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)

Table of Contents hide

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)

Pin This Recipe Print Recipe

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

3.816votes

Article Rating

Subscribe

Login

30 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Portuguese Orange Cake Recipe | Foodess.com (11)

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!

Reply

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

Reply

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 ! ?

8

Reply

View Replies (1)

Portuguese Orange Cake Recipe | Foodess.com (16)

Maggie

5 years ago

Can you freeze this recipe

Reply

View Replies (1)

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

Reply

View Replies (1)

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

Reply

View Replies (2)

1234Next »

Portuguese Orange Cake Recipe | Foodess.com (2024)

FAQs

What is the famous Portuguese cake? ›

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.

What can I do with lots of oranges? ›

Orange recipes
  1. Mozzarella & orange salad with coriander seed dressing. A star rating of 5 out of 5. ...
  2. Mary Berry's orange cake. ...
  3. Clementine & honey couscous. ...
  4. Orange & pomegranate cheesecake. ...
  5. Chocolate-orange French toast. ...
  6. Tender roast duck with citrus & carrots. ...
  7. Orange & oregano pulled pork. ...
  8. Giant jaffa orange cake.

What is the most famous dessert in Portugal? ›

Pastéis de Belém/Pastéis de Nata

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 loved cake in the world? ›

Chocolate Cake

You've guessed it right! Chocoholics' favorite dense and moist chocolate cake ranks top of the list. Glazing the cake with a thick chocolate ganache is one of the most popular ways to enjoy this dessert!

What is the secret to baking a moist cake? ›

Use Your Ingredients Wisely
  1. Choose Fresh Leavening. ...
  2. Opt For Full-Fat Dairy. ...
  3. Reach For The Right Flour. ...
  4. Don't Double Down. ...
  5. Use Eggs And Butter At Room Temperature. ...
  6. Measure Accurately. ...
  7. Avoid Over Baking.
Apr 5, 2024

What makes a cake dense vs fluffy? ›

If a recipe includes a lot of acid such as lemon juice and buttermilk and isn't lifted with enough baking powder, the cake will taste dense. In that case, you may need the addition of baking soda which will react with the acid and create a fluffier crumb.

What happens if you overmix cake batter? ›

Overmixing is exactly what it sounds like: the process by which a dough or batter gets mixed too much, typically yielding dense, tough, or deflated baked goods. Overmixed doughs and batters may have an unappealing look or feel, which remain just as unappealing when they're baked.

Is it OK to eat 2 oranges a day? ›

Are there any risks? Oranges are great for you, but you should enjoy them in moderation, Thornton-Wood said. Eating in large quantities "could give you gastrointestinal symptoms if you are sensitive to the high fiber content, so [it's] best to have no more than one a day," she said.

Is it OK to eat 3 oranges a day? ›

Oranges provide high levels of vitamin C. Eating 2 to 3 oranges per day can meet an individual's daily vitamin C requirement. Oranges are high in dietary fibre and pectin, which can aid with digestive peristalsis and waste elimination. Oranges can reduce cholesterol as well.

Can dogs eat oranges? ›

Yes, dogs can enjoy orange slices in moderation. It's best that you do not feed them the entirety of an orange, as too much citrus and sugar isn't good for your dog. Only give them one to three pieces or slices of an orange per day.

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 traditional cake in Lisbon? ›

Since its introduction at the end of the 19th century, the bolo-rei has become hugely popular not only in Lisbon but all over the country. Many other pastelarias followed Balthazar's lead and began baking this ring cake for Christmas.

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.

Which cake is very famous? ›

Tiramisu is a very famous coffee-flavoured pastry that originated in Italy. The cake consists of layers of Savoiardi cookies dipped in coffee alternating with a mixture of eggs, sugar, whipped mascarpone cheese, cocoa powder.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Geoffrey Lueilwitz

Last Updated:

Views: 6143

Rating: 5 / 5 (60 voted)

Reviews: 91% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Geoffrey Lueilwitz

Birthday: 1997-03-23

Address: 74183 Thomas Course, Port Micheal, OK 55446-1529

Phone: +13408645881558

Job: Global Representative

Hobby: Sailing, Vehicle restoration, Rowing, Ghost hunting, Scrapbooking, Rugby, Board sports

Introduction: My name is Geoffrey Lueilwitz, I am a zealous, encouraging, sparkling, enchanting, graceful, faithful, nice person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.