This quick-bread recipe uses orange zest and fresh orange juice for extra-bright citrus flavors everyone will love.
It's barely the beginning of the fall baking season and I'm already a little weary of the pumpkin, cinnamon, maple and other typical fall baked treats. This was a refreshing break. As this was baking I already decided it was worth it for the aroma alone - SO fragrant of fresh orange. It must have been a combination of the recipe itself, my adding two tablespoons of vegetable oil to ensure a moist cake, and cutting back on the baking time by several minutes that I did not experience the dryness other reviewers reported. This cake is soft, with a dense but tender crumb, very light, buttery (I did use butter rather than the margarine called for) and prominently, pleasantly orange. The term "glaze" in the recipe is misleading, as this is really not a glaze at all. It's actually a flavored simple syrup that soaks into the cake, infusing it with added moisture and flavor and should not be skipped or altered. A delightful change from heavily spiced, heavily frosted or overly sweet treats. Delicious, satisfying and very pretty too. Whether or not the the cake would turn out as good and moist without the 2 T. of oil I added, I'm not sure - what I do know is that if you add it, you won't be sorry. And be careful not to overbake!
Read MoreThis needed more orange flavor. I added fresh oranges and extra orange zest, still not enough flavor. I was expecting more of a sweet cake, but it was somewhat bland.
Read More It's barely the beginning of the fall baking season and I'm already a little weary of the pumpkin, cinnamon, maple and other typical fall baked treats. This was a refreshing break. As this was baking I already decided it was worth it for the aroma alone - SO fragrant of fresh orange. It must have been a combination of the recipe itself, my adding two tablespoons of vegetable oil to ensure a moist cake, and cutting back on the baking time by several minutes that I did not experience the dryness other reviewers reported. This cake is soft, with a dense but tender crumb, very light, buttery (I did use butter rather than the margarine called for) and prominently, pleasantly orange. The term "glaze" in the recipe is misleading, as this is really not a glaze at all. It's actually a flavored simple syrup that soaks into the cake, infusing it with added moisture and flavor and should not be skipped or altered. A delightful change from heavily spiced, heavily frosted or overly sweet treats. Delicious, satisfying and very pretty too. Whether or not the the cake would turn out as good and moist without the 2 T. of oil I added, I'm not sure - what I do know is that if you add it, you won't be sorry. And be careful not to overbake!
Every Christmas for as long as I can remember, my mother makes orange loaves and delivers them to the neighbours. She was improvising on another loaf recipe, though, and most often the loaves would fall, although they tasted great! I took her recipe, and came on-line. Lo and behold if this orange loaf isn't EXACTLY the same as mom's, except for a bit of extra flour, which is all that was needed to keep it nice and rounded on the top. I emailed mom with the recipe, which she used this year. Thanks for helping improve on one of my favourite Christmas traditions! As for the glaze, Mom's loaf only called for half of this one, and I thought the amounts listed here would make way too much. I made 2 loaves at once---one with only half the glaze(like mom's), and one as this recipe calls for. I liked this one the best. It made the loaf nice and moist. Just be sure to let the loaf sit as required to let the glaze soak in. Thanks again-- this is a great loaf, and I've made 8 of them to give away in the last month, following in my mother's footsteps.
The flavor of this bread was oh so orange! Quite delightful. However, I'm giving it 4 stars because the "glaze" was too liquidy to be considered a glaze. I followed the recipe exactly and it made so much that I think it calls for reducing the "sugared juice" in the pan to thicken it into a glaze. Otherwise it was very good! Update: Made it again and this time simmered the glaze until it redused to about half and then removed the bread from pan and brushed it on. Came out much better! 5 Stars! On a side note, I accidently added only 1/2 cup sugar to the bread and it still came out delightful! Great way to cut back!
This first time I made this, I think I must have accidentally used too much flour, because I felt it was too dry. I just made it again, but this time I used pineapple juice instead of orange juice, and threw in some pineapple chunks into the batter. I cannot tell you how unbelievably moist and delicious it is. I`m hard pressed not to eat the whole thing myself. I also poured the batter into two, much smaller sized bread pans and baked them for only 25 minutes at 150 degrees celsius, and they turns out perfect.
This is one of the best "breads/cakes" i've ever made. I made the recipe just as it reads until I got to the glaze. I added about 6-8oz of orange marmalade in a sauce pan first, then added the orange juice and sugar. I let that simmer for about 3 minutes. I can't image the cake any other way. I totally recommend this recipe and I'm debating making another loaf right now.
My husband said the bread was good but not "out of this world." I added a little extra orange juice to the bread and halved the sauce/glaze. If I were to make it again, I might increase the amount of orange zest.
Very good. Much like a pound cake which is what I wanted. I used an 8x8 square dish and only baked for 45-50 minutes. The glaze came out fine but I wish I had made it thicker by letting it simmer down, stirring constantly, until it coats the spoon like thick syrup. As it was it was a bit thin and permeated the cake a little more than I wanted.
Thanks for the fantastic recipe for Orange Loaf, Carol~!! I agree that using butter is better for bringing out the orange taste. Besides, I have added an extra of 2T olive oil, as suggested by another reviewer, which made the loaf moistened beautifully. For the "glaze", it really helps to bring an additional orange flavor and helps lighten up the surface of the loaf. Great idea for the glaze!! This recipe will be used in the rest of my life, for SURE :)
This is a nice loaf. I made it in 3 mini loaf pans and they took about 40 minutes to bake. I added 1/4 teaspoon of orange extract to the batter along with the rind and orange juice. The loaves would be pretty dry without the glaze so I wouldn't recommend skipping it. I thought that 1/4 cup sugar wasn't enough to make a syrupy glaze so I increased it to 1/2. I also added the juice from 1/2 a lemon, which made the glaze more tart and citrusy. I didn't use all of it on the loaves because I was afraid to make them too soggy, but I think I probably could have used it all without a problem.
This bread tasted good however I would only use half of the glaze the next time I bake this orange loaf. I may even try sprinkling powdered sugar on top instead of the glaze. I didn't really care for the glaze and thought that the bread could be fine without it but my husband said it needed a little.
Glaze tip: Poke holes with a toothpick all over the loaf before drizzling glaze on warm loaf. This will distribute the glaze into the loaf as well as on top. Wrap in foil for 24 hours (or not) to let the flavor drench the loaf.
This needed more orange flavor. I added fresh oranges and extra orange zest, still not enough flavor. I was expecting more of a sweet cake, but it was somewhat bland.
One of the excellent recipes. I've never before tried anything with Orange. This recipe is to be kept for good. Glaze was just excellent.
Great flavour, however I found it very crumbly compared to other recipes I have made. I will be looking for another Orange Loaf which might be more to my liking.
Not sure about kid friendly but husband friendly *S*... Love the loaf and the orange flavor! Didn't use the glaze. We like cream cheese frosting and I will try that next time! Made the loaf twice now and WILL be trying it again... THANK YOU FOR POSTING IT! Lorraine
This is a light tasting quick bread, as opposed to your traditional banana or pumpkin loaf. My teens really liked it. If you are missing a strong orange taste fresh squeeze your oranges for the juice and zest a whole orange. Great flavor. I would bake it next time as 2 smaller loaves because it rose so much the glaze was spilling over.
I really enjoyed this quick bread. It has a really strong and rich orange taste which I loved. I even tried it with chopped pecans mixed in the batter. It was great! This is a great recipe to try for those who love quick breads.
This is the third time ive made this, and cant get the top to stay up. Im baking at an elevation of 9000 feet and i've done the usual high altitude stuff like more liquid, higher temp, and less leavening agent. but alas it never rounds off, always sunken in the middle. other than that everyone loves the taste and cant get enough of it.
Boring flavour. Needs more zip and zing. Thank goodness I added chocolate chips. Will keep looking for an orange loaf recipe.
A lovely twist on a citrus bread. Didn't need the glaze (we don't care for this type bread if it is too sweet) but added more orange rind and a handful of dried cranberries really make it interesting.
