This Gluten-Free Vegan Orange Cake is:
- moist and fluffy
- fresh and citrusy
- filled with a rich buttercream!
As this Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake has been so popular, I decided it was time to make another simple citrus cake, this time using oranges.
Inspired by my Gluten-Free Vegan Vanilla Cake, this is a simple orange-infused sponge with a simple orange-infused buttercream.
I used my go-to sponge cake recipe, but added orange zest (you can use orange extract instead), and substituted some of the milk with orange juice. This adds natural sweetness and also enhances the orange aroma, and simultaneously tangy and nectar-like flavour.
You can either use freshly squeezed orange juice, or orange juice from a carton. If you prefer a stronger orange flavour, you can add some more orange extract – instructions in recipe notes.
I used my favourite cashew-based buttercream recipe, but used orange juice instead of water or milk.
If you prefer a stronger orange flavour you can add a couple of drops of orange extract to the buttercream – see recipe notes for instructions.
Finally, I decided to top the cake with some clementine segments, which not only serve an aesthetic purpose, but also add extra juicy sweetness. Sprigs of fresh rosemary or thyme also make pretty decorations!
I hope you’ll love this Gluten-Free Vegan Orange Cake! For more citrus cakes, check out my:
- White Chocolate Lemon Cake
- Lemon Blueberry Mug Cake
- Jaffa Cake
- Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
- Chocolate Orange Cake
- Lemon Drizzle Cake
- Lemon Blueberry Cake
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.
Helpful tools to make this Gluten-Free Vegan Orange Cake:
For the cake:
glass mixing bowl
measuring jug
18 cm / 7 inch sandwich baking tin
baking paper
cooling rack
For the frosting:
food processor
blender
hand-held stick blender
palette knife for frosting
Gluten-Free Vegan Orange Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 60 g (1/4 cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) orange juice (freshly squeezed or from a carton)
- 150 ml (2/3 cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
- Zest of 1 unwaxed orange* (or sub 2 teaspoons orange extract)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
- 150 g (1 1/4 cup) ground almonds** (almond meal)
- 150 g (1 1/4 cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
- 2 heaped teaspoons baking power (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
For the buttercream*:
- 100 g (2/3 cup) raw cashew nuts - soaked in cold water overnight or in hot water for 15 minutes
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or sub any other sweetener
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons orange juice
To decorate (optional):
- Clementine segments
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil)
- Once melted, add the orange juice to the same bowl along with the milk, orange zest, vanilla, maple syrup and ground almonds
- Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda
- Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it’s looking too dry
- Transfer mixture between two greased baking tins lined with baking paper (I used two 7inch/18cm baking tins)
- Bake in oven for around 15 minutes until risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean
- Once done, turn the cakes out onto wire racks and leave to cool completely before frosting
For the buttercream:
- Drain soaked cashews and add to a food processor or blender with all the other ingredients (a hand-held blender works too)
- Whizz until completely smooth, adding more orange juice if necessary
To frost and decorate the cake:
- Place one half of the cake onto a plate or cake stand, and spread just less than half of the frosting onto it
- Place the other half of the cake on top of that and use rest of the frosting to spread on top and around the sides of the cake
- Decorate with clementine segments, if desired
- Tastes best when fresh but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days
Notes
almond flourDisclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you click through and purchase any of the products, a small percentage will come to me, with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.
Anonymous
Lovely recipe Rhian 🙂 🍊
Rhian Williams
Thank you!
Pavithra
Can I bake these as cupcakes?
Rhian Williams
Yes!
Hannah
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made it for my mum’s Birthday yesterday and it turned out perfectly! I used vegan butter instead of coconut oil and agave syrup instead of maple and both worked really well I think. So simple and easy to make compared to other gf vegan recipes, thanks!
Rhian Williams
Hi Hannah, so happy to hear that, thank you so much! And thanks for sharing about the substitutions too.
Anonymous
Yum!
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much!
Sandy
HI there, I’m just wondering if coconut flour could be used instead of almond flour? I only ask because I have some in the cupboard and want to use it up. Not sure how it might effect the recipe ….. would love to know your thoughts! Many thanks, the recipe looks delicious x
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much! Yes you can use coconut flour, just use a fifth of the amount specified for almond flour, but keep all the other ingredients the same. Hope that helps and please let me know if you have any other questions!
Claire
Hi Rhian I just wanted to say I am Sooooooo glad i have found your blog as I have been trying to convert so many recipes to make them Gluten,dairy,egg free for so long and failing miserably. Now I don’t have to worry as your recipes are just perfect and I now have a long list of ones I want to try. My question about the orange cake is can I sub oranges for lemons but bake it the same with the buttercream filling but a Lemon cake and lemon filling instead of the orange? I’ve seen your lemon drizzle but fancy a filling like your orange cake. Would this work as a direct swap for lemons? Maybe extra Lemons as they’re smaller than oranges? I’m going to try it as my birthday cake this year!
Rhian Williams
Hi Claire, thank you so much for your comment. I’m so glad you’ve found my blog too and hope you’ll like my recipes! Yes you can sub oranges for lemons no problem. I think it wouldn’t be a problem to just substitute with the same amounts as although lemons are smaller, they are more acidic than oranges, but you could taste test as you go and add extra if you think it’s necessary. Hope that helps! Thanks again!
Evreena
Hi Rhian!Im am very interested in this recipe but i have a question,if i only make the cake into cupcakes with no frosting,how many calories would there be?
Rhian Williams
Hi, thank you! This recipe will make 12 cupcakes and each cupcake (without frosting) will be around 200 calories. Hope that helps!
Sun
This cake recipe is great and easy to make.
And anyone could make it!
Rhian Williams
Aw yay thank you so much!
Justice D
Where would be best to store this and for how long, before it goes bad?
Rhian Williams
It keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days!