Portuguese Orange Cake Recipe | Foodess.com (2024)

This Portuguese Orange Cake is moist and fragrant, with the most alluring bright orange flavour.

Portuguese Orange Cake Recipe | Foodess.com (1)

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1This Portuguese Orange Cake recipe is authentic.

2Portuguese Orange Cake is moist and fragrant, with the most alluring bright flavour.

3Other Citrusy Desserts You’ll Love

4Portuguese Orange Cake

This Portuguese Orange Cake recipe is authentic.

It was shared with my by my friend Cherie who is married to a Portuguese man with a major penchant for the orange cake of his country. I realize it hasn’t even been a week since I posted a Lemon Pound Cake recipe, but I don’t often hearanyone complain about too much cake.

Cherie bakes it regularly and it’s a treat I look forward to when I pop by for play dates – our sons were born on the same day in the same hospital!

Portuguese Orange Cake Recipe | Foodess.com (2)

Portuguese Orange Cake is moist and fragrant, with the most alluring bright flavour.

Portuguese Orange Cake Recipe | Foodess.com (3)

It leans slightly more toward bitterness than the tartness you might expect from citrus desserts – this is owing to the lashings of zest beaten into the batter. Don’t worry, it’s not bitter-bitter, just enough to be intriguing.

It’s a sponge cake of sorts, with egg whites folded in at the last minute to lighten the batter, but with more moisture than the airy sponge cakes you may have had. Both the zest and juice of three oranges are involved, so it is wonderfully orange-y.

Portuguese Orange Cake Recipe | Foodess.com (4)

Make sure to bring all of your ingredients to room temperature before you bake – cold eggs or oranges will cause the butter to seize up.

Portuguese Orange Cake Recipe | Foodess.com (5)
Portuguese Orange Cake Recipe | Foodess.com (6)

Serve with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, a fluffy dollop of whipped cream, or a scoop of softened vanilla ice cream. Leftovers freeze well!

Other Citrusy Desserts You’ll Love

  • This moist Blood Orange Cake with pretty blood orange glaze.
  • A wonderful Portuguese Orange Cake recipe – very delicious.
  • This Lemon Curd Cake is definitely a must-try for citrus lovers.
  • Lemon Curd Cookies can’t be missed either.
  • Love citrus, love chocolate? This Chocolate Orange Cake is for you.
  • This Cranberry Lemon Cake is a long-standing favorite.

Of course, can’t forget this recipe for orange pound cake with orange glaze, baked in a pretty bundt pan.

Portuguese Orange Cake Recipe | Foodess.com (7)

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Portuguese Orange Cake

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Servings 9

Dessert

Portuguese

Keyword Orange Cake, Portuguese Orange Cake

Ingredients

  • cup 150 grams butter, softened
  • 1 ¼ cups 250 grams granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs separated, room temperature
  • 3 large oranges room temperature
  • 2 cups 9 oz/250 grams all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • Confectioners’ sugar for dusting (optional)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease an 8×8″ baking dish or line with parchment paper.

  • Beat butter and sugar on medium speed of electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each. 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.

  • In a separate bowl, whisk flour and baking powder. With mixer speed on low, gradually beat into the butter mixture until just incorporated.

  • 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.) 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.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 382kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 6gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 109mgSodium: 185mgPotassium: 141mgFiber: 2gSugar: 32gVitamin A: 631IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 63mgIron: 2mg

Keyword Orange Cake, Portuguese Orange Cake

Last Updated on February 20, 2024 by Jennifer Pallian BSc, RD

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maria

4 years ago

Portuguese Orange Cake Recipe | Foodess.com (12)
best orange recipe ever! have made this 3 times and everything is perfect. light, fluffy, full of flavour and such an easy recipe compared to others which use sooo many ingredients or sour cream or buttermilk…so glad you shared this!

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Portuguese Orange Cake Recipe | Foodess.com (13)

Andrea

4 years ago

Portuguese Orange Cake Recipe | Foodess.com (14)
Can this be doubled? I need a bigger cake

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Portuguese Orange Cake Recipe | Foodess.com (15)

Oktavia

4 years ago

Delicious !, I love the orange flavor is coming through very well. I made in a cake form size 8,5‘x8,5‘ and it was to small. I would recommend 1-2inches bigger size than I’m using. I also just add only 200g of sugar and it’s still was to sweet. Next time i will just add only 150g should
Be enough. Because the orange I had was sweets already. Anyway So fluffy and delicious… yum yum yum ! ?

