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    Air Fryer Recipes » Air Fryer Orange Cake

    Air Fryer Orange Cake

    Posted On August 3, 2020 By Mirlene Last updated August 16, 2020 12 Comments

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    Yes! You are viewing it correctly, this air fryer orange cake was made out of the air fryer. The softest, most pillow-y, and moist orange cake recipe ever! This orange drizzle cake bursts with amazing flavor from fresh orange juice and zest.

    • Air Fryer Orange Cake On white plate with gold and white fork

    This recipe can be made in the air fryer as well as the oven. Let’s see how, because this cake is truly amazing and gets even better the next day. 

    If you have a sweet tooth and enjoy citrus flavors, then you’ll fall in love with this amazing air fryer orange cake. 

    Why You’ll love this Orange Drizzle Cake

    • Orange Cake squares on green cake pan

    This cake is super addictive. It did not last long in our household. I must warn you, you’ll have a hard time letting this cake cool before applying the orange glaze as it will entice you to eat it. It did me.

    You’ll see in the picture below as the glaze drizzle slowly and sink through the cake, which further enhances the flavor of the cake. 

    I don’t know about you, but when the sun is shining, my cravings tend to shift towards citrus flavors, like this Haitian lemonade.

    You’ll find our go-to orange cake recipe below.

    Ingredients for Orange Drizzle Cake

    These key ingredients, pictured below, make this soft, moist, light, orange cake in the air fryer. Let’s not forget the orange drizzle, too. 

    • List of ingredients to make the cake

    Orange: I highly recommend using fresh orange for this cake. This will help bring out the flavor. 

    4 egg whites and egg yolks: Try to use room temperature eggs. If the eggs aren’t room temperature, try letting them sit in warm NOT hot water for 2-5 minutes before cracking them. 

    Liquid: You’ll need vegetable oil, water, fresh orange juice. All of which will provide moisture to the cake. 

    Sugar, salt and baking soda: The salt will help to balance out the sugar, the sugar will sweeten the cake, and the baking soda will help it rise. 

    Orange Zest: Fresh orange zest will provide that orange flavor you are looking for in the cake. 

    Baking The Cake In The Air Fryer – Tips and Tricks

    AJ is usually the baker in the family. Which means I had to step up my baking game, and since staying home, this is exactly what I have been doing.

    Here are my tips & tricks for making the best orange cake in the air fryer:

    • Step by step guide to make the cake
    • Grate your orange finely. Be sure to grate your orange prior to juicing it. It will make zesting so much easier. Best to use finely grated orange zest, which will blend seamlessly into this moist cake. It will provide an even consistency throughout the cake. 
    • Don’t overmix. This is one thing I had to learn. And I learned it the hard way. I would often overmix my batter, which often result in dense, hard cakes. As I continue to learn to bake, I quickly found out that this rule applies to baked goods across the board. 
    • It is important to only mix your batter until just combined – otherwise your cake will be dense.
    • Let your cake cool completely before frosting it. SO….as stated above, this orange cake is really good. But, my number one tip for you is to have a completely cooled cake prior to applying the frosting.
    • Orange Cake step by step guide
    • If you frost it too early, the frosting will melt into the cake, so I highly recommend for you to wait until the cake is completely cooled before slathering the frosting. 
      • You’ll notice in the picture below where I did not wait (due to working against daylight to take the picture for you), and the frosting started to melt. I still placed the cake in the fridge so it could harden, but I wanted you to see what could happen.
      • With that being said, the frosting melting into the cake also came out to be the most delicious cake I have ever tasted coming from the air fryer. It became a great accident. Nonetheless! 
    • You can use a mixture if you have one, but I find that doing it by hand is much easier. Especially if this is your first time as you do not want to over mix your cake. 

    You’ll notice I did not use butter in the batter. That’s because I learned that oil adds more moisture. 

    • step by step guide to making orange cake in the air fryer

    You’ll want to start by beating the egg yolks with the sugar until everything is combined and is light. You’ll have small grains from the sugar and that’s fine. 

    Next is you’ll add the flour. I recommend using a sieve to sift the flour. It helps to lighten up the cake. Once the flour is added, do not mix. 

    Add the vegetable oil, salt, baking soda, water, orange juice and zest, after all has been added, you can start to mix the batter. Set the batter a side. 

    Next, beat the egg whites until frothy and until stiff peak. Then fold in the egg whites. Take one scoop of the eggwhite mixture and stir in into the batter mixture. This is called loosening the mixture. Repeat the step until you have used all of the eggwhites. 

    Slowly pour your mixture to suitable pan. I used this instant pot cake pan as it fits into a 5-quart air fryer without a problem. 

    Bake your cake in a preheated air fryer on 310 degrees for 42 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean when inserted and removed from the middle. 

    • orange cake square on white plate with fork

    While the cake cools completely, whip one can of chilled condensed milk for 2 minutes.

    • cake on parchment paper

    Then add ¼ cup orange juice and continue to mix for an additional 2 minutes.  

    • cake on white plate and fork

    Flip the cake upside down. Cut some of the top later for even layering. Place the cake in a bowl that fits it tightly. Then apply the frosting. 

    Orange Drizzle Cake Recipe Variations

    You can definitely make this cake yours by adding extra goodness to it. If you are a fan of chopped walnuts, pecans, or raisins, feel free to add some to the batter. 

    • cake on white plate with fork

    Coconut is always great with citrus. Feel free to add some coconut flakes, about ½ cup to the batter, or mix it in with the frosting. 

    If you don’t want to make this cake in the air fryer. That’s perfectly fine. You can bake it in the oven at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, or until the toothpick comes out clean from the middle. 

    You can also choose your cake size and shape! Feel free to use any of the following listed below. 