I've made this bread many times and I think it is super. I always follow the recipe exactly with no complaints as it is written. I think the glaze is supposed to be thin. I pour the hot glaze over the hot loaf and just let it sit in the pan. Eventually the glaze absorbs into the cake, leaving a moist, delicious bread. Im happy with it!!
Very easy to make but not the light spring citrus cake that I was looking for. I did follow the recipe exactly other than adding a little orange extract. The orange taste was perfect but I did not like the dense texture or the crust. Maybe the cook time needs to be changed and using butter instead or margarine cold also improve the cake, not a recipe that I will be using again.
The recipe was quick and easy, as advertised, and tasted awesome. I had a lot of really icky oranges I needed to get rid of, and this did the trick. A couple of notes: 1. I live in Colorado Springs, so adding more flour is a must, the center of this bread sank, and it was done about 20 minutes earlier than the recipe called for. I narrowly escaped it being burned. 2. From previous experience, do NOT use white sugar for the glaze. Glazes require powdered sugar in order to make it thick, and it needs A LOT of powdered sugar. I had probably 2 cups of glaze. But this recipe was awesome, and don't be afraid to add more zest than the recipe called for.
Its a wonderful orange flavored loaf. I substituted 1 cup all purpose flour to 1cup whole wheat flour and reduced sugar to 3/4 cup. I used vegetable oil instead of margarine and added just 1tbsp of butter for flavor. I increased the orange juice to 1/2 cup and 2tbsp and skipped the nuts( daughter does not like these) The result was a wonderful orange loaf. Thanks for the great recipe!!!
I am a novice baker and i loved Carol's recipe. Easy and quick! Thanks Carol.
Loved the flavor. I didn't change anything. The bread was a bit crumbly but really not a problem. I would definitely make this again. Thanks. :)
This was a good breakfast bread. I made some changes after reading the reviews. I added some oil to keep it moist and I reduced the orange glaze to make sure it wasn't too runny. As soon as the bread came out of the oven I pricked it with a fork all over. Then when I drizzled the glaze over the bread it seeped down into those fork holes and really made the bread more moist and orangey throughout.
This should be a featured recipe! Excellent just the way it is, with no additions. I made it with orange and also made 1 with lemon in place of the orange. Excellent!
A pleasant and welcome surprise. The only change I made was to use butter rather than margarine and cut back a bit on the sugar (3/4 cup). I tried it with and without the glaze and while it is five-star worthy to me without the glaze, adding it takes the orange flavor over the top and makes it really special. Walnuts are delicious but not necessary, I'd try swapping them for chocolate chips if you are serving this to someone with a nut allergy. Thanks for sharing!
This is fantastic! The flavor was perfect. I ended up making 6 extra loafs over Christmas time per multiple requests. My only problem was it was a bit dry so I added 1/4 a cup of oj per loaf and it turned out great!
I made this exactly as written and it was delicious! Very moist and flavorful.
This is a wonderful recipe. YUMMY! I added a little orange food coloring just for fun. I would check this just before an hour next time. Also, I made this for a shower where the theme was tropical and omitted the sauce that goes on top so that it would match the other breads we had. So, I can't wait to try it again with that delicious-sounding sauce!!! Very, very good!!!
Meh, nothng special. It got eaten but not with any great excitment. The topping was probably the best part, I definately wouldn't recommend skipping it.
This was really easy to put together with all ingredients on hand. I would have to say the glaze made this loaf stand out, and gave it that extra punch. The bread part by itself would have gotten 4 stars, but with the glaze-it is a 5 star all the way. loved it!
This loaf was outstanding! My husband loved it! I used butter instead of magarine and reduced the orange zest to like 1/2 because I couldn't get any more off the Valencia orange I was using. I sent some over to the neighbor, an elderly couple, and they loved it too!
Very nice taste, texture, and aroma! I used almond slivers instead of walnuts, and I really like that combo with the orange.
I added extra orange extract and did not use the glaze since I was freezing them. I loved it!
This was very easy to make and had a nice aroma. My boyfriend thinks it's ok and my mother likes it. For some reason, the taste reminds me of cereal which I'm not too fond of. I may make it again at a later date.
I thought that this was more like an orange pound cake than a bread. When I poured the glaze on I thought it was going to be too much, but it was fine. You really could not see the glaze but it added a lot of flavor.I would make it again.
