This Orange Loaf Cake is truly so delicious! Completely dairy-free and plant-based, it’s moist, loaded with fresh orange flavor topped with a delightful vegan cream cheese glaze. The best way to celebrate the citrus season!
This post is sponsored by the “Plant-Based” promotion at Publix. The opinions and text are all mine.
Alright, my friends, the New Year is here, which means yes – we are in the middle of Winter. Unless you’re in North Carolina, where it was 70 degrees yesterday, and then today it snowed. What in the world!
But my favorite part of Winter? The fact that it’s officially citrus season! There is nothing like deliciously sweet citrus during this time of the year.
So, I figured…why not bake up that delightful citrus goodness in a loaf cake?! Just because it’s the New Year does not mean that I’m giving up on baking! And this is the perfect cake to start out with because it’s completely plant-based and uses fresh Sumo Citrus mandarin oranges in it!
What is a Loaf Cake?
You may be wondering what in the world is a loaf cake! If you’re not a cake baker, don’t fret! I promise this isn’t your *average* cake.
A loaf cake is simply put, a cake baked in a loaf pan. Some might call it a pound cake or even quick sweet bread – but it has a delightful texture and is the perfect easy treat to whip up when you’re craving something sweet.
Why You’ll Love this Cake:
First off, the flavor of this cake is just delicious. There is orange flavor throughout as well as added spice from the cinnamon.
The cake is incredibly moist on the inside, dense, thick, and has the perfect amount of cream cheese glaze on top for added yumminess.
It’s completely plant-based which means I used no eggs or dairy. Instead, I decided to opt for some plant-based products that I got on sale at my local Publix!
A brand-new Publix just opened 5 minutes down the road from me, and I am *so* excited! You know how I love saving money – here are a few products I got on sale to bake this cake with.
The Kite Hill Dairy Free Butter (which was on sale for 2 for $8!) was the perfect way to make sure the cake stayed moist.
The orange flavor was amplified by using fresh Sumo Citrus Mandarin Oranges – also on sale for $1 off per pound. I used both the fresh juice from the mandarins as well as the zest on top for extra zing!
Lastly – you can’t forget about the ultra-delicious cream cheese glaze on top. I swear, I could literally eat that glaze with a spoon. It’s so good. I used Miyoko’s Creamery Organic Cream Cheese (which is vegan, by the way), and it was on sale for only $4.99.
The glaze is so delectably creamy and has the perfect amount of orange flavor and spice to it. It coats the top of the cake almost like a donut glaze and is the cherry on top to make this loaf cake extra special!
So – let’s get into how exactly to make it!
Ingredients You Need:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- Sumo Citrus mandarin orange juice (freshly squeezed)
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla extract
- Kite Hill Dairy Free Butter
- Miyoko’s Creamery Organic Cream Cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Orange zest
Best Baking Tips:
Alright, my friends – let’s go over some of my best baking tips for this loaf cake.
Start off by preheating the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9×5 glass loaf baking pan by greasing it generously or adding in parchment paper. Set that aside for now.
Grab a medium-size bowl and add in flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. Whisk to combine until the dry ingredients are evenly distributed. Set that aside for now as well 🙂
And now the fun part! Grab a large bowl and the dairy-free butter. Melt the butter and then add in the sugars and whisk together until they are fully combined.
Slice a couple of the Sumo Mandarin oranges in half and gently squeeze the juice out of them until you get ½ a cup of fresh juice.
And of course – to the bowl, time to add in the almond milk, vanilla extract, and that freshly squeezed juice! Mix it up.
Now that your wet ingredients are all fully mixed, time to add in the dry! Fold in the dry ingredients a little at a time, gently stirring as you go. You don’t want to overmix – you just want to be sure that you don’t see any flour pockets left in the batter.
Grab the prepared baking pan and pour the batter directly in, and it’s time to let it bake away! And yes, your house will smell like a delicious orange cake candle. You’re welcome 😉
Near the end of the baking time – whip up that delightful cream cheese glaze!
Combine the softened cream cheese with the dairy-free butter until creamy. Then add in the powdered sugar a little bit at a time. I added in some extra freshly squeezed mandarin orange juice as well for flavor!
With the glaze, you really want to just eye it until your perfect consistency is achieved. It will be thicker the more powdered sugar you add – and if you want to thin it, add some more juice.
