hard stem of the orange (if there are any) also check the oranges inside for seeds by slicing them in half & remove seeds if there are any. The skins stay on the orange, so leave that intact.
- Place all of the cake ingredients including the oranges into a food processor and processor until smooth batter (about 1 minute) *SEE NOTES ~ YOU WILL NEED A 14 Cup Capacity for this recipe!
- Divide the batter evenly between your 2 cake pans & bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 15 minutes then I like to turn the oven temperature down to 300°F for another 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Next prepare the orange cardamom icing Whip the vegan butter with an electric mixer until light & fluffy on medium to high speed for about 3 minutes.
- Scrape the sides & bottom of the bowl to make sure it is evenly mixed then add the salt, cardamom, orange zest & the extracts
- Turn the mixer speed down to low & add the sifted confectioners sugar one cup at a time
- Mix on low speed until all is incorporated , then scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl again & whip on high speed for another 3 minutes.
- Once the cakes are cooled (I like to put mine in the refrigerator for at least an hour or overnight wrapped well before building the cake to make sure it is nice & cold)
- Ice the cake as shown in the video tutorial & decorate with candied cranberries, dried orange slices & fresh rosemary sprigs
Video
Notes
Rule of thumb for changing pan sizes for any recipe is to fill the pans just a handful more than half way full to give the batter ample room to rise properly 3-7" Layers, 24 Cupcakes, 1- 9" x 13" layer, 4- 6" layers, 1 Large Loaf pan (10" x 5" x 4") or 1 - 12 cup capacity bundt pan Be aware that I am using a 14 cup capacity food processor and this recipe takes it to the max, if you do not have that size food processor, you can simply blend the oranges separately & then add it into the batter which can all be mixed by hand in a large mixing bowl Smaller oranges like navels or clementines are the best oranges to use for this recipe since the skin is much thinner with bright citrus and floral notes While I am not an avid gluten free baker this recipe works great with a 1:1 GF blend like Bob's Red Mill in the total amount listed for both flours Storage Orange Cardamom Cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days, for longer storage refrigerate for up to 1 week
In the video you show adding cardamom to the cake batter, but I don’t see it listed with the cake ingredients. How much cardamom did you use in the cake itself?
Hey thank you so much for catching that! I used 2 teaspoons in the batter!
How do you dry the orange slices? They are beautiful!
Hi Kelly, thanks for the reminder, I have to make a note of this, I bought dehydrated orange slices, but if you can’t find them or don’t want to buy them you can dry them yourself.
Google recipes for dried orange slices or CLICK HERE
I’m in the UK and wondered if you could use flax seed nsteD of egg replacer, if so how much please.
Hi Shirley, I would not add flax to this since this cake is already really moist, the addition of flax could make it a bit heavy. If you have another egg replacer (like Orgran or some store brand dry blend that is similar to Bob’s Red Mill? ~ I’m not sure what you have over in UK) But if not just leave it out altogether! It won’t be a detriment to this recipe if you leave it out! 🙂
Thank you
I am so excited to try this recipe. You say 3tsp of Bobs red mill egg replacer (how many eggs is this) and do you add water to the egg replacer or just add the powder to the mix? Can I substitute with apple sauce if so how much.
Hi Tracy, this recipe was not developed from an egg recipe, so I can’t really say. But If you don’t have Bob’s egg replacer you can use any other dry blend mix that you like the best and no I do not reconstitute, I add it with the dry ingredients.
I do not like to use applesauce as an egg replacer (to me it is an oil replacer) since it will make the cake heavy & borderline gummy So if you do not have any egg replacer at all.. just leave it out. It will not be detrimental to the recipe
Can this cake be baked and then frozen without frosting? I would like to make two smaller cakes for the Holidays
Yes! For sure
My cake turned out oily and gummy. I weighed all ingredients carefully and I use an over thermometer. I used Earth Balance “butter”. It seemed like a lot of butter. Does it perhaps, not weigh the same as the brand you use? ( Also the recipe does not “fit” in my standard food processor. I had to process the liquids and clementines with part of the dry and then finish in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer)
Oh No! I’m sorry that happened, but I know the measurements are correct because I literally just mixed this myself! I am making it into cupcakes and the recipe turned out perfect! I do use a combo of melted vegan butter & oil though and at times I use all one or the other. I have to suspect that it is the cake flour that is the culprit, although I do use a combo of AP & Cake Flour as recipe states, some people have really bad problems when they use cake flour and I can’t understand why that is. I have to say I am truly stumped since I just made this recipe an hour ago
By the way I have a 14 cup capacity food processor thank you for pointing out that I should include that information in the recipe post
Thanks, I used King Arhur’s cake flour and Bob’s AP. Other vegan bakers often caution against using cake flour, so perhaps that can be an issue. If I try it again, maybe I’ll use combo on the oils. And yes, my food processor is a 9 cup.
Thank you for this discussion, this is all really great information to include in my posts going forward! Cake flour will not absorb liquid the way that AP will, which can definitely lead to the result you experienced.In vegan cakes we already have a problem with gummy cakes, so this will add to the chaos especially when people also combine an egg replacer like flax which is just more heavy gumminess in the way of fat!
I am obsessed with this frosting!!
Do you think it would go well with chocolate cupcakes (minus the cardamom)
Im not a fan of chocolate, but I know it pairs well with orange…. I am just looking for an excuse to eat some of this frosting with a spoon!!!
oooh yes! I think the cardamom would even be great in it as well!
Hey Gretchen! Im obsessed with this frosting! Can I make it just a vanilla version without orange or cardamom? I need to make it today and don’t have time to get shortening for your other recipe? Should I add more vanilla?
Thanks
Hey yes! You can add more vanilla, if you have paste that is the best! I almost NEVER use shortening in my buttercream anymore, but I do use a really good vegan butter which makes all the difference!
Hey Gretchen!
Im making this frosting (sans cardamon) Because i am obsessed! My family resorted to just dipping oreos into it. Pretty genius if I do say so!
So, Can you tell me about fridge and freezer storage? I would like to make it today for something 6 days from now..
Yeah sure you can make buttercream ahead of time, CLICK HERE for more about re-whipping after storage
Hi Gretchen,
I need to bake this in a Bundt pan. Do you change the baking temps and times for this?
Thanks! Corinna
Hi Corinna! Bake temp same but it is definitely going to take longer to bake closer to 45 min or more, so I typically lower the temperature down to 325 after the initial 30 minutes
Hi Gretchen, I’m planning on making this cake this weekend for a birthday. It doesn’t look like you crumb coat your cake before icing; is this just with this recipe or all your cakes?
Hi! It depends on the cake and the filling actually.
If I am building a cake with a soft filling (custard, mousse etc) I will always crumb coat to ensure a stronger build
But for a simple 2 layer cake like this one with just buttercream filling – I tend to NOT crumb coat. It really is just preference & getting a feel for how the cake is going to hold up (*or not hold up LOL)
So definitely do what you feel most comfortable
Ok thank you! I appreciate the response 🙂
I made this recipe as an inside joke between me and my daughter (she asked me what Pikachu’s favourite cake was, and I said orange and cardamom on a whim – and then she talked about it every day, so I made it). It was delicious.
I am making a chocolate and orange cake for my wife’s birthday, and I’d love to use this method. Do you have any recommendations? I don’t want to make it too dry with added cocoa.
Haha that’s funny! Oooh I love chocolate orange together
This orange cake recipe originated from my Chocolate Orange Mousse Cake many years ago!
But for the easiest best chocolate cake there is CLICK HERE!