We gobbled this up in one day. I will take the suggestion to reduce the glaze and brush it on after you take it out of the pan next time. Now that my daughter is allergic to wheat, it was disappointing not to be able to make this recipe. But I found replacements that work great. Follow the recipe exactly except the replacements below: 3 eggs instead of 2. 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour plus 1/3 cup coconut flour instead of 2 cups all-purpose flour I also added one scoop vanilla whey protein powder and 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips. Instead of a loaf, I made muffins baked for 20 minutes. (FYI, my oven runs about 25°F below temperature)
MY NEW FAVORITE!! with an orange tree in the back yard, I am always trying new ways to use them. I made a loaf last night, and it was soooo good I made two more loafs! I added 1tsp of vanilla to the batter and an 1/8tsp to the glaze. It was magical! I'll making this weekly with my oranges.
A quick and economical loaf that's also delicious! I used butter instead of margarine and reduced the sugar in the cake to 1/2c. The 'glaze' is more of a syrup. I poked holes in the cake and brushed half of the syrup over. Using the full amount would have been too sweet for me. I also used an 8 x 8 pan, so the cake baked in 20 min
Mine turned out really dry. I think I may increase the butter next time. The taste was really good and had great organge taste. Just crumbly and dry
This loaf was easy to make and baked well. I substituted butter for margarine and orange peel/zest for zest since I only had a small tangerine. Put in about 2/3 cup sugar or so (instead of whole cup) in the loaf and it was still good. Used all the glaze but did let it cook/boil down as others suggested. It had trouble soaking in so i would pull back the sides of the bread in the pan to allow it to seep down the sides. My husband was very happy with this. note-it may not take the full hour to bake! Keep an eye on it and test it if you aren't sure. My loaf only took 45 min.
I liked this recipe. I used whole wheat flour and butter instead of margarine. I only baked for 40 min and didn't use the glaze, just sprinkled on some powdered sugar. It was late and I got tired. I will try with extra oj next time to maybe moisten it up a bit, but definitely a great late night snack for a sweet lover like me.
Wonderful. I did add the 2 Tbsp of oil, and used pecans instead of walnuts (it's what I had on hand). The flavor was excellent and the bread was very moist. I baked mine in four 1 lb mini-loaf pans (sharing keeps it off my hips, lol), on convection bake at 325° for 35 minutes. Will definitely be making again, probably next week, as Holiday gifts. I think I will sneak some Gran Marnier into the simple syrup/glaze. Between the heating to melt the sugar and the fact that it's poured onto oven hot loaves (which I left in the pan until tasting/packaging as treats) and allowed to cool uncovered, I think all the alcohol will evaporate and it will taste divine. I'll come back and let you know how it turned out.
I made this loaf with my own little twist to it so I could use up some leftover pomegranate juice I didn't drink because it was too strong. It made for a very delicious bread though. Instead of 1/2 cup orange juice, I used 1/4 cup orange juice and 1/4 cup pomegranate juice and I did the same thing to make the glaze and it made a very pretty color glaze! Check out my photo of my Orange- Pomegranate Loaf, try it:)
This tasted good enough but it wasn't great. Kind of dry and I wasn't thrilled with the glaze. I was able to use up some oranges so that's a plus but this wasn't the recipe I was looking for.
I've made this 3 times now and its great every time! I will be making it many more times too!
I followed several reviewers suggestions and added the following: 1 tsp vanilla and 1/4 cup oil to the batter; 1/8 tsp vanilla to the glaze and boiling the glaze down a bit and the loaf turned out amazing. Not dry at all!!
Great recipe, added some cinnamon and cranberries, family members loved it, will be making again very soon
This was ok; it had a good, orange citrusy flavor. But as others have said, it's on the dry side and crumbly. I even added in an extra 1/4 cup of OJ, but I think what's wrong with this recipe is there is no oil in it. I've never made a quick bread that didn't call for some amount of oil. I doubt I'll make this again, but thought I'd throw this opinion out there - try adding in 1/4-1/3 cup of oil and see if you get better results.
