Orange Vanilla Bean Loaf Cake
Soft, fluffy vanilla bean and orange scented loaf cake topped with silky vanilla cream cheese frosting by Brownie Mischief
Servings
8
Servings
8
Ingredients
Orange Simple Syrup
Orange Vanilla Bean Loaf Cake
Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions
Orange Simple Syrup
  1. Combine the orange juice, lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside.
Orange Vanilla Bean Loaf Cake
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the bottom of an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the insides.
  2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until well combined.
  3. In a large bowl, mix the sugar and orange zest, with an electric mixer or by hand, until incorporated. Add the flour mixture and beat until well combined. On low speed, beat in the butter until the mixture looks like sand.
  4. In a separate medium-size bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla bean paste and orange extract together until smooth and well combined. On low speed, gradually beat this mixture into the sugar mixture until incorporated. Beat at medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Do not over mix.
  5. Transfer the batter to the loaf pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes. Do not over bake. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a cooling rack. Brush the warm cake all over with orange simple syrup. Let the cake cool completely, then frost with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting.
Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting
  1. In a medium-size bowl, stir the cream cheese with a spatula until smooth. Add the butter and beat, with an electric mixer on low speed, until smooth.
  2. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar. Add the vanilla, salt and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of milk and beat until smooth. Add additional milk, if needed, until the desired consistency is reached. Stir with a spatula to smooth out any bubbles.
Recipe Notes

To find an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan, click here

To make a lemon version of this cake, replace the orange zest with lemon zest. Replace the vanilla bean paste with 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract and replace the orange extract with 1 teaspoon of pure lemon extract. For the simple syrup, replace the orange juice with lemon juice.