Best Orange Cake Ever
Orange cake is a moist and mouth-watering cake that will make you reach for the second slice in seconds! I have had many orange cakes before, but this easy orange cake recipe stands out, and it’s for a good reason. The orange flavor is perfect, and the cake batter comes together quickly!
I’m the only baker in my family, and I have been baking pastries for more than 15 years. I can tell you that this homemade orange cake has everything: moist and tender crumbs, balanced orange flavor, and perfect sweetness. This recipe for orange cake doesn’t need syrup, and it stays moist for days. Its flavor gets better the next day.
To make this cake, you can use an 8.5”x4.5” loaf pan, an 8”x4” bundt pan, a 9” round or square pan, or a 12 cupcake pan.
To get the same result as mine, measure the ingredients using measuring cups and spoons.
My family loves every cake I bake, but this orange cake recipe with orange juice is one of their favorites, along with Chocolate cake, Butter pecan cake, and my all-time favorite, Pistachio cake.
Please read the Pro Tips section. Working with Chefs, I have accumulated all the tricks that will make not only this cake but any cake you back a success.
❤️ WHY YOU’LL LOVE ORANGE CAKE RECIPE
- Vibrant Citrus Flavor: Adding fresh orange juice and zest ensures a bold and authentic citrus taste, and I have used the perfect balance of the two in this recipe.
- Simple Ingredients: The recipe is convenient for home bakers because it uses pantry staples such as all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, eggs, and baking powder.
- Family-Friendly: The kids love this cake, and with a chilled glass of milk, it’s simply irresistible. Since the recipe is straightforward, doesn’t take much time to prepare, and needs no syrup, you can make it often for your family and enjoy picnics.
- Easy Preparation: Clear instructions simplify the baking process, making it fun and easy for novice and experienced bakers.
🍊 BEST ORANGE CAKE RECIPE INGREDIENTS
All you need are some simple ingredients from your pantry to make the best orange cake at home. Let’s look at them in more detail:
All-purpose flour: We will need all-purpose flour to make this recipe which provides structure and helps the batter rise while baking. You can use cake flour for a finer crumb, but all-purpose flour works well in this recipe.
Baking powder: We will use baking powder to make this recipe, it will help the batter rise and give it a light and fluffy texture.
Remember to use milk when you make this recipe: it will add moisture and richness to the batter.
Orange juice: We will also need some orange juice while whipping up this recipe, it will add a tangy, citrusy flavor to the batter.
Oil: Next, we will add oil to this recipe which will keep the baked goods moist and tender.
Melted unsalted butter: It will add richness and a buttery flavor to the batter.
Eggs: They act as a binding agent, providing structure to the batter and adding a rich flavor.
🔪 HOW TO MAKE MOIST ORANGE CAKE
This orange cake comes together in no time, and I’m sure that you have most of the ingredients, if not all of them, to make it, so here are the easy steps that you need to follow more details are in the recipe card below!
Step 1
Sifting dry ingredients: Sift all the dry ingredients except the sugar. This makes the cake crumbs tender and the batter less lumpy.
Step 2
Mixing the dry ingredients: In a different bowl, beat the oil, butter, and sugar, and then add the eggs, one at a time. Add the milk, orange juice, and zest, and mix well.
Step 3
Adding dry to wet ingredients: Add the dry ingredients to the wet. When you add the flour mixture, be careful not to overmix, or the cake will come out dense. You may find small lumps, don’t let that urge you to mix more, the lumps will disappear while the cake is baking.
Step 4
Bake in preheated oven: Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake on the middle shelf of the oven.
Step 5
Your orange cake is ready!
👩🏽🍳 PRO TIPS
- To make moist orange cake recipe a hit, taste the orange juice before adding it to the cake batter. Sometimes the orange will look good, but it will taste unpleasant.
- Since we are going to use orange zest, make sure to wash the orange properly before extracting the zest.
- Preheat the oven for 20 to 30 minutes before baking the cake.
- Instead of 3 medium eggs, you can go for three large ones.
- Keep the ingredients at room temperature the cake will bake faster and evenly.
- Do not overmix the batter; the cake will come out dense.
