You've all heard of lemon poppy seed cake but have you ever tried a soft and delicious vegan orange poppy seed cake recipe? This sandwich cake is topped with a thick, homemade chocolate ganache and filled with orange buttercream. All the flavors compliment each other nicely and I can't wait for you to try it!
The great thing about this treat is that it takes less than 30 minutes to make inside the preheated oven and then all you need to do after that is decorate it with the buttercream filling and the ganache topping.
When serving this cake you can either eat it on its own or with some vegan cream. I personally, think that the latter option is really complimentary to the sweet chocolate and the creamy buttercream in the middle of the cake. However you choose to eat the cake, you're going to like it!
If citrusy chocolate desserts are what you're looking for, be sure to also check out my vegan chocolate orange cheesecake, vegan chocolate orange cake and my vegan chocolate orange macadamia nut clusters which are all so appetizing.
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Why You Will Love This Cake
- Great Flavours - From the tanginess of the orange, to the nutty flavour of the poppyseeds, to the sweetness of the chocolate. This cake tastes so good.
- The Texture - The cake is moist and very soft. The chocolate and buttercream frosting give it an additional creaminess. In many ways this cake reminds me of my vegan lemon poppy seed cake.
- It Looks Amazing - The chocolate ganache layer on top which was inspired by my vegan carrot sheet cake, is thick and it looks very visually appealing on top of the cake.
- Easy to Make - Making this cake is very simple. Make the batter and bake, then decorate with the quick and easy chocolate and frosting.
- Allergy Friendly & Plant Based - This cake is fully vegan and dairy free.
Ingredient Notes
- Poppy Seeds - one of the main ingredients which gives the cake a slight nutty taste to infuse with the citrus flavours.
- Apple Cider Vinegar - this reacts with some of the other cake batter ingredients to give the cake a soft texture.
- Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice - don't use any artificial orange juices for this recipe if you want maximum flavour. Fresh oranges which are squeezed by hand are always the best option. I also used fresh orange juice in my vegan cranberry orange muffins and my eggless Sicilian orange cake loaf and they were both bursting with orange flavours.
- Orange Zest - this adds an extra 'orangey' kick to the cake.
- Vegan Block Butter - vegan block butter is better than vegan margarine as it creates a thicker buttercream frosting.
- Vegan Dark Baking Chocolate - this melts far better and smoother than ordinary vegan dark chocolate or chocolate chips, which can be quite clumpy.
- Vegan Double Cream - dairy free cream will be added to the chocolate to make it creamier.
See recipe card for full information on individual ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- The chocolate ganache topping is a nice, unique touch on this orange cake but if you like, you can leave out the chocolate topping. You may prefer to have buttercream frosting both in the center and on top like in my eggless orange blueberry cake recipe.
- You can also add extra toppings, on the other hand. I love to add things such as, chopped nuts, desiccated coconut and vegan sprinkles onto the top of the chocolate ganache.
How To Make Orange Poppy Seed Cake
For the full method, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
1: Grease and/or line two round, springform cake tins with vegan butter.
2: Combine the dry cake ingredients inside a large mixing bowl.
3: Pour in the wet cake ingredients and fold until a batter forms.
4: Pour the batter into the prepared cake tins. Bake in the oven.
5: Let the two cakes cool completely.
6: Mix together the simple buttercream frosting inside a large bowl.
7: Spread the buttercream onto the flat side of one of the cakes. Keep the other cake half inside its tin.
8: Pour chocolate ganache over the other cake whilst it is in the tin. Refrigerate so that it sets, then remove from the tin. Place the second cake half over the buttercream layer.
Expert Tips
Don't use artificial or concentrated orange juice - for the best orange cake flavors you need to be using freshly squeezed oranges and freshly grated zest. This will make your cake taste amazing.
Don't over-mix the cake batter - this will take away the light texture from the cake and instead, you will have a dense, heavy cake which has a totally undesirable texture. I like to fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients carefully until the flour is just combined to avoid this ever happening.
Recipe FAQs
You can do but it isn't absolutely necessary. Some people like to soak them in hot water beforehand as this softens their outer surface. In fact, this can actually help them to release their flavours more.
Poppy seeds offer multiple things to baked goods. They have a delicious nutty flavour, as well as a nutty aroma and they also have a nice crunch about them.
Store this cake for up to 4 days inside an airtight container, either at room temperature or inside the fridge.
More Mouth-Watering Vegan Cake Recipes
If you tried this Vegan Orange Poppy Seed 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!
Vegan Orange Poppy Seed Cake with Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
For the orange cake batter:
- 350 g all-purpose flour sifted
- 250 g granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 350 ml soy milk
- 1.5 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 120 ml vegetable oil
- 100 ml orange juice freshly squeezed
- Zest of 2 large oranges
For the orange buttercream:
- 250 g powdered sugar sifted
- 120 g vegan block butter room temperature
- 3 tablespoons orange juice freshly squeezed
For the chocolate topping:
- 300 g vegan dark baking chocolate chopped
- 200 ml vegan double cream
Instructions
Preparation:
- Preheat your oven to 177 Celsius (350). Grease two round 8-inch SPRINGFORM cake tins with vegan butter. Set aside.
Make the orange cake batter:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine your all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, poppy seeds and salt.
- Now, pour in your soy milk, apple cider vinegar, vegetable oil, orange juice and orange zest. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet to form a batter but don’t over-mix.
- Divide the cake batter, equally between the two springform cake tins.
Bake the cakes:
- Place the cakes into the center of your oven and bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove them from the oven, letting them cool fully inside the springform tins.
Make the chocolate ganache topping:
- Place a large, heatproof mixing bowl over a pot of boiling water. Using the double-boiling (bain-marie) method, melt the chocolate and stir constantly so that it doesn’t stick.
- When the chocolate has melted fully, pour in the vegan double cream and stir it into the chocolate until combined. Pour the chocolate ganache mixture over one of the cakