If you search loaf cakes on the internet, you’ll find an abundance of “copycat” recipes. For some reason, everyone is trying to copy a loaf cake from a popular coffee shop. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m not a fan of the rubbery neon slice. I’d rather have a slice of soft, fluffy cake with a burst of fresh citrus flavor and buttery frosting. If that sounds good to you too, you’ll love this recipe. I used the reverse creaming method to make this cake, which produces a soft, velvety crumb. Brushing the cake with orange simple syrup keeps it moist and flavorful. This recipe is for an orange-vanilla bean cake but it can also be made into a lemon version. See the notes below.
Orange Vanilla Bean Loaf Cake
Soft, fluffy vanilla bean and orange scented loaf cake topped with silky vanilla cream cheese frosting by Brownie Mischief
Ingredients
Orange Simple Syrup
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) orange juice
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) lemon juice
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
Orange Vanilla Bean Loaf Cake
- 1 â…“ cups (170g) all purpose flour, sifted
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (175g) granulated sugar
- Zest of 2 medium oranges
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter cubed, room temperature
- ¼ cup (57g) sour cream, room temperature
- ¼ cup (59ml) whole milk, room temperature
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- ½ teaspoon pure orange extract
Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 tablespoons (28g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (180g) powered sugar, sifted
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1-3 tablespoons (15-45ml) whole milk or half & half, room temperature
Instructions
Orange Simple Syrup
- 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
- 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.
- In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until well combined.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
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.