This Orange Walnut Cake is incredibly soft, light, and mildly sweet, boasting a fine crumb. Made easily in the food processor, this orange cake recipe has been a beloved favorite among readers for years! Follow the instructions closely, and you’ll make an amazing snack cake that you’ll cherish making time and again.
If you love simple snack cakes, try my date and walnut cake recipe or the almond flour lemon cake next!
A Quick Look at the Recipe
✅ Recipe Name: Orange Walnut Cake Recipe
🕒 Ready In: ~40 minutes
👪 Serves: 10 servings
🧑🍳 Main Ingredients: Fresh oranges, walnuts, butter, sugar, flour and eggs
📌 Difficulty: Easy food processor cake
Why you’ll love this orange walnut cake?
This orange cake recipe has been a reader favorite since 2017—and once you try it, you’ll see why. It’s made in a food processor, which gives it an ultra-soft, tender crumb that practically melts in your mouth.
The best part? The food processor does all the work. It finely grinds the walnuts and mixes the batter, so there’s no need to cream butter or use multiple bowls—less effort, less cleanup.
It’s lightly sweet with a bright, fresh orange flavor that isn’t overpowering. The kind of simple snack cake that’s perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.
- maria doss
Featured Comments
One reader Monika writes, "Already 2nd time making this in one week. Excellent." ★★★★★
Another reader Elizabeth writes, "One of the most scrumptious cake I have ever made. The measurements are perfect- the ratio of orange is not too overwhelming and the walnuts give a smooth texture. Recommend!!!" ★★★★★
Jump to:
If you're in search of the best orange cake recipe that's perfect for a light dessert or to enjoy alongside a cup of tea, this recipe is just what you need. It boasts a wonderfully soft and fluffy texture, with a delicate crumb that is absolutely divine. You'll enjoy every bite!
Tips for Success
- Don't over-bake this cake.
- Lining the pan with parchment paper guarantees seamless removal from the pan.
- For consistent results every time, be sure to follow the recipe instructions closely. I find it helpful to use my phone to keep track of timing.
- Room temperature : Store leftovers in an air tight container at room temperature, for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: Wrap the cooled cake tightly in plastic wrap, and store it in a freezer safe zip lock bag for up to 2 months.
How to make orange juice for orange cake?
To make ½ cup of fresh orange juice for the cake, simply use 1 to 2 juicy oranges—navel or Valencia varieties work great. Roll them on the counter with your palm to help release more juice, then cut them in half and squeeze using a manual juicer or by hand over a strainer to catch any seeds. This should yield about ½ cup of juice.
Since the recipe also calls for orange zest, be sure to zest the oranges before juicing, as it’s much easier to do on whole oranges.
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More Amazing Snack Cakes
Orange Walnut Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup raw walnuts
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick) at room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- zest of one orange
- ½ cup orange juice
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (177°C). Spray an 8-inch round cake pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Grind the flour and walnuts. Add the flour, walnuts, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a food processor. Process for 90 seconds or finely ground. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and set aside. 1 cup all purpose flour, ½ cup walnuts, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Process butter and sugar. Into the now empty food processor, add the butter, sugar and orange zest. Process for 45 seconds. 👉 It’s important that the butter is slightly softened at room temperature. In colder months, it may still feel too firm, which can prevent the food processor from properly creaming it with the sugar. If that happens, add one egg and process for about 30 seconds, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to help everything mix evenly.1 stick butter, ½ cup sugar
- Mix in eggs. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to incorporate any butter clinging to it, then add both eggs and process for about 25 seconds. 👉 If you already added one egg in the previous step, add only the remaining egg at this stage.2 eggs
- Finish batter. Add half of the flour mixture and process for about 10 seconds. Pour in the orange juice and process for another 10 seconds, then add the remaining flour mixture and process for a final 10 seconds.
- Bake. Transfer batter into the prepared pan, spread evenly and bake for 27 to 32 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes clean.
- Cool and enjoy. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
🍊 Craving more recipes with oranges? Try my orange almond muffins for a light and nutty treat, or whip up a refreshing fresh orange smoothie that’s bursting with citrusy goodness!
Frequently Asked Questions
The food processor does double duty—it grinds the walnuts and mixes the batter in one bowl. This not only saves time and cleanup but also helps create a finer, more even texture compared to traditional mixing methods.
Yes, but the texture will be slightly different. The food processor finely grinds the walnuts and creates a smooth, well-emulsified batter, which gives the cake its soft, tender crumb. Here is how to make it without a food processor:
1. Add all the dry ingredients including walnuts to any dry grinder and process until the walnuts and finely ground.
2. Add the butter, sugar and orange zest into a bowl and beat using an electric breater for about 3 minutes or until creamy.
3. Beat in the eggs.
4. Add half the flour mixture, beat to combine. Mix in the orange juice and then the remaining flour.
5. Transfer to the baking pan and bake!
No! The walnuts are finely ground with the flour, which actually helps create a softer, more tender crumb. They add natural oils and reduce gluten development, so the cake stays light rather than heavy. Plus, the food processor method blends everything smoothly, giving the cake an even softer texture than the traditional creaming method.
MADE THIS RECIPE AND LOVED IT? 💚 Please leave a ⭐️STAR rating and COMMENT below- I love to hear your feedback! Tag me with your creations on Instagram and find me on Facebook.