    1. one 9-inch round cake 
    2. one square 8×8 cake

    More Favorite Dessert Recipes

    If this orange drizzle cake recipe sparked your interest, try one of these treats next:

    Chocolate Bark

    Plantain bread

    Air Fryer Oreo Cookies

    Air Fryer Cinnamon Rolls

    Haitian Sweet potato bread

    Oreo Cookie Truffles

    • orange cake with bite and fork

    By the way, do you know that it warms our hearts to see the recipes you make from our site?

    We’d especially would love to know if you tried this recipe, tag us on Instagram or Facebook so we can see your beautiful dish.

    Also, we would appreciate if could give it a star rating below!

    Zesty Orange cake square on white plate with fork

    Air Fryer Zesty Orange Cake

    Savory Thoughts
    Your sweet tooth cravings just got better with this air fryer orange cake. The softest, most pillow-y, and moist orange drizzle cake recipe ever!
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 42 mins
    Total Time 1 hr 2 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American, International
    Servings 6 People
    Calories 267 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Cake Batter:

    • 4 egg yolks
    • ⅓ cup sugar
    • ¼ cup vegetable oil
    • ¼ cup water
    • 3 tablespoon Juice from fresh orange
    • 1 cup all purpose flour
    • 1½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt kosher
    • Orange zest reserve 1 teaspoon zest and set aside

    Egg White Mixture:

    • 4 egg whites
    • 1 teaspoon vinegar
    • ⅓ cup sugar

    Condensed Milk Frosting:

    • 1 can condensed milk chilled
    • Remaining orange juice
    • 1 teaspoon orange zest

    Instructions
     

    • Mix together the egg yolks and sugar. Mix together until well combined. Should be light and fluffy.
    • Add the oil, water, and orange juice. Mix.
    • using a sieve, sift the flour, baking soda and salt on top of the egg yolk mixture. Mix until lumps are no longer visible.
    • Add the zest and mix well.
    • In a separate bowl, beat the eggwhite, vinegar, and sugar until stiff peak.
    • Fold in the eggwhite mixture to the batter one scoop at a time until all is used and combined.
    • Preheat the air fryer. Line the pan with parchment paper and slowly pour batter into the pan.
    • Bake the cake in a preheated air fryer on 310 degrees for 42 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean when inserted, and removed from the middle. 
    • Let the cake cool completely.
    • In a medium bowl, pour the condensed milk, orange zest, and orange juice.
    • Using an electric mixture, on high speed, mix the milk for 4 minutes.
    • Once the cake is completely cooled, turn the cake upside down in the same pan, remove the paper, then frost the cake. See notes for frosting methods.
    • Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cutting and serving.
    • Serve as desired and enjoy!

    Notes

    Quick Tips:

    1. I find it easier to zest the oranges before juicing them.
    2. Best to use parchment paper to help remove the cake without a hassle.
    3. You may use a mixture to help cut down on the cleaning process.
    4. Do not over bake your cake. It is best to remove it from the air fryer the minute the toothpick comes out clean from the middle.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 6PeopleCalories: 267kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 5gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 224mgPotassium: 58mgFiber: 1gSugar: 12gVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 69mgIron: 3mg
    Making this recipe?Mention @MSavoryThoughts or tag #SavoryThoughts!
    Tried this recipe?Mention @SavoryThoughts or tag #SavoryThoughts!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Josephine B

      May 18, 2022 at 1:51 am

      Hi Mirlene and AJ, I live in Australia and a newbie to Air Frying and can’t wait to try this “Orange Cake” as I love citrus anything and everything.
      Didn’t realize we could bake cakes in an Air Fryer, so I’ll be looking out for cake recipes as well now. Love the sound of this cake as it looks delicious.

      Reply
      • Mirlene

        May 19, 2022 at 2:23 pm

        Thank you so much, Josephine. We hope you like it. We have more cake recipes coming out which were made in the air fryer. Please join our email list so you can be notified the instant they are published. Have a wonderful day. Welcome to the Savory Thoughts family 🙂

        Reply
    2. Gina

      August 03, 2020 at 11:18 am

      5 stars
      Can’t believe this was made in the air fryer! Love the orange flavor in this cake.

      Reply
      • Mirlene

        August 05, 2020 at 10:01 am

        Yes, completely in the air fryer. it’s so easy and taste just as delicious as if it were made in the oven.

        Reply
    3. Danielle Wolter

      August 03, 2020 at 10:39 am

      5 stars
      I never even knew you could make cake in the airfryer. This is just another reason to buy one – I think this recipe has my mind made up!!

      Reply
      • Mirlene

        August 05, 2020 at 10:01 am

        You will not be sorry. You’ll fall in love with the air fryer. Get it 🙂

        Reply
    4. Charla

      August 03, 2020 at 10:29 am

      5 stars
      I guess great minds think alike because I posted an orange cake 2 days ago. I haven’t made an air fryer cake just yet but I’m excited at the thought of trying it. Thanks for inspiring me!

      Reply
      • Mirlene

        August 05, 2020 at 10:02 am

        Great minds do think alike indeed! 🙂 I hope you get a chance to try it.

        Reply
    5. Shashi

      August 03, 2020 at 9:22 am

      I’m blown away by the texture of the air fryer version of this cake – looks so spongy! crave citrus time of year too and this cake wouldn’t last long in our home either!

      Reply
      • Mirlene

        August 05, 2020 at 11:51 am

        Yes, it is spongy and delicious.

        Reply
    6. Beth Sachs

      August 03, 2020 at 9:04 am

      5 stars
      This orange cake looks so moist and delicious. A beautiful cake for summer.

      Reply
      • Mirlene

        August 05, 2020 at 11:51 am

        Thank you, Beth!

        Reply

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