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    Orange Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

    Published: Jun 8, 2022 · Modified: Jun 8, 2022 by The Cozy Plum · This post may contain affiliate links · 7 Comments

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    Jump to Recipe
    Finished Bundt Cake with glaze and orange slices on top.

    Soft, moist, and loaded with citrus, this quick Orange Poppy Seed Cake is made in a bundt pan or loaf pan, brushed with orange syrup, and topped with icing. It has a nice open crumb texture and is just the right amount of sweet!

    Published:1/6/21; Republished 6/8/22

    A slice it being removed from the bundt cake.

    This orange poppy seed bundt cake takes a simple vanilla oil cake (without butter) and uses sour cream to give it that rich, moist texture. The sugar gets blended together with orange peels to provide maximum citrus orange flavor.

    After baking, the cake is brushed with an orange syrup that soaks into the warm cake. Once cool, top it with a quick glaze packed with orange zest! This orange poppy seed cake is SO flavorful (without being overly sweet) and stays moist for days.

    The recipe can be made as either a Bundt Cake or an orange poppy seed loaf cake. See the recipe card for instructions on how to make both. You're going to love how soft and perfect this is!

    Inside of a bundt cake exposed.

    If you're looking for a variation of this cake, you can also try my Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Or, if you'd like more bundt cakes, opt for the Lemon Ricotta Cake with Blueberry Glaze or Raspberry White Chocolate Bundt Cake!

    Jump to:
    • Ingredient Notes
    • How to Make Orange Poppy Seed Cake
    • Storing and Freezing
    • Variations
    • Best Tips
    • 📖Recipe

    Ingredient Notes

    • Dry Ingredients. All-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
    • Oranges. Zest & juice! You'll need about four to five large oranges for this recipe.
    • Granulated sugar. The first step of the recipe will require the blending of granulated sugar with orange peels to provide maximum orange flavor.
    • Wet Ingredients. Eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla, sour cream. Use all of these at room temperature!
    • Poppy Seeds. Be sure they're fresh - poppy seeds can turn rather quickly.
    • Powdered sugar. This is needed for the final glaze.

    Note that a microplane and peeler will be needed for this recipe. It's also best if you have a food processor or blender to combine the orange peels and sugar, but is not required.

    How to Make Orange Poppy Seed Cake

    This really is the best orange poppy seed cake...let's make it!

    STEP 1: Peel an orange using a peeler (just removing the orange part) and add to a food processor or blender with the sugar. Pulse until all of the peels break down and incorporate into the sugar.

    Orange peels and sugar in a food processor.
    Add orange peels and sugar to a food processor.
    Citrus sugar in a food processor bowl.
    Pulse until completely combined and moistened.

    STEP 2: Whisk together the dry ingredients. Transfer the sugar to a stand mixer and mix together the eggs, oil, and vanilla until combined.

    Pouring eggs into the citrus sugar.
    Add eggs to the citrus sugar in a stand mixer bowl.
    Oil pouring into a bowl.
    Add the oil and mix to combine.

    STEP 3: Add in half of the dry ingredients, the sour cream, then the remaining dry ingredients, mixing in between each addition.

    Sour cream pouring into the wet ingredients.
    Add the sour cream and mix.
    Flour adding into the wet ingredients.
    Add the flour and dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

    STEP 4: Add the poppy seeds and orange juice last and mix until just incorporated.

    Poppy seeds pouring into cake batter.
    Pour in the poppy seeds.
    Freshly squeezed orange juice pouring in to cake batter.
    Pour in the freshly squeezed orange juice, then fold it together.

    STEP 5: Pour the batter into a greased and floured bundt or loaf pan and bake. While baking, heat orange juice and sugar until the sugar is dissolved and cool.

    STEP 6: Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes, then turn out the bundt cake onto a platter and brush the orange syrup all over. Cool completely.

    Cake batter pouring into a prepared bundt pan.
    Pour the cake batter into a prepared bundt pan, then bake.
    A brush adding simple syrup onto the cake.
    Brush orange simple syrup over the warm cake.

    STEP 7: Once cool, mix together powdered sugar, orange zest, and orange juice until a pourable glaze forms. Cover the top of the cake, then enjoy!

    A whisk in a bowl of orange glaze.
    Mix it together until ribbons form.
    Icing being poured onto the orange poppy seed Bundt Cake.

    Storing and Freezing

    Store the orange poppy seed cake covered at room temperature for three days.

    The cake can also be frozen by wrapping the entire cake (or individual slices) in plastic wrap and foil. Unwrap completely, then thaw at room temperature. If freezing, wait to add the glaze until it's thawed and you plan to eat it (rather than freezing with the glaze on it).

    Variations

    • Make the cake in a loaf pan rather than a bundt pan. See recipe card for instructions.
    • Use sour cream, greek yogurt, or buttermilk (all full fat) interchangeably in this recipe.
    • Try using blood oranges for a fun color variation, especially in the glaze!
    • Cover the cake in chocolate ganache for a chocolate orange cake variation. Use my vanilla Swiss roll with chocolate ganache recipe for this glaze variation.
    • Use half lemon, and half orange in the recipe for a sharper citrus flavor

    Best Tips

    • Use room temperature ingredients (egg and sour cream) for an ultra-smooth batter.
    • Use a food processor or blender to combine the sugar and orange peels. If not available, zest the oranges and rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers until it turns orange.
    • Be sure to alternate adding the dry ingredients and sour cream, ending with the dry.
    • After it comes out of the oven, make sure the loaf is not resting in an overly cold area. Drastically changing temperatures can cause the loaf to fall.

