This orange loaf cake is a soft sweet orange bread perfect for an Italian breakfast. Before you make your fresh orange juice, grate the zests and use them for this cake, and nothing gets wasted. The sweet and crunchy coconut balances the citrusy aroma of the orange. The flavor is already intense; you do not need any frosting. It is easy to make, and the plain square cake slices are practical to pack for a lunch or picnic.
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A special breakfast or a snack requires freshly squeezed orange juice.
So before you cut the oranges into two, grate the zest and make this cake. It is easy to make, and you can prepare it the night before.
Loaf cakes, crostata, or homemade jams are part of a classic Italian breakfast. They include all the nutrition you need for a good start to the day, fruits, eggs, and carbs.
They last 3 to 4 days, so you don't have to bake them fresh in the morning.
No one has time for that!
For more cake recipes to make for a classic Italian breakfast, you can read carrot cake loaf with walnuts, Italian apple cake with plenty of apples, Italian ricotta cake no butter, crostata with homemade jam, homemade brioche, sweet polenta cake
Ingredients
The ingredients you need for this orange cake loaf are:
- Shredded coconut
- Orange zest
- Milk
- Butter at room temperature
- Caster sugar
- Fresh eggs
- Flour
- Baking powder
The quantities are in the recipe card below.
Step by step instructions with images
- Before making this cake, soak the shredded coconut and the orange zest in milk overnight or at room temperature for one hour.
Making the batter
- Sift the flour with the baking powder
- With an electrical blender, whip the butter (room temperature) with the sugar until it becomes creamy.
- Add the two eggs, one at a time, making sure the first is combined before you add the next one
- Gradually combine the flour
- Last, add the milk and the coconut
- The batter will be very fluid
- Coat with butter and flour a loaf baking pan
- Pour in the cake batter
- Bake in a hot oven at 355 F - 180 C for 1 hour
- Wait 10 minutes before removing it from the pan
How to serve and store it
This cake can be served by itself without any frosting. The coconut and the orange give it already a nice aroma.
You can serve it with jams or fruit, but this cake is convenient because you can eat it without a plate. A perfect option for a packed lunch, a picnic, or breakfast on the go if you are running late.
The cake will keep for four days stored in an airtight container. No need to refrigerate.
Equipment
This cake is so easy to make you do not need any special equipment.
I use my KitchenAid mixer to make the batter, but you can use a regular hand whisk.
Ensure the butter is at room temperature, making it easy to whip.
Variation and substitution
The orange zest has been soaking in pure alcohol for a month, and they have an alcoholic aroma.
The flavor is mild and not overwhelming, but I do not use them when serving it to children.
Besides orange zest,you can also use freshly grated lemon zest or the lemon zest leftover from the limoncello.
You can also substitute the coconut with shredded almonds.
Top tips
- What makes this cake nicely moist and fluffy is the whipping of the butter with the sugar. Make sure it is nice and foaming before you add the eggs.
- Add one egg at a time to make sure they are well combined
- Once you add the flour sifted with the baking powder, you need to bake the cake right after otherwise, you risk compromising the rising of the baking powder.
- Do not remove it from the pan immediately otherwise; it will break. Although, remove it from the pan to cool down completely so the steam is released and the loaf forms a nice crunchy crust.
More recipes with oranges
If you are making this Coconut Orange Loaf Cake, leave your comment below I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, or sign up to my newsletter.
📋Coconut Orange Loaf Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup shredded coconut
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- ½ cup butter at room temperature
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 2 fresh eggs
- 1 ¾ cup flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Before making this cake, soak the shredded coconut and the orange zest in milk overnight or at room temperature for one hour.½ cup shredded coconut, 1 cup milk, 1 tablespoon orange zest
- Sift the flour with the baking powder1 ¾ cup flour, 2 teaspoon baking powder
- With an electrical blender, whip the butter (room temperature) with the sugar until it becomes creamy.½ cup butter at room temperature, 1 cup caster sugar
- Add the two eggs, one at a time, making sure the first is combined before you add the next one2 fresh eggs
- Gradually combine the flour
- Last, add the milk and the coconut
- The batter will be very fluid
- Coat with butter and flour a loaf baking pan
- Pour in the cake batter
- Bake in a hot oven at 355 F - 180 C for 1 hour
- Wait 10 minutes before removing it from the pan
- Serve it for breakfast or as a snack
Video
Notes
- What makes this cake nicely moist and fluffy is the whipping of the butter with the sugar. Make sure it is nice and foaming before you add the eggs.
- Add one egg at a time to make sure they are well combined
- Once you add the flour sifted with the baking powder, you need to bake the cake right after otherwise, you risk compromising the rising of the baking powder.
- Do not remove it from the pan immediately otherwise; it will break. Although, remove it from the pan to cool down completely so the steam is released and the loaf forms a nice crunchy crust.
Nutrition
Diane L
Delicious! I remember a coworker used to make an Italian breakfast cake for us sometimes with a glass of orange juice when fresh oranges were not available and wanted to make some for our Sunday breakfast at home. I made two versions of this recipe, one with lemon and one with orange zest. Gorgeous and perfect! I wish I could share the photo here but you will need to trust that it comes out just like Laura said it would.
Laura
Thank you Diane, what a nice story. I trust you, even without the photo