The cake will be done when you can insert a toothpick or knife into the CENTER, and it comes out clean.
Let it cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, and then carefully remove it to a cooling rack.
It’s very important that you let it cool fully before you glaze it!
Once it’s cooled, generously add the glaze over the top. I liked to add an extra pinch of cinnamon and flecks of orange zest for color and flavor as well.
And now it’s time to slice and EAT! Pour a cup of coffee or a cup of tea and enjoy every bite.
Storing Leftovers:
I recommend storing leftovers in a tightly sealed Tupperware container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To heat up, simply take a slice of the bread and warm in the microwave until your desired temperature is reached.
If you want to save money like I did on these products to bake this cake – good news! You can head to your local Publix or visit Publix.com right now to grab the Extra Savings Flyer and see all of the savings you can have during their Plant Based promotion!
Don’t see the flyer? No worries! You can always head up to customer service and ask them for one, or you can look at the signs located throughout the store, which help highlight the savings.
The promotion runs from January 15-28th, so be sure to stock up while you can!
Did you enjoy this recipe? Here are some others you might like:
Thank you so much for following along here, friends! Want to see more? Be sure to follow ourbalancedbowl on Instagram and tag me with your photo if you end up making a recipe! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the Our Balanced Bowl Facebook page! Like a recipe that you saw? Follow me on Pinterest here! I always love to see your re-creations! If you do make a recipe, it would make my whole day if you were to rate and comment so I can get your feedback! Lots of love! – Haylie
Orange Loaf Cake
This Orange Loaf Cake is truly so delicious! Completely dairy-free and plant-based, it’s moist, loaded with fresh orange flavor topped with a delightful vegan cream cheese glaze. The best way to celebrate the citrus season!
Ingredients
Orange Loaf Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1/2 cup squeezed mandarin orange juice (from the Sumo Citrus Mandarins)
- 1-2 tbsp orange zest (plus more for garnish, if desired)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon (plus more for garnish, if desired)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup Kite Hill Dairy Free Butter, melted and cooled
Cream Cheese Glaze
- 2 oz Miyoko’s Vegan cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1 oz Kite Hill Dairy Free Butter (room temperature works best)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- Pinch of cinnamon
- Freshly squeezed mandarin orange juice
- Orange zest
Instructions
Baking the Cake
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 9x5 glass baking loaf pan using either cooking spray or parchment paper. Set aside for now.
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In a medium bowl, add the all-purpose flour and baking powder and cinnamon. Combine until they are evenly distributed and set aside.
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In a large bowl, melt the Kite Hill Dairy Free butter and let it cool. To this, add in the brown sugar and granulated sugar and whisk together until combined.
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Slice the Sumo Mandarin Oranges in half (I did 2 total), and using a citrus juicer or your hands, squeeze about a little more than 1/2 cup of juice out into a jar. Zest about 1-2 tbsp as well for the inside of the cake.
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To the bowl with the butter and sugar, add in the unsweetened almond milk, ½ cup of the freshly squeezed mandarin orange juice (you will have a little leftover), orange zest and vanilla extract. Mix together until combined. It makes it look a little odd but don’t fret!
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Take the bowl of the flour, baking powder and cinnamon, and gently stir them into the bowl with the wet ingredients a little at a time until they are combined, and you can see no more flour pockets.
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Pour the loaf batter into the prepared pan.
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Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted into the middle and comes out clean.
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Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, and then carefully remove from the pan onto a cooling rack to let it cool fully.
Making the Cream Cheese Glaze
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While it is cooling, make your glaze. Add the room temperature cream cheese and butter into a bowl and, using a hand mixer, mix until combined and creamy.
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Add in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and mix until combined.
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Take the leftover orange juice and add in a splash for extra flavor until you reach your desired consistency for the glaze (it will be thicker the more powdered sugar you add, and thinner the more orange juice you add)
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Once the cake is fully cooled, generously glaze it. Top with extra orange zest and a pinch of cinnamon. Slice and enjoy!
Looks delicious! My son is allergic to nuts – can I make it with regular cream cheese and milk?
Hi Janna! Thank you so much 🙂 Yes, you can absolutely use normal milk and cream cheese. I hope you and your son enjoy!
This looks delicious. Can I use Florida Oranges instead of the sumo mandarins?
Thank you Bella! Yes, you can absolutely use Florida Oranges instead of the Sumo mandarins. Hope you enjoy the recipe!