I made this tonight for dessert. This is really good!!!! My husband loved it. I included the nuts, and the orange zest really made the taste of orange come out strong. Very moist, I baked for exactly 1-hour. Defenately a keeper in our kitchen.
This recipe is absolutely wonderful! I made it vegan by: using egg replacer, vegan butter, and vegan white sugar. I also made the glaze with pineapple juice instead of orange and let it reduce a bit (I still used orange in the loaf itself). This recipe makes 11 regular sized muffins. Highly recommended. If you make this into muffins bake until brown (it won't take an hour, keep an eye on it!). Grease it up good before pouring into the pan!
I like the idea behind it but it just was so bland I didn't even want to serve it to my family. I need something more...
Delicious! I added about a tablespoon of honey to the glaze to thicken it up a bit. Excellent, it is my hubby's new favorite!
Nice orange flavor, I used the zest of a whole orange to really boost the flavor.
I made a few changes but it was fabulous! the comments about the glaze were discouraging so I didn't make it. Since I had no oranges, I used 1 tsp of orange zest. I also added some cinnamon to enhance the orange flavor. This is a new favorite of mine and I will definitely be making it often!
Pretty tasty! I baked it for an hour and that was too long -- I'll go for 50 minutes next time. Also, I liked the glaze soaked into the bread, but I wanted it a bit thicker on the top, so I mixed up a separate glaze: 1/8 c. orange juice concentrate and 1/8 c. orange juice, then stirred in powdered sugar until it was sweet and thick. Thanks for a great recipe!
Very good. The glaze I would actually call a syrup, but I'm glad I didn't skip that step! I skewered the top of the loaves and the glaze went deep down into the loaves, adding a lot of moisture. I do think they would be dry without the glaze. I mention everything in plural, because I doubled the recipe and it turned out great. Thank you Carol!
Made this for a dinner party I was invited to last week. Skipped the nuts and the glaze, made a toffee instead and put it in the bottom before baking the cake. The group loved it!
I hadn't had orange loaf since I was a child until I came across this. I've made it twice now, and it's easy and delicious, though I agree with some reviewers about the glaze being a bit much. Next time I think I will try to cook it longer to reduce it, as some have suggested. If that doesn't work, I'll just use less.
I really like this recipe. It is more of a pound cake than a bread which is just what I wanted. I subbed butter for the margarine but otherwise didn't change the loaf recipe. I DID change the glaze. This is what I used: 1 cup sugar, 1 cup orange juice, 1/2 stick butter, 1/4 cup rum. I boiled the juice and sugar until it began to thicken then carefully added the butter, then the rum. I boiled it just a bit more then gradually poured it over the loaf. It a took a few times over the course of 10 minutes to get the loaf to absorb all the glaze. It turned out spectacular! Perfect for the holidays.
I had really high hopes for this. The smell while it was baking was intoxicating; pure heaven. Well, it turned out drier than I had hoped. I would have thought with the syrup and all it would have been super moist. I was even light-handed on the blending of wet with dry ingredients. Still, too dry for my liking. I will say that the orange flavor was dead-on perfect. I think I will continue to search for that perfect moist orange loaf. Thank you for sharing.
perfect! i had made a bread like this in high school home-ec and have been looking for a recipe since then. it tasted just like i remember and will be making it again in the future.
This bread was plenty sweet, even though I used a tad less sugar than called for. Nice and orange-y. It was pretty dry though, and the glaze wasn't much of a glaze. Altogether, it was a solid recipe, but I don't think I will be making this again.
WOW! what a phenominal cake (LOAF) !! I doubled the recipe as I am doing some holiday baking and boy-oh-boy will I be proud to give this away! I made two loaves and a couple mini-bundt cakes. The glaze did not turn out as thick as I expected so maybe I did not get it hot enough or cook it long enough, so maybe someone could elaborate on that for me. WILL definitely make this again, hubby is going to LOVE it!
I should have heeded the reviews about the loaf being dried out and taken this out of the oven after 45mins. The orange flavor is defined and I will certainly try it again but take it out earlier.