- This cake tastes even better the next day, so it’s better to leave it covered at room temperature and serve it the next day. However, it still tastes amazing the same day.
- If you like the orange’s flavor and aroma to be stronger in the cake, rub the orange zest with the sugar for 2 minutes.
🍽️ SERVING SUGGESTIONS
- Add whipped cream: Serve the orange cake as a dessert with a dollop of whipped cream. The sweet accompaniments will serve to compliment the citrus flavor of the cake.
- Toast a slice of orange cake: You might be surprised, but toasting a slice of orange cake sprinkled with honey will taste heavenly.
- Orange Cake Trifle: Cut the orange cake into cubes and layer it with cake cubes, whipped cream, and crushed nuts. Repeat the layers, and add slices of orange.
- Orange Cake Parfait: Crumble the orange cake and add it to a parfait glass. Add a layer of Greek yogurt or vanilla pudding. Top with maple syrup and a sprinkle of granola or chopped nuts for breakfast or brunch.
- Ice Cream Pairing: Serve slices of orange cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The contrast between the warm cake and cold ice cream is perfect on warm summer days.
📖 DELICIOUS VARIATIONS
This orange cake recipe is out of this world as is, but if you’d like to add some variations, then here are some ideas:
Cranberry: Add cranberry to this moist orange cake recipe and fold gently in the batter before pouring it into the baking pan.
Blueberries: You can add some fresh or frozen blueberries to the batter and fold gently to prevent the berries from bleeding.
Nuts: To add a crunch to this moist cake, add some of your favorite toasted and chopped nuts to the batter.
💬 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
I have used all-purpose flour and prefer it in most of my baking. If you want lighter cake, use cake flour or its substitute.
I wouldn’t use bottled orange juice; I’m not sure what ingredients are added to it and how it will react to the other ingredients in the batter. I would say stick with fresh orange juice.
Yes, but having butter and oil in the batter gives you the best of both worlds, a moist cake because of the oil and more flavor from the butter. This cake is much better than the other oil orange cake recipes.
📣 MORE CAKE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
🌡️ HOW TO STORE THE CAKE
To store the leftovers, first, allow the cake to cool completely. Once cooled:
Room temperature: Cover the cake with plastic wrap and place it on the kitchen counter or a cool place for up to 2 days.
Refrigerate the cake: cover the cake tightly with plastic wrap or transfer it to an airtight container. Store the cake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freeze the cake: Cut the cake into slices and wrap each slice with plastic wrap and then tin foil and freeze for up to 3 months!
To thaw a frozen slice of cake: Let the slices or a slice thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
Related Cake Recipes
- Easy and delicious pistachio cake recipe.
- Moist chocolate cake.
- Amazing 7up Classic moist cake.
- Old-fashioned hot milk cake.
- Delicious Kentucky butter cake recipe.
⭐ PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW
If you have tried this orange cake recipe and liked it, please give it a 5-star rating and leave a comment below with your experience!
Best Orange Cake Ever
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ¼ cup sugar I used fine sugar
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup of orange juice
- ¼ cup oil
- ¼ cup melted unsalted butter
- 3 medium size eggs
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Butter or line with parchment paper a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan and set aside.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt set aside.
- In a different bowl, add the melted butter, oil, sugar, and beat until well combined.
- Add the eggs one at a time beating the mixture after adding each egg.
- Add the milk and whisk, then add the orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla and whisk for one minute.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and gently mix for a few seconds. You might see small lumps in the batter, please ignore it but don’t over mix the batter. The lumps will dissolve and won’t be seen in the cake after it is baked.
- Pour the orange cake batter in the previously prepared baking pan.
- Bake, the batter for 40 to 45 minutes or until its golden and a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake, comes out clean.
- If you have used parchment paper in the pan, then pull the cake out of the pan from both side of the parchment paper and place it over a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then remove the cake from the parchment paper and keep it on the cooling rack to cool completely.
- If you are not using parchment paper, then remove the pan from the oven and transfer it to a cooling rack, after 7 minutes remove the cake from the pan and place it over the cooling rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
- Please keep a close eye on the cake after 30 minutes of baking. Depending on your oven, the cake might take less or more time to bake.
- The ingredients should be at room temperature for the cake to bake evenly.
