Orange flavored recipes have always been some of my favorites and this easy vegan orange almond cake is right up there with some of the best citrusy treats that I've ever made. If you also love recipes like this, you're in for a nice surprise!
Deliciously light and fluffy, the loaf cakes are so moist and are generously topped with a crumbly almond streusel which toasts to perfection. They take less than 30 minutes to make and I can assure you that it'll be well worth your time.
I can't wait for you to give this summery dessert a try. It's so easy to make and super moreish. Once you have a slice, it'll leave you wanting more and more. It really is that tasty!
Some other cakes that many people enjoy are my vegan chocolate bundt cake, eggless chocolate cake loaf, vegan apple oatmeal cake and vegan blueberry almond cake. They're all so soft just like this orange almond cake!
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Why You Will Love This Cake
- Super Fresh - One of the main reason as to why I love these loaf cakes is because of how fresh they are. They're made with 100% fresh orange juice which is squeezed by hand, as well as fresh orange zest too. By adding these ingredients to the batter, it infuses the cakes with a beautiful juiciness. I can say the same thing about my vegan chocolate orange cake and vegan cranberry orange cake recipes too which use very similar ingredients.
- Amazing Topping - The crumble topping could be my favorite part of the cake. I love all of it but there's something special about the crumbly nature of the streusel. It's so easy to make and it takes the cake from 'amazing to unbelievable'.
- The Best Flavors - The cakes are sweet, nutty and citrusy all at the same time. That may sound like a lot of sensations at the same time - and it is! However, it's not too much. They all compliment each other so nicely and once you try the cakes you'll understand what I mean.
- Allergy Friendly & Plant Based - This vegan orange almond cake recipe is wholly vegan and dairy free.
Ingredient Notes
- Salted vegan butter - I like to use a dairy-free spread or margarine such as, Vitalite instead of a vegan butter block for the streusel. This is because it is already softened and easy to combine with flour and brown sugar. You can use a dairy-free block of butter but you'll have to let it soften at room temperature first, or else it will be difficult to mix it into the other ingredients. See my vegan raspberry muffins and vegan cherry crumble cake for examples on how a good streusel should be.
- Apple cider vinegar - You need to combine this vinegar with the soy milk in order to create a dairy-free buttermilk mixture. This 'buttermilk' is such an important ingredient as it will react with the leavening agents to create you the perfect cake texture.
- Almond meal - This is a different thing to almond flour. This is simply whole almonds which have been blended into a coarse form.
- Freshly squeezed orange juice - You want to be squeezing the juice from actual oranges to get the best flavors possible. The cakes will also taste really fresh and moist by following this practice.
- Zest of 2 medium-sized oranges - Orange zest is a powerful ingredient. Just a small amount of it will infuse the cakes massively. It definitely adds more depth to the flavor than the juice.
- Flaked almonds - These will be used for the topping on the cakes. Sprinkle it on just before they go into the oven and bake until they're crispy.
See recipe card for full information on individual ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Add some cardamom. Adding as little as half a teaspoon of ground cardamom makes a nice change to this recipe. I highly recommend this if you want your vegan orange almond cake to be a little different and unique. It transforms the recipe from 'warm weather vibes' to 'cozy fall bliss'. If you love autumn-style flavors, you may also love my vegan cinnamon loaf cake.
- To make this cake gluten-free, all you need to do is substitute one of the ingredients, which is the all-purpose flour. Inside the cake batter swap it out for almond flour which makes a fantastic white flour replacement. You can also use the almond flour in the streusel too, or you can use 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend instead.
How To Make Orange Almond Cake
For the full method, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
1: Grease the two baking tins with vegan butter.
2: Make the streusel. Combine the flour and sugar.
3: Add the vegan butter and form a crumble.
4: Make the buttermilk. Set aside to curdle.
5: Mix together the dry cake ingredients.
6: Add the wet orange cake ingredients. Fold into a smooth batter.
7: Pour the cake batter into the two greased cake tins.
8: Sprinkle on the streusel and flaked almonds. Bake the orange almond cake.
9: Let the cake cool fully.