I added some rum to the glaze, yum
This was delicious and moist. I reduced the sugar by a third and increased the amount of O.J. I also used pecans instead of walnuts. The glaze keeps the loaf really moist. Just stick the loaf with a toothpick when it comes out and then the syrup will go right into the bread and around the sides. I have stuck this in the freezer in sections and take it out for an occassional weekend treat. It stays moist and delicious!
Beautiful pound cake and tastes fresh and packed full of orange flavor. I will definitely make again.
I loved this recipe! The only thing I would change would be to leave out the walnuts and make the glaze a thick white glaze with icing sugar! Thanks for this recipe!
I love this bread! I doubled it but forgot to double the baking powder. The look and texture were a bit off but it still tasted great. I did use some vanilla in the bread and glaze. I cooked the glaze a bit longer and it worked just fine. I will be making this often. Thanks!
I made this recipe just as it said, and it came out perfect. It was relatively easy and I'm not an experienced baker by any means. I'm definitely making this again, and soon!
I made this exactly as written and it was delicious! The glaze was perfect! The texture was just like a pound cake. My husband loved it. I was thinking maybe changing the oranges with lemons. Yum!
I added zest from 3 oranges and 1-2 tsp cinnamon to batter. I baked at 350 for 35-40 mins. Not an hour. For the glaze I used 1/2 cup squeezed oj and 1/2 cup of sugar, and the zest of 2 oranges. Simmer for 5 minutes. Cool slightly and pour over loaf. I poked a few holes in the loaf first to get the glaze into the loaf. Extremely moist and flavorful. For those of you that thought this was bland, try this. Yummy.
This cake will be a bit dry if you substitute butter for margarine. If you use butter, increase to 2/3 cup.
Made this yesterday. I used butter & "Sunny D" instead of orange juice & added 2 tsp of veg oil to the mix. It turned out awesome. I put it in a 8x8 pan for 50min. Will definately be making this again, thanx ;)
This was very good. The reason I gave it 4 stars is because I changed it slightly due to other reviews. I added 2 T. Olive oil and 2 drops of orange extract. We really enjoyed it. It was moist and full of orange flavor.
Simply delicious, and even better the next day, though it didn't last longer than that. Wouldn't change a thing.
This was a wonderful loaf, very delicious. I followed another reviewers comment and added 1/4 cup oil and reduced the syrup down. I will certainly make this one again.
I thought this was really yummy. I used juice and zest from some fresh satsumas that I had and I also used butter instead of margarine. Next time I think I won't cook as long because the corners and bottom were almost burnt.
I recently picked a bunch of oranges from a friends trees, went looking for my orange bread recipe, which happens to be this one that i found on allrecipes awhile back, and I couldn't find it. I panicked! My daughter suggested I find a different recipe. I actually asked her "are you crazy!". Thankfully I remembered that I originally found the recipe here. This many oranges without this recipe, well that would just break my heart.
Made this with tangerine juice. So - after reading many reviews that said that the loaf was a little dry and crumbly, I was prepared to add a few tablespoons of olive oil as another reviewer had suggested. I got a little distracted and when it was time to add the juice, I added one entire cup instead of just half. I decided to not add the olive oil and hope for the best. The loaf came out beautifully, and is quite moist - not crumbly or dry at all. And I did not add the glaze, as I had used all of the tangerine juice. The loaf didn’t need it. Happy mistake.
Really good, this makes a dense loaf, like a pound cake. I added some orange extract to the batter to make the flavour more pronounced. I made the glaze with orange juice and sugar, but boiled in until it was thickened, then brushed it over the top. It made the top nice and shiny, then I made a glaze with icing sugar , orange juice, and orange extract and drizzled it over top. Soooo good!
I really dug this, great balance of flavors. I made mine with butter instead of margarine and it came out with a very crumbly texture. Next time I make it, I'll probably add a little bit of coconut oil to add some moisture.
I made this according to the recipe, except with butter instead of margarine, carton OJ and the zest of a clementine. It was delicious! It seems like the poured-over simple syrup will never soak in, and like you've flooded it, but it all soaks into the bread and makes a delicious coating. We ate it for breakfast, which is probably a treat!
Just ok.