- Use fresh orange juice.
- This post was originally posted on Jan 2011, I have updated the post by editing the text and adding new images.
Looks amazingly moist.. have to try it out..
Thank you Shibani 🙂
Hello, it’s great! How long can the cake last? I’m hoping to give to friends next week… 😉
This cake can be stored at room temperature for two days and if the kitchen is cold then up to 3 days.
Hi Munaty, thanks for sharing this recipe! Looks amazing 🙂 Could you please share the ingredients using metrics? Thanks a lot!! Can’t wait to try this out 🍊
So easy to make comes out perfect. I have made it 5 times now and for someone who sucks at baking to find a recipe that is this easy to make and comes out delicious is a rare thing. I add some orange extract too. I like to toast it with butter and have it with coffee. Yumm!
Thank you Alice, I like toasting slices of cake too, excellent with tea and coffee 😊
Love making this recipe. I make this at least 4-5 times a year. I’ve shared it amongst friends. They love it. I adjusted the sugar amount for our health needs and still tastes delicious 😋 and moist. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Thank you so much for sharing my recipe, so kind of you 😊
Delicious cake
Thank you Michelle, It’s one of my favorite cakes too!
Thank you for a very good recipe
Can i replace it with a round cake pan?? If yes, what size is best for the same ingredients recipe
Hi Megha, you can use a 9 inch round pan.
Looks so delicious and moist! I love orange cakes!
Thank you 🙂
It’s so delicious I did put 1/2 cup of butter and took off the oil and added 1/4 cup of orange juice and decreased milk to 1/4 cup
Thanks
That sounds good Rana, I will try it your way too in the future. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I am planning to make this pound. I am planning on adding poppy seeds, and instead of oil I will be adding unsweetened applesauce.
Will try to come back and tell you how it turned out
Hi Donna, I look forward to your review. Poppy seeds are not allowed in my country but it will be helpful to know how it taste in orange cake 😊
Best! Made last night was delicious
Hi….tried ur recipe….it came out perfectly…just little modification….i use clarified butter in place of butter….n it’s tastes awesome…. thankyou for sharing ur recipe…
Thank you Nidhi 😊
No glaze??
Yes, no glaze 🙂
Wow… Thus great. Have never seen orange cake before. Thanks for sharing
This is a great recipe. I’ve made it twice now and it is wonderful.
Thanks for your feedback Debbie 🙂
1st trial and was perfect.
Everyone enjoyed
Thank you Milly!
Hi can you use two 9 inch pans if you want to make this recipe?
Hi Carolina, Yes you can use a 9″ pan for this recipe.
hi muna! is it ok tu use buttermilk instead of milk?
Yes, it’s fine and keep the measurement the same!
Would a springform pan work? Just not sure which size. Also would blood orange infused olive oil in place of oil? This cake looks delicious I’ll have 2 run out for medium eggs afraid 2 use large thank u
Hi, a 9″ inch spring for pan should be fine, the cooking time might change so keep an eye on the cake. I’m not sure how the cake will taste using infused olive oil, but if you try and it comes out good, please let me and my reader know in the comment section 🙂
This cake is so moist and delicious! I wouldn’t change a thing about the recipe – thank you so much for posting it! I’m looking forward to checking out your other recipes, too.
Hi Megan, Thank you so much for trying this recipe, it is one of my favorite too. Glad you’ve liked it 🙂
Hi Muna, cake looks great! Getting recipe ready. I have only large eggs. Do you think it will work using 2 large eggs?
Hi Francene, I think it will be fine to use large eggs.
Just made it! Delish! Used a glass loaf pan. Rised nicely. Cake was very tender, moist and crumbly as Muna mentioned. The only difference I did was used 2 large eggs. I didn’t have medium size eggs at home. Thank you Muna for sharing this tasty recipe and keeping me busy during the COVID stay at home rule. This is a keeper.
Hi Francene, I’m glad that using large eggs worked well in this recipe, I’m sure my readers will appreciate this info :). Thanks for your kind words!
Thank you so much for the delicious recipe…I am trying cup cakes and hope they come out! 😊
Hi Alice, let me know how it turned out 🙂
Can this cake be frozen to use at a later date and if so does it remain moist?
