This Cara Cara orange cake is soft, moist, and citrusy, made with fresh orange juice and zest and finished with a tangy orange cream cheese icing. Cara Cara oranges are naturally sweeter than regular oranges, which gives this cake a bright, lovely orange flavor without bitterness.
This Cara Cara orange cake is soft, moist, and lightly citrusy, made with fresh Cara Cara orange juice and zest, then finished with a not-too-sweet orange cream cheese icing.
Cara Cara oranges are sweeter and less acidic than regular navel oranges, which makes them great for baking. The orange flavor comes through clearly without being sharp or bitter, and the cake stays tender thanks to yogurt and milk in the batter.
What Are Cara Cara Oranges?
Cara Cara oranges are sweeter and less acidic than navel oranges and milder than blood oranges, which makes them perfect for baking when you want a smooth orange flavor without bitterness or sharp citrus notes.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for exact amounts.
- Cara Cara Oranges: These oranges are a type of navel orange with pinkish-red flesh. They are naturally sweeter and less acidic, which gives the cake a smoother citrus flavor. If you cannot find them, a sweet navel orange will still work.
- Yogurt and Milk: This combination keeps the cake moist without making it heavy. Plain yogurt works best.
- Orange Cream Cheese Icing: This icing is intentionally less sweet than most cream cheese frostings. It tastes like cream cheese and fresh orange, not powdered sugar.
Pan Sizes and Baking Options
This recipe makes enough batter for two 8-inch round cake layers.
You can also:
- Bake in decorative pans, as long as the total volume stays similar
Bake until the center springs back lightly, and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Frosting Sweetness Note
The orange cream cheese icing uses about 2 cups of powdered sugar, which is less than most frosting recipes.
After adding the sugar, taste it. If you prefer a sweeter icing, add more powdered sugar gradually. This frosting is meant to be balanced, tangy, and creamy, not overly sweet (I’m not the biggest fan of sweets!).
Instructions
Prep Tips
How to make this Cara Cara orange cake.
- Mix dry ingredients in one bowl.
- Whisk wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Combine gently until just mixed.
- Bake in two greased 8-inch pans until set.
- Cool completely and frost with orange cream cheese icing.
Storage
Store the frosted cake in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
FAQs
Yes. Cara Cara oranges are sweeter and less acidic, but sweet navel oranges work well as a substitute. The flavor will be slightly sharper, but still delicious.
More Cake Recipes
If you’ve made this Cara Cara Orange Cake recipe or another recipe on Pipercooks, I’d love it if you’d leave a comment with a recipe rating. I want to know how you enjoyed it, and ratings help other people know that the recipe is worth trying.
Cara Cara Orange Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Cake:
- 250 grams all-purpose flour about 2 cups
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- ½ cup orange juice from about 2 oranges
- 1 teaspoon orange zest from about 1 orange
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
Frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese 1 brick, at room temperature
- ½ cup butter 1 stick, at room temperature
- 250 grams powdered sugar about 2 cups
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180℃).
- Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper if you have it. This helps prevent sticking.
- In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the milk, orange juice, orange zest, yogurt, vanilla, eggs, and sugar. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Whisk gently just until no dry flour remains. Do not overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops spring back lightly when pressed, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and a pinch of salt. Beat until smooth and spreadable. Taste and add more powdered sugar if you want it sweeter.
- Spread icing over one cooled cake layer, place the second layer on top, and frost the top and sides as desired. Or serve as two single-layer cakes.
Notes
Nutritional information is an estimate. Values vary based on products used. Read our full Nutrition Disclaimer.
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Cara Cara oranges are so delicious. This cake sounds divine. Love the frosting. This would be a great brunch item, and also the perfect end to a delicious meal.
Yes, it would be nice for a spring brunch!
I have been meaning to bake an orange cake since long and your post just reminded me of that. I love orange cakes and I love your post. May be I should use this recipe and try.
Thanks, I hope you try it out 🙂
This really appeals to me – I love a citrus cake and like you, I prefer my desserts not too sweet, so I would follow this recipe exactly.
Thanks Nicole!
Your cake looks delicious, I love orange in a cake. I’ve not come across Cara Cara oranges before, I’m not sure they’re available here in the UK but I should imagine the recipe would work with a sweet orange.
I’m sure it would work with a sweet orange. Cara Cara’s are a cross between two navel oranges, and kind of pinkish-red on the inside (but not as bright as a blood orange).
I’ve never heard of Cara Cara Oranges but really want some now. Your cake looks delicious and the icing looks perfect.
Thanks Gillian!
This orange cake looks delicious. The icing sounds perfect. I’ll be putting this one on my “to-make” list. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Thanks!
Thanks Mark, I hope you enjoy it 🙂
You had me at cara cara oranges! Ooh, to candy them as a topping…that would be divine with this cake. Going to give this a try!
Oh ya, I’ll have to try that, thanks!
It looks lovely! I made similar mistake recently with my parsnip cake, I used too large tin, nevertheless it tasted the same good. I can imagine how good your cake had to taste, so fresh and fragrant…
Thanks Margot, it’s a really nice cake 🙂
This looks delicious! I love the flavor of fresh orange so this is perfect to make for the Spring. Can’t wait to try!
Thanks!
Ha! I really want to see the horse cake now! This is a stunner, for sure, and I love the fresh, bright flavors!
It was pretty funny. I thought decorating it with orange peel would help. It did not. 😉 haha Thanks for the comment!
Oh my goodness, this looks divine! Love all the specks of zest throughout the cream cheese frosting!
Thank you Nicole!
These are perfect for Valentine’s day….I love the beet dye (not sure why people feel the need to correct spelling on a food blog)…congrats to your brother.
Excellent read, I just passed this onto a friend who was doing a little research on that. And he actually bought me lunch since I found it for him smile So let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch!
I got a lot of pulp in my fresh Cara Cara juice. Should I strain it?
I don’t strain mine but if you feel you’ve got quite a bit then you could definitely do that.
Jacqueline
This sounds delicious! Have you tried making cupcakes with a shorter baking time?
Hi Diane,
I haven’t tried that, but I’m sure it would work. Let me know if you try it, that’s a great idea!
Jacqueline