Craving a taste of sunshine? This small honey orange snack cake is your answer! Bursting with bright citrus and floral honey, this easy cake uses simple ingredients, a fresh orange, and is refined sugar-free. The delightful small cake is made in a loaf pan for sweet portions and endless goodness!
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Total Time35 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Citrus Cake, Honey, Loaf Pan, Mini Cake, Orange, Refined Sugar Free, Small Batch
3tablespoonsmilk, room temperatureany kind will work
3tablespoonsfresh orange juice
½teaspoonorange zest
¾teaspoonvanilla extract
4tablespoonsunsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
Instructions
Orange Slices - To get even larger slices from the orange (as pictured), you will want to take your slices from the middle of the fruit. I recommend zesting the ends of the orange first - avoiding the middle so you keep the skin on your slices. Then cut the orange to get your thin slices (less than 1/4 inch thick). Juice the remaining orange for the cake.
3 fresh orange slices, sliced thin
Preheat oven to 350F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with a piece of parchment paper - long enough to hang over the long sides of the pan. Lightly grease the pan and paper.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
¾ cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ⅛ teaspoon salt
In a medium mixing bowl, add the honey, egg, milk, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth and thoroughly combined.
¼ cup honey, 1 large egg, room temperature, 3 tablespoons milk, room temperature, 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice, ½ teaspoon orange zest, ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the wet, then add the melted butter. Fold the batter until no dry streaks remain.
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Top the batter with the orange slices and lightly brush the orange slices with honey.
Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean. Cool the cake in the pan set on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then gently lift the cake out of the pan using the parchment paper overhang, and cool completely on the wire rack.
The cake is best enjoyed the day it is baked. Leftovers can be stored covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
Serving Size - This is a small batch recipe. I have not tested doubling the recipe to make a larger cake, though it may work. For a larger cake, use an 8-inch square or round cake pan. The cake will be thin - it is intended to be! The bake time may only need to be increase by 2 to 3 minutes.
Yield - As written, the snack cake will yield 6 smaller or 4 larger cake slices.
Orange Slices - To get the slices, juice, and zest from the orange takes a little planning. We want larger slices of the orange, which come from the middle. And we also want the skin on those slices for flavor. To accomplish this, I recommend zesting the orange - avoiding the middle - first. Then, slice the orange to get your thin slices for on top of the cake. Juice the remaining orange halves.
Ingredient Substitutions - I recommend the ingredients as written. Honey bakes much differently than granulated sugar, or even maple syrup. With that, I can't speak to how changing the flour or other ingredients will work.
Storing Leftovers - Store the cake covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. Beyond that, and it may start to dry out.
Freezing the Cake - You can freeze the cake for up to 3 months, and thaw at room temperature. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap then place in a freezer bag. Note - the texture of the orange slices may change once frozen and defrosted - i.e., they may get a little mushy.