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Orange Sheet Cake

A light and fluffy orange cake filled with zest and juice to give you a natural citrus flavor. Decorated with fresh orange buttercream frosting.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Decorating Time 15 minutes
Course Brunch, Cake, Dessert, Finger food, High Tea, Snack, Sweet tooth, tea time
Cuisine American
Servings 8 people

Equipment

  • Mixing bowls
  • Whisk
  • Rubber spatula
  • Piping bags
  • 8x8 inch Square tin

Ingredients
  

Cake -

  • 100 gm Castor sugar
  • 1 tbsp Orange zest
  • 120 ml Olive oil
  • 90 ml Orange juice 1 large orange
  • 50 gm Yogurt
  • 1 Egg
  • 150 gm Flour
  • 1/2 tsp Baking powder
  • Pinch of salt

Buttercream -

  • 80 gm Butter
  • 240 gm Icing sugar
  • 1 Orange zest
  • 2 tbsp Orange juice

Optional -

  • Food gel coloring

Instructions
 

To make the cake -

  • Preheat the oven to 180℃ and line an. 8x8 inch square tin with a brush of oil and baking paper.
  • In a mixing bowl add the sugar and orange zest, using your fingers rub them together until the sugar has become a pale yellow color - we want to release the oils from the orange zest. Add the egg, orange juice, oil, yogurt and whisk until combined.
  • Add the flour, baking powder, salt and whisk until smooth. I have used fresh orange juice with pulp so the batter wasn't 100% smooth but it was lump free. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 16-18 mins.
  • It is done when a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top will be dry to touch, golden and risen. Let it cool completely before decorating.

To make the frosting -

  • In a small bowl add the butter and orange zest. Beat together using a rubber spatula (you can use an electric beater as well). Once pale and creamy, add the icing sugar in 3 parts, beating well between each part. Add the orange juice and stir well.
  • Divide the batter in 4 parts, keeping the first majority of it without any color. Color the second part with orange food gel, color the third part with green food gel and the fourth part with brown food gel.

Assembly -

  • Once the cake is cooled, spread the frosting without any color on the cake and spread it evenly. Using a piping bag pipe orange dots, green leaves and brown stalks to create an orange. Continue until you have finished decorating the Cake. Slice and serve.

Optional -

  • You can frost the cake as it is without the tiny oranges and keep it simple.

Notes

  • Whisk the cake batter well until smooth before baking, there shouldn’t be any lumps in the batter.
  • The baking time will depend on the size of your tin. I have used an 8x8 inch square tin however if you are using an 8 inch loaf tin it will bake for 30-35 mins. On the other hand, cupcakes would bake for 10-12 mins.
  • Let the cake cool completely before frosting.