Soft and tender Orange Poppy Seed Cake topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting. This easy cake comes together in minutes and is perfect for your next celebration!
More one layer cake magic 🌟 You’re going to fall in love with this citrus wonder. A super easy Orange and Poppy Seed Cake that takes only minutes to throw together.
Topped with a thick and creamy orange cream cheese frosting. Perfection!
Why you will love this recipe
- Moist and tender: Using oil means this cake will stay moist for days.
- No mixer cake: The cake itself comes together in minutes with no mixer needed.
- Feeds a crowd: This one-layer cake produces a lovely tall cake with plenty of frosting, making it perfect for a hungry crowd.
Absolutely delicious! 5 stars for this recipe. I made it tonight – Fabulous.I loved how this cake uses oil instead of butter. It is definitely going to be my go to orange poppyseed cake recipe!
– Genevieve
I’m currently on a poppy seed bender! First, came my Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf Cake and now this orange-flavoured wonder.
I’ve recently been baking more and more with oranges and I’ve fallen madly in LOVE with my buttery Orange Cookies and Chocolate Orange Brownies. But now this Orange Cake has jumped to the top of my favourite list.
It’s the perfect cake to whip out for guests. It looks like a masterpiece but honestly, it’s not hard to make. And just look at that cake to frosting ratio 😍
How to make Orange Poppyseed Cake
- This cake is incredibly easy to make. Just like my favourite Pistachio Cake, you only need a bowl and spoon – no electric mixer.
- Start by measuring out your dry ingredients, in this case, plain flour, baking powder and caster sugar. If you don’t have caster sugar, you can use granulated sugar instead.
- Then add your poppy seeds and fresh orange zest.
- Next, we add together our orange juice, eggs, oil and vanilla. I recommend using a neutral oil for this recipe. I usually use vegetable oil, but I’ve also used a light olive oil or you could use grape seed oil.
- I recommend using fresh orange juice and zest as suggested in the recipe for maximum flavour.
- The final ingredients are milk and Greek yogurt. The addition of Greek yogurt ensures your cake has a soft, light and tender crumb. You can also use sour cream instead of Greek yogurt.
- Mix until just combined and then pour into a round baking tin lined with baking or parchment paper.
- Try not to over bake this cake. Every oven is different, so start checking the loaf from about 35 minutes onwards. Insert a knife or skewer into the centre of the cake, if it comes out clean, you know the cake is ready.
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Tips for making orange cream cheese frosting
- You will need a hand mixer or stand mixer to make this frosting. Make sure you use a full fat block of cream cheese – not a light version or the spreadable kind.
- For seriously creamy frosting, make sure both your butter and your cream cheese are at room temperature.
- Once you beat together the butter and cream cheese, you need to add 3 cups of icing sugar.
- Instead of adding milk or cream, we add a tablespoon or two of fresh orange juice – just to make that orange flavour over-the-top.
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Let’s Bake
Orange and Poppy Seed Cake
Easy one layer Orange and Poppy Seed Cake made from scratch.
Ingredients
Orange and poppy seed cake
- 210 grams (1 and 1/2 cups) plain flour or all purpose flour
- 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 200 grams (1 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- Zest of one orange
- 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) Greek yogurt*
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) milk
Orange cream cheese frosting
- 115 grams (1/2 cup or 1 stick) butter, softened
- 250 grams (1 and 1/4 cup) full fat cream cheese, room temperature, roughly chopped
- 375 grams (3 cups) icing sugar or powdered sugar
- 1–2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- Orange zest to decorate, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Grease and line an 8-inch round cake pan with baking or parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, poppy seeds and orange zest. Stir briefly to combine.
- In a separate bowl, add orange juice, oil, eggs and vanilla. Whisk briefly just to break up the egg yolks.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, along with the yogurt and milk, and gently mix until combined – but be careful not to over mix. Spoon batter into prepared tin.
- Bake cake for approximately 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer cake to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the cream cheese frosting, add butter and cream cheese to a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time, and continue to beat until smooth.
- Add orange juice and mix until frosting is creamy. Taste and add extra orange juice if needed. Generously frost the top of the cake. Scatter over fresh orange zest.
Notes
*Greek yogurt: You can use sour cream instead of Greek yogurt. This ingredient ensures a soft and tender cake.
Note for UK readers: I’ve been told that it’s hard to find blocks of cream cheese in the UK. If you use spreadable cream cheese, your frosting will be quite runny. You might want to use a buttercream frosting instead and add a squeeze of fresh orange juice.
Erin says
Hi, love this cake! It came out perfectly. My whole family loved it. I followed the recipe to a tee! Just wondering, I want to make it gluten free, do you think it would work out ok with SR gluten free flour ? Just same amount as the regular flour?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Erin, so glad you loved it! I haven’t tried this cake with gluten free flour but it could be worth a shot. Maybe using a 1:1 gf plain flour? If you do try it, let us know how it goes!