Expert Tips
Add almonds to the streusel - Sometimes I like to mix the flaked almost into the streusel mixture to create an 'almond streusel' and sometimes I prefer to sprinkle them on separately just before the cakes go into the oven.
Use real fresh orange juice - You can't beat freshly squeezed orange juice. Avoid using artificial varieties of orange juice such as, orange juice from concentrate. Otherwise, the flavor won't be the same without it and the cakes will not taste anywhere near as fresh as they should do.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can. Almond flour using replaces regular all-purpose flour in order to make a recipe gluten-free, but you can also replace almond meal (ground almonds) with it too.
Adding too much baking powder or baking soda can make a cake taste bitter and even 'metallic'. Be vigilant when adding them to the cake batter and measure them accurately.
Store this cake inside an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or at room temperature for 3 days.
More Vegan Orange Recipes
If you tried this Vegan Orange Almond Cake Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
Softest Vegan Orange Almond Cake with Streusel
Ingredients
For the streusel:
- 30 g all-purpose flour
- 25 g brown sugar
- 1.5 Tablespoons salted vegan butter softened
For the cake batter:
- 200 ml soy milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 170 g all-purpose flour sifted
- 30 g almond meal
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 0.5 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 50 ml canola oil rapeseed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 110 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
- Zest of 2 medium-sized oranges
- 20 g flaked almonds
Instructions
Preparation:
- Preheat your oven to 177 Celsius (350F).
- Grease two 20cm x 10cm loaf cake tins with vegan butter then set aside.
Make the streusel:
- In a small bowl, mix together the flour and brown sugar.
- Add the softened vegan butter. Use your hands to combine the ingredients. A crumbly streusel will form. It should have the consistency of breadcrumbs. Cover the streusel and place it into the fridge until later.
Make the cake:
- Make the vegan buttermilk. Mix together the apple cider vinegar and the soy milk. While it curdles for 8 minutes, measure out the other cake ingredients that you will need.
- Add the all-purpose flour, almond meal, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a large bowl. Mix to combine.
- Pour the curdled soy milk, canola oil, vanilla extract, orange juice and orange zest. Fold the cake batter until the flour is fully combined.
- Pour the orange cake batter into the greased cake tins then sprinkle the flaked almonds and streusel onto the top of each cake equally. Bake your orange cakes in center of the oven for 20 minutes. A skewer will come out of them clean at this point.
- Let the cakes cool in the tins for 15 minutes. After that, transfer them to a cooling rack to cool a little more.
Video
Notes
- Sometimes I like to mix the flaked almost into the streusel mixture to create an 'almond streusel' and sometimes I prefer to sprinkle them on separately just before the cakes go into the oven.
- You can't beat freshly squeezed orange juice. Avoid using artificial varieties of orange juice such as, orange juice from concentrate. Otherwise, the flavor won't be the same without it and the cakes will not taste anywhere near as fresh as they should do.
Jools says
Absolutely delicious recipe! I made them into cupcakes and it worked wonderfully! Baked them for 15 instead of 20 minutes 🙂 Highly recommend!!
DJ says
So happy that you enjoyed the cupcakes Jools. Thanks for the kind review 🙂
Helena says
Did it and loved it!
DJ says
Thanks so much Helena! So happy you enjoyed the cake 🙂
Sophie Quinn says
Can you make this into one big cake?
DJ says
The oven time might change a little. Be sure to give it a try and let me know how it goes! 🙂
Kristina says
I made this as one cake in an 8" x 8" pan and it worked beautifully! I doubled the streusel amount (personal preference) and baked the cake longer (about 35 minutes). Thank you for this recipe!
DJ says
So happy that you enjoyed the cake, Kristina! Appreciate the kind words 🙂
lydia says
honestly SO delicious!! don’t skip out the streusel topping trust me, it adds the perfect crunch to compliment the fluffy moist cake. I will say it took a bit longer to cook than the recipe suggests, however that could just be my oven! loved it! defo defo make this
DJ says
Thanks Lydia! Every oven is different and yes, that streusel compliments them perfectly!
Helen Carr says
I’m in love with this cake. I tried it and it was the BEST! 🍊
DJ says
Thanks a million, Helen! Really glad you love the orange cake 🙂