7

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Maggie

4 years ago

Can you freeze this recipe

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Portuguese Orange Cake Recipe | Foodess.com (17)

Dan Melendez

5 years ago

Just a thought, what do you mean by fold the egg whites after being whipped?

-1

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Portuguese Orange Cake Recipe | Foodess.com (18)

Tanya Mills

5 years ago

Hi! I’d love to try this cake out. 🙂 Just wondering how much zest to add. All the zest from the 3 oranges? Thanks!

-1

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Portuguese Orange Cake Recipe | Foodess.com (2024)

FAQs

What is the traditional cake in Portugal? ›

The Bolo de Bolacha is a traditional Portuguese cake, without baking, made of different layers of Maria biscuits and butter cream. The Bolo de Bolacha is a very common cake in Portugal that can be found in all pastelarias and on all party or birthday tables.

What is orange cake made of? ›

Orange cake is made with whipped egg whites which keeps the cake fluffy and light, orange zest, and fresh orange juice that gives this cake a delicious fresh flavor. The rest of the ingredients are super simple. Flour, baking powder, vanilla extract, kosher salt, vegetable oil, and sugar!

What is the most famous dessert in Portugal? ›

Perhaps the most famous Portuguese dessert, Pastel de Nata or Pastel de Belém is a custard tart pastry with a crisp, flaky crust and a creamy custard filling. This is a true icon when it comes to dishes to try in Portugal.

What is the most popular cake in Portugal? ›

Pastel de nata

It's one of Portugal's most famous cakes and, not only will you find them in just about every pastelaria in Portugal, but you'll also find them in many bakeries around the the world as well.

Where does orange cake originate from? ›

Orange and almond cake is a traditional Sephardic Jewish Passover dessert, with origins in the Iberian peninsula. Variations of this cake can be found from Spain, throughout the Mediterranean, and further east, to Iran.

What is Elvis Presley cake? ›

An Elvis Presley cake is a single-layer classic yellow cake that's topped with a pineapple glaze. Much like a poke cake, the syrup and juices of the pineapple will seep into the cake through fork holes, resulting in a decadent, ultra-moist cake.

What kind of frosting for an orange cake? ›

Orange cake with coconut cream cheese frosting is the perfect spring cake! Fluffy orange sheet cake covered in creamy coconut cream cheese frosting. So delicious, citrusy and great for a crowd.

What is a bomb cake? ›

They are actual miniature flavored cakes. They may look like a bundt, but the texture is much different than a traditional bundt cake. The flavor is in the cake base as well as the glaze giving you explosive flavor in every bite.

Why is it called Devil cake? ›

There are a few theories as to how it got its name. One, it's the decadent counterpart to angel food cake. Two, it's sinfully delicious. Finally, devil's food cake came about during a time when food that was spicy, rich, or dark was described as deviled, like deviled ham and deviled eggs.

What is Viking cake? ›

Also referred to as a Kransekake or a Viking Wedding Cake, this famous cake resembles a small tower built of 15 rings of pastry made from almond paste and sugar. Traditionally there is a bottle of Cherry Kirsch or wine inside the rings which guests enjoy with a piece of the cake.

What are Portuguese cakes called? ›

Pasteis de nata, or Portuguese custard tarts, with their signature flaky crust and sweet custard filling are world-famous, and incredibly delicious.

What is the most famous cake in Lisbon? ›

The pastel de nata is Lisbon's most famous cake. Particularly well-known are Pastéis de Belém and the huge queues which form as they emerge straight out of the oven.

What are popular Portuguese baked goods? ›

The Portuguese rarely resist, so take their lead, follow the fabrico próprio ('made in house') signs and get ready to indulge.
  • The heavenly history of Portugal's desserts.
  • Pastel de feijão (bean pastry)
  • Bola de Berlim (Berlin ball)
  • Queijada (cheesecake)
  • Travesseiro (pastry pillow)
  • Pão de Deus (God's bread)
May 12, 2022

What is Portuguese favorite pastry? ›

1. Pastel de Nata. After all, we are famous for our Pastel de Nata, a buttery vanilla custard tart with flaky puff pastry that melts in your mouth!

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