Hi Tiff, yes, you can freeze this cake, and it is better to slice it and wrap each slice with plastic wrap. It will stay moist even after freezing it.
Hi just wanted to say that I made this orange cake 4 times already and OMG it is indeed the best cake EVER!!! Thank you for the recipe. My mom loves when I bring it over to her.
Thank you.
Hi Diana, Thanks a lot for your comment, I’m happy that your mom approved it 🙂
when to put orange slices on top of the cake?
The orange slices are for decoration purpose so you place it on the cake after it reaches room temperature.
Hi! Can I omit the milk or replace it with something else….. Will the cake taste the same if I do that? Thanks.
Hi, other dairy products you can use are yogurt, sour cream, or buttermilk. In case you are using sour cream or yogurt, use 1/4 cup. If you are using buttermilk and keep the measurement the same as 1/2 a cup. If you are looking for a non-dairy substitute, go for almond milk and add one more tablespoon of butter. In case you are using coconut milk then go for 1/2 a cup. Hope this helped 🙂
Loved it! Very moist and taste amazing. This is the best orange cake I ever made. My family loved it.
Hi Ana, Thanks a lot for your kind comment. I’m happy that you have enjoyed it 🙂
Loved it.. did my own changes and reduced sugar to ½ cup. Thanks you 🙂
Hi Fatima, I’m happy that you gave my recipe a try. What happened when you reduced the sugar? did the texture change? Let us know, please 🙂
This is a great recipe, thanks for sharing it! May I know how you did the orange slices decoration on top? Did you candy the orange slices first then place them on top of the cake right from the beginning or halfway through baking?
Hi, I did candy the orange slices, allowed them to cool, and then placed them over the cake.
All the taste of the Clementine cake with less work.
Hi Verbena, Thanks a lot for your comment 🙂
This is making me so hungry! I love that gorgeous color, and the cake looks so moist. I have to make this. I love orange everything.
Yummy! This orange cake recipe looks amazing and super easy to make. I love orange cake!
I bet this is so good! Why have I never had orange cake before? Sounds yummy!
I’ve never had orange cake but this looks and sounds so yummy. Definitely gonna make this.
Looks amazing… Refreshing citrus taste. Sign me up. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Can’t wait to try it out.
i don’t think i have ever had orange cake before. sounds very refreshing. how much flavor do you get from the zest?
You should try it! It has a balanced flavor of orange, I’m sure you will enjoy it 🙂
Ohhh this looks so good. I’ve seen a lot about apple and banana cake,a be lemon cake of course, but not about orange cake. Why not, right?? Yeah, this looks delicious with a cappuccino or some earl grey tea.
It is great with coffee and even a chilled glass of milk 🙂
This sounds really interesting!
I have never heard of orangecake before, banan sure, but never orange. And it does not sound to sweet so this might just be for me 🙂
Nnniiiccceeeee….this cake is too good to leave alone. The dairy will have to go, though.
It’s moist and the flavor of the orange in it is just right!
Made this orange cake tonight, it is moist, full of orange flavor & delicious!
I subbed buttermilk for milk, used avocado oil & used Cara cara oranges for fresh juice & zest.
Will definitely make again & again.
Hi Marcia, Thank you so much for your feedback and your suggestions, this will help my readers 😊
I don’t think I’ve ever tried an orange cake before but that is looking quite delicious! Love that the recipe is easy to follow as well in case you want to try making it.
I have had lemon bread but never orange bread. This looks amazing!
Thank you Marie, It’s a great tasting cake for sure!
Wow this orange cake looks absolutely delicious. It looks so soft and moist.
My mom loves making cakes. I will show her your orange cake recipe, it looks so delicious
Bless her heart, I hope she enjoys my recipe 🙂
I hope to recreate your Best Orange Cake. It sounds so yummy and tasty! Thanks for the recipe!
Hope you enjoy it Emman 🙂
this sounds delish. i’m saving so i can make later.
this is definitely the best orange cake ever. Hands down. Every bite.
Thank you Jessica, I’m happy that you have enjoyed this cake!
Wow this cake looked so good. I want one. Lemme make it!