    More Easy Cake Recipes

    • Vanilla Swiss roll Cake
    • Coconut Almond Loaf Cake
    • Pear Spice Cake with Brown Butter Frosting
    • Chocolate Snack Cake (with Salted Caramel Frosting)
    • Lemon Ricotta Cake with Blueberry Glaze
    • Raspberry White Chocolate Bundt Cake
    Two plates with slices of cake on them. A fork cuts into one.

    Did you make this recipe? Tag me on Instagram or Facebook and leave a star rating⭐️ below! For more ideas, follow me on Pinterest.

    📖Recipe

    Close up shot of a slice of orange poppy seed cake.

    Orange Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

    Callan Wenner | The Cozy Plum
    Soft, moist, and loaded with citrus, this quick Orange Poppy Seed Cake is made in a bundt pan or loaf pan, brushed with orange syrup, and topped with icing. It has a nice open crumb texture and is just the right amount of sweet!
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Cook Time 1 hr
    Rest Time 1 hr
    Total Time 2 hrs 30 mins
    Course Breakfast, Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 16
    Calories 392 kcal

    Equipment

    • Standard Bundt Pan or 9 x 5 inch loaf pan
    • Food processor or blender
    • Stand mixer with paddle attachment, or handheld mixer
    • Microplane or zester
    • Pastry or basting brush

    Ingredients
      

    Cake

    • 3 cups all-purpose flour 360g
    • 3 teaspoons baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ cup orange zest About 1.5 full oranges
    • 1¾ cups granulated sugar 350g
    • 4 large eggs room temperature
    • ⅔ cups vegetable oil 160g
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract
    • 1⅓ cups full-fat sour cream 300g
    • ⅔ cup orange juice freshly squeezed (160g)
    • ¼ cup poppy seeds 36g

    Orange Syrup

    • ¼ cup orange juice freshly squeezed (60ml)
    • ¼ cup granulated sugar 50g
    • ¼ cup water 60ml

    Orange Glaze

    • 2 cups powdered sugar 240g
    • ¼ cup orange juice freshly squeezed (60ml)
    • 1 tablespoon orange zest

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350℉/180℃. Grease and flour a bundt pan, tapping out any excess flour.
    • Peel 1½ large oranges (with a vegetable peeler) and add it to a food processor or blender with the sugar. Pulse until the peels are completely broken down and the sugar turns orange.
    • In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt until combined and set aside.
    • Transfer the sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and add the eggs, oil, and vanilla extract and beat on medium low until combined.
    • Alternating dry and wet ingredients with the mixer on low, add in half of the flour mixture, all of the sour cream, then the rest of flour mixture just until it comes together. Add in the orange juice and poppy seeds and mix until just combined.
    • Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-50 minutes until the cake is set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs. Transfer the cake to a wire rack for 15 minutes to cool.
    • While the cake is baking, prepare the simple syrup by bringing all the sugar, orange juice, and water over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
    • If making Bundt Cake, turn out the cake onto a serving platter and brush the simple syrup all over the top (previously the bottom). If making a loaf cake, don't turn out the loaf, simply brush it on top.
    • Once the loaf is completely cool, make the glaze by combining the powdered sugar, orange zest, and orange juice in a bowl and mix with a whisk until smooth. Pour the glaze on top of the cake, then sprinkle with more orange zest.

    Notes

    Store the cake covered at room temperature for three days.
    This freezes extremely well. Wrap the full cake or slices tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and place in a sealed bag or container. When ready to eat, remove from freezer, unwrap, bring to room temperature, then add the glaze.
    If you don't have a food processor or blender to combine the zest and sugar for the cake, simply zest the oranges and combine the sugar and zest with your fingertips until the sugar turns orange.
    Loaf Cake Instructions:
    • Half the recipe
    • Add a parchment paper sling to the loaf pan for easy removal
    • Bake for 45-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with no wet batter
    • Add the orange syrup while it's in the pan, but remove the cake to add the glaze

    Nutrition

    Calories: 392kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 5gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 176mgPotassium: 117mgFiber: 1gSugar: 42gVitamin A: 223IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 101mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword citrus, glaze, icing, moist, orange, poppy seed, zest
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    « Biscoff Truffles
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    Comments

    1. Olivia H.

      January 17, 2021 at 3:37 am

      5 stars
      So easy and so delicious!! It tastes like it is from a professional bakery... I can’t believe I just whipped it up in my own kitchen! 🙂 Love it!!

      Reply
      • The Cozy Plum

        January 17, 2021 at 4:02 am

        Thanks so much for the feedback, Olivia! So happy to hear this.

        Reply
    2. BRAWER3845

      January 07, 2021 at 2:44 am

      Thank you!!1

      Reply
    3. nora feldish

      April 21, 2020 at 11:19 pm

      5 stars
      Yass!! success!!! ??awesome flavor...just love it....

      Reply
      • The Cozy Plum

        April 22, 2020 at 2:31 pm

        So awesome to hear this, Nora!

        Reply

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