Rachel says
Made this cake multiple times. Always turns out so fluffy and moist. Perfect every time!
Today I tried substituting honey for the sugar to make a healthier version, and it turned out well but a little flat. Will have to add some bi carb soda next time I want to try sugarless.
Jessica Holmes says
Oh I’m so glad you love this one Rachel! I’ve never tried without the sugar, but pleased you are able to experiment!
Jade says
Hi Jessica I’ve made this cake many times and it’s become one of the go to cakes! I need to make it eggless do you know what I cns substitute it for ?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Jade, I’m so glad you love this one! I haven’t tried making this eggless so I’m sorry I can’t say.
Angel says
Hi,
Will self raising flour replace the need for salt, baking powder & flour?
Thanks in advance!
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Angel, good question. Typically self-raising flour has 1.5 or 2 teaspoons baking powder to 1 cup of flour. So in this case, it may work quite well. Self-raising flour doesn’t typically contain salt, so don’t skip that!
Christina says
This cake is a 10/10, looks gorgeous and tastes reaaally good 😮 really surprised me!!
Jessica Holmes says
That’s wonderful to hear!
Genevieve says
Absolutely delicious! 5 stars for this recipe. I made it tonight – Fabulous.
I’m actually going to make fresh orange and passionfruit icing! Something different.
I loved how this cake uses oil instead of butter. I used grapeseed oil. I also used half Greek yogurt and half light sour cream. It is definitely going to be my go to orange poppyseed cake recipe!
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you loved this one Genevieve! Your icing sounds divine. You might also like my Passionfruit Cake too!
Echo says
I did a few substitutions but it worked out excellent 🤤
I substituted the sugar with 1/2 cup of Natvia, Coconut Oil instead of Vegetable Oil, Buttermilk instead of regular milk, Yopro Plain Yoghurt instead of Greek, I used 260g of Well & Good gluten free self raising flour, added an extra tablespoon of orange juice, and didn’t use the Vanilla Essence.
I also made cupcakes instead of a cake.
Turned out moist, fluffy and delicious 👌
Jessica Holmes says
That sounds fantastic Echo! Thank you for your feedback. So glad it worked well with those changes!
Linda says
I have made this cake a few times and we all love it. It has become a birthday request cake for myself my daughter and my granddaughter
Jessica Holmes says
That is wonderful to hear Linda!
Jane Meier says
I’ve just made it for the second time. The first one got glowing praise! So easy and so good.
Jessica Holmes says
That’s wonderful to hear Jane!
Connie says
How can I 1.5 or double this recepie? Pan size and adjusted cooking time please
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Connie, you can easily double this recipe. It will make two tall 8-inch cakes or you could likely squeeze three layers out of it. The cooking time will vary depending on the depth of the batter, so it will depend on what size pan you chose to use. Alternatively, if you want to feed a large crowd, you could consider doing a slab cake and use a quarter sheet pan instead.
Connie says
Thankyou, I’ve made this cake many times perfect every time.
Jessica Holmes says
I LOVE hearing that!
MK says
This seems like a delicious recipe, I was wondering if I could make this in a loaf tin. And also if buttermilk would an okay substitution to sour cream. (I know you have an orange pound cake recipe but i have leftover buttermilk that im hoping to use up and im also in the mood for a loaf recipe haha)
Jessica Holmes says
Yes and yes! I hope you enjoy it!
Megan says
This cake is delicious! I wanted a plain orange cake so left out the poppyseeds I love the vibrant orange flavour in both the cake and icing, just what I was looking for. The cake was beautiful and moist with a tender crumb. I used sour cream instead of Greek yoghurt, because that’s what I had. Definitely one to make again.
Jessica Holmes says
How wonderful! Thanks for the lovely feedback Megan!
Jo Benton says
I made this cake for my Mum’s 96th birthday. It was a hit and very moist and tasty.
Jessica Holmes says
That’s wonderful to hear Jo!
Jackie Gaffney says
I found the mix to be too runny on texture. I added another half a cup of flour, till it was a thick batter like consistency.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Jackie, even if the cake batter is thin, it should still bake up beautifully.
Liliam says
Can I use butter instead of oil?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Lillam, you could try but it wouldn’t be as light and tender.
Selina Leung says
I made this cake and followed the recipe to a T, except I used 140g of sugar instead and it was quite dense, and the frosting was runny..:(
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Selina, I’m sorry to hear that! Reducing the sugar will effect the end result of your cake. Sugar not only adds sweetness but also moisture and contributes to the structure – which could be why your cake was dense. Using oil and yogurt should ensure it has a moist and tender texture. Were you able to use a block or brick-style of cream cheese? That should help with the runny-ness. Otherwise omit the orange juice next time and add orange zest to the frosting instead. I hope that helps!