I see a lot of people right “ the best “ in front of their recipes but this one it truly the best orange cake ! Made it with organic oranges, coconut milk and coconut oil instead. Also, didn’t use butter and only made it with 2 eggs. It was superb !!!!❤️
Thanks so much for your feedback and suggestions, I appreciate it 🙂
If I want to make two loaves is it ok to just double the recipe?
Yes of course 🙂
This cake is indeed delicious! I made the recipe as written but subbed GF all purpose flour and almond milk. Turned out perfect with great orange flavor. Freezes well, too.
Hi Jane, Thanks for your feedback and tips, I’m sure my readers will appreciate it 🙂
I’m currently writing/compiling a recipe book in memory of my late brother the famous desert baker of Namibia aka Moose Mcgregor who became famous and known world wide for his apple crumble some tourists called it Apple strudel. So I love trying out new recipes and came across your Orange cake recipe today and baked it. Oh my gosh what a fabulous recipe. It’s a real winner.
Thank you for the kind words Kathy, I’m glad that you like my recipe 🙂
This is delicious! I’ve baked it twice, making it gluten and dairy-free and it is lovely.
(I used a non-dairy GF stick butter substitute and basic GF flour with xanthum gum already in it). It was our New Year’s Eve dessert. Thank you! it also freezes well if well wrapped.
Thank you for trying my recipe and for providing tips on making it gluten free 🙂
when do you add the orange zest?
Before adding the orange juice. The recipe was updated, thanks 🙂
I have a weekness for oranges..I will have a go at making your cake..The greeks has a similar cake, which you must have heard of….Thaks and happy baking,,,Querino
You are welcome 🙂
This sounds so delicious. I want to make it.
What do I need to adjust for high altitude baking?
Thank you
I would say try the recipe as is, I never had a complaint about using the same recipe for high altitude. Hope this helped!
So if we are to reduce the sugar, how much is the least we can use to avoid changing the texture. Also, can I bake it in in a Pyrex pan?
Hi Aly, you can reduce the sugar by two to three tablespoons. You can use Pyrex, but the cake will cook faster, and the bottom might get darker. So, since you are using Pyrex, I suggest to reduce the oven temperature to 165C/329F. I hope this helps.
Like your orange cake resepi. Can you please post a vegetarian orange cake resepi? Tq
I don’t normally post reviews of recipes, but this one was so good. I made it yesterday using 1 regular orange and 1 blood orange, and it was delicious. Perfect consistency and sweetness, it really let the orange shine. Well done.
Thank you Diana, I appreciate your feedback 🙂
I LOVE this recipe … This is my second time baking this cake, the first time it was a success. My daughter loves this recipe too, she added cranberries to make muffins. THANK YOU!! 👍🏼👍🏼 I wish I could give more than 5 stars…Truly is the BEST!!
I’m so happy that you have enjoyed my recipe 🙂
Hi, I followed your recipe. However, as a few other posters found, there was too much liquid. My cake was great on the top, but the two edges were still unbaked fully. I suspect the middle of the cake must have been the same as well. I’ve put it back into the oven to see if that’ll help bake it some more. I think you need to adjust the liquid amounts and the flour amounts. Also I feel that the baking pan would be better being slightly larger.
Hi Cheryl, This happens when the oven is not preheated to the baking temperature mentioned in the recipe. The cake takes a long time to bake and most of the time bakes unevenly. If the top of the cake looked baked while the edges were still unbaked then you also have a problem with heat distribution within the oven. You may not notice this much in cakes baked in an 8 inch pans but it will show with deep loaf pans. I have tried this recipe many times and the texture looks exactly as in the video. Hope this helped.
hi,
can i reduce the sugar?
Hi! Yes, you can reduce the sugar but reduce the sugar to more than 5 tablespoons can change the texture of the cake a little. Hope this helped 🙂
my cake is soooo moist😏, i would love a mild dry cake, please help
You can bake it a little longer, that will make it dry!
Making this weekend for bronco football .. can this go in a Bundt cake pan ? Wondering if it’s enough batter …And is it too much if we put orange zest frosting
it can go in a Bundt pan, not a large one though 😊
Hi, I have some queries.
What is size of the cup used in recipe? Is it 250ml?
Can you tell butter in grams?
