Moist Vanilla Cake flavored with fresh orange zest and toasted almonds. This delicious Orange Almond Loaf Cake is perfect for any occasion. Even the “just because” occasion. Which is usually when I bake.
Loaf Cakes are a lot easier to make and decorate than a layered cake. Loaf cakes are baked in one pan and are usually simply decorated. Sometimes you don’t even have to decorate them. Which makes them the perfect cake to bake for a quick treat.
I tossed in two of my favorite ingredients to bake with in this cake. Using fresh orange zest really brightens up the cake. The orange flavor does no overpower the freshly toasted almonds. It’s the perfect balance between the two flavors. There is no need for orange extract because the zest packs enough flavor. I also added fresh orange juice to the icing for more orange flavor.
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Ingredients Needed
- Toasted Almonds
- Fresh Orange
- Butter
- Sugar
- Milk
- Sour Cream
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Powdered Sugar
Creaming the Butter
Like in most cake recipes, this recipe starts by creaming your butter and sugar together. This is a very important step that you do not want to skip. Using room temperature butter will help you to cream your butter properly, by allowing the sugar to dissolve and be evenly distributed. Make sure to cream the butter and sugar until they are light in color and fluffy. This step will give your cake a nice crumb texture. That’s what we all love about cake, right?
Toast the Almonds
Another important step to take in making this cake is to toast your almonds before adding them to the cake batter. Toasting them will allow the flavor of the almond to be more pronounced. Which is what I love about this cake, you can actually taste the almond flavor. Almond extract, while it is good, is not good substitute for this recipe. You want the toasted almond flavor to shine!
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Orange Almond Loaf Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
For the icing
Instructions
-
For the cake
- Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F. Line and coat a 9"x5" loaf pan.
- Add your butter, sugar and orange zest in a mixer bowl and cream your butter and sugar until the mixture is lighter in color and fluffy.
- Add in your eggs one at a time, making sure each egg is fully incorporated.
- Add in the sour cream, orange juice and vanilla extract. Mix well.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a blender, process all but 2 tablespoons of the toasted almonds. Set the 2 tablespoons aside for the topping. You want to process just long enough to have a coarse almond flour. Mix into the flour.
- Now start adding in the milk, alternating with the flour until fully incorporated. Be sure to not overmix.
- Pour into your prepared pan and place in the oven. Bake for approximately 55.
- When the cake is done allow it to cool for 10 minutes and then remove it from the pan. Set on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before making the icing.
-
For the Icing
- In small bowl whisk together the powdered sugar, milk (1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon), orange juice and vanilla.
- Pour over the cake and immediately top with the remaining toasted almonds.
Note
To toast the almonds
Preheat a oven to 350°F. Spread the almonds out onto a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 5-8 minutes, or until they have browned lightly and are fragrant.
Or you can toast them in a pan on the stove over medium low heat. Just stir them occasionally to promote even toasting. You will need to remove them from the pan after they are toasted to stop the cooking.