Hi, I’m Maria! I share easy, flavor-packed dinners, high-protein meals, and irresistible baking ideas. If you’ve ever asked, “Don’t know what to cook tonight?” you’re in the right place. And yes—there’s plenty here for breakfast, snacks, and dessert too. More about maria ->
Maninder
Can we use egg replacer or flax egg in place of eggs
Maria Doss
Hi Maninder, We don't have any readers trying with flax eggs. Sorry that we are not able to be of any help, Maria
Mary Burns
Looks like a beautiful cake. Will definitely make it. Thank you.
Maria Doss
Hope you love it:)
David
8” pan or 9” pan, you say both do I’m confused!
Maria Doss
Hi David, 8-inch pan - Maria
Rashika
What can I replace for eggs.?
Maria Doss
Hi Rashika,
Unfortunately, this recipe has not been tested without eggs. Our sincere apologies, Maria
Murali
Can I use self raising flour instead of all purpose flour? Is it still one cup but no baking powder?
Maria Doss
Hi Murali, We do not have any readers try this cake with self raising flour. However, I'm guessing that your substitution should work without any problem, Maria
Gemma
Thank you for sharing. Can I use lemons instead of oranges?
Maria Doss
Hi Gemma, Lemons can be used, however you will need much lesser quantity of juice and zest! We would suggest using 1 to 3 tablespoons of lemon juice (plus remaining water to get a total of 1/2 cup) and about zest of one lemon. You might also need to increase the sugar, since lemon adds sourness when compared to oranges). hope it helps, Maria
Marilou Anastasiadou
Just tried making this cake as an absolute beginner and the result is insanely good! I’m obsessed 😍 10/10!
Maria Doss
Sounds great - thanks hun, Maria
Suat
Hi,
This sounds really great, do you know if I can substitute the butter for oil?
Greetings Suat
Maria Doss
Hi Suat,
Any flavorless oil like vegetable oil or sunflower oil can be used instead. However, we think the cake will turn out incredibly soft (since they are already made with walnuts). We would recommend half butter and half oil instead, Maria
Meethi
I just made this cake. Absolutely delicious!!! I don’t have the food processor so used hand mixer. So so soft and perfect sweetness and such delicious flavor. I also chopped some walnuts and added to the mixture. Great recipes!!!
Maria Doss
Hi Meethi, Glad you loved the cake - Wishing you wonderful holidays, Maria
Maryb
I just made this cake and it is delicious! It’s moist with a wonderful nutty, orange flavour!
My tastebuds are in heaven!
Maria Doss
Hi Mary, That sounds wonderful! Wishing you a very happy new year, Maria
Helen
Hi do you have this receipe in grams???
Just looking at this it looks delicious!!
Maria Doss
Hi Helen,
1 cup all purpose flour = 126 grams
1 stick or 1/2 cup butter = 115 grams
1/2 cup sugar = 100 grams
1/2 cup walnuts = 46 grams
Hope it helps, Maria
Lizzie
Has anyone tried GF flour with this? Thanks for a reply.
Dalila
Delicious,I made it .I loved the flavor ,and texture .hummmmmm so good .I made with gluten-free flour .
Maria Doss
Hi Dalila, Glad you loved the cake, Maria
Cindy
I had to make some adjustments, thankfully it turned out great. I just baked this cake and it is so good! I didn’t have oranges, but I had mandarins, so that’s what I used for the zest and juice. Also, I do not have a food processor at this time, so I used my vitamix to grind the walnuts then I just mixed the dry ingredients in a bowl. I used an electric hand mixer to blend the wet ingredients and dry. Results were tasty, thank you for the recipe.
Kim
Question does this cake need to be refrigerated ? Thanks
Baking this yummy looking cake as I submit this question.
Maria Doss
Hi Kim, It stays fresh 3 to 4 days at room temperature, in an air tight container. If you wish to store longer, then it can be frozen or refrigerated.
Maria Doss
Hi Kim, This cake is good stored at room temperature for 3 to 5 days in a sealed air tight container. If you wish to store longer then we recommend freezing or refrigerating. Bring to room temperature before serving. Thanks, Maria
Sonia
This orange walnut cake is everything delicious and then some! I’m so happy I tried it. It will definitely be in my go to recipes! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Maria Doss
Happy to hear hun, Maria
Veronica Rodrigues
Loved this cake. Doubled the quantity excellent ! Thank you so much. Last month made the almond flour cake. It was a hit.
Maria Doss
Glad to hear that hun, Maria
Marlene Wilkins
Finally found a walnut cake. Thankyou for the recipe. Marlene
Maria Doss
Glad you liked it hun, Maria
Shiffali
Super soft cake.
But mine tasted bland. No flavour of orange. I made exactly the way u said. What change can I make next time. Please suggest.
Maria Doss
Hi Shiffali, Hmmm... not sure why. Our guess could be that the orange wasn't a flavorful one, which is common when not in season. We would suggest looking for a fruit that is heavy for it's size when picked up and has a bright, deep orange color. Hope it helps, Maria
Joanne
I love this recipe. I have made it twice so far. I’m a bit cheeky though and add a 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon as well 😊.
Maria Doss
Sounds great to me, Maria
Christine
Walnuts in abundance ! Can't wait to dry, and brush off my walnuts to I can get stuck in and make this treat'... and SHARE it .
'
with all the good neighbors who passed me bags of nuts. All this is happening in north east France, country style. Converting to metric measurements is as easy as using the Internet to find the recipe in the first place! Grow a pair !
Maria Doss
Hi Christine, Happy to hear hun. BTW, we are working on metric conversions and it will be available very soon. Have a great weekend - Maria