You’ve mentioned melted butter, but it isn’t totally liquid. Is it softened butter like the one used when creaming butter & sugar?
Can I replace fine sugar with powdered sugar?
Hi Sara, I use US measuring cup. The butter is around 57 grams. The butter is melted but sometimes because the kitchen is cold part of it turn a little firm. You can’t replace fine sugar with powdered sugar. And for more accurate conversion of measurements. Hope this helped!
Hi can we make it eggless?
Hi Deepa, I never tried it without eggs, sorry!
Hi there,
Is your temp fan forced or conventional?
Thank you 😀
Hi Liz, it was not fan forced.
This is my husbands favourite cake. I’ve made it many times and always turns out great. It’s moist and delicious. The orange flavour is a bit light, but overall a great cake. I like to add an orange glaze on top once in a while.
Hi Amanda, Thanks a lot for your comment, I’m glad that you like my recipe 😊
Best recipe! Never goes wrong !
Thank you Nour.
Hi
Thanks for sharing the recipe. Loved it . I just used butter instead of oil. Love ur recipes of cakes
Thank you Arpeita 😊
Excellent! Verrrry tasty! I followed the recipe as written (except I didn’t have unsalted butter so I just used the salted butter I did have and omitted the called for salt).
I did have to bake it a few minutes longer than 45 minutes, which may be due to the fact that I was using a clay loaf pan… (any input on that?)
Hi Sarah, thank you for trying my recipe. I’m not sure how thick the clay loaf pan you have used, but in general clay pans and loaf pans take a longer time to heat than regular baking pans. This could be the reason why the cake took a longer time in the oven.
This recipe makes a great cake. I love the orange flavor and the moistness of the cake. I used a 9” springform cake pan instead of a loaf pan. After it was done baking, I also brushed the top of the cake with a mixture of apricot jam and butter and then sprinkled shredded coconut on top. I don’t like very sweet desserts so I reduced the amount of sugar to 2/3 cup, which was still a little too sweet for me. Next time I will try 1/2 cup.
Deepa Chauhan you can replace one egg with 1/4 cup plain yogurt or 1/4 cup sugar-free apple sauce. My daughter is allergic to eggs and she uses the sugar-free apple sauce as substitute to bake and it works very well.
Muna, I tried adding chopped frozen cranberries just before putting the batter into the pan (as you advised). They all rose to the top while baking. Any clue what I may have done wrong?
Hi Kathleen, I can only guess, since the cranberries were chopped they became lighter in weight and rose up. Usually in baking, the cranberries sink or spread evenly, but I am talking about whole cranberries. A tip I use to help blueberries spread evenly in a cake that might work with cranberries, is mix them with a tablespoon of flour before adding them to the batter. I hope this helps.
I must say that this cake is absolutely delicious, super moist which is for me one of the most important things when it comes to such cakes! I made it already few times, the instructions are fool proof and everyone who tasted it loved it. The only thing I changed is I added 2 tablespoons spoons of orange zest as I thought it needed it to highlight the orange flavor. Thanks for sharing, it works every time!
is there someway I can send a photo, of the Orange/Ripple cake? Have always made Orange cakes BUT just love recipes that don’t involve a mixer and beating/creaming, so gave this a try!! So easy & tasty. After I poured the completed orange mixture into baking pan, I took a few tablsp of batter out and added a lge tblsp Cocoa, then spooned this choc mix in two blobs back into pan. Then slightly swirled with a knife into the orange batter. Orange/Choc Swirl Cake ..looks good and kids love it!!
Hi Nerida, thank you so much for your kind words and suggestion. I’m glad that you and your family loved the cake 😊 You can share the photo on Pinterest where we all can see it and appreciate it.
Followed recipe completely but cake very dense not much orange flavor. Expected more a pound cake texture. Maybe I did something wrong, don’t know what. I did question melted butter instead of creaming the butter. Maybe orange juice instead of fresh squeezed.
Hi Carol, The only way I can think of that will make the cake come out dense, is by over mixing. I have tried this recipe many times and the result is always a fluffy moist cake. If the cake came out dense then you won’t be able to taste much of the orange since the batter didn’t rise well while baking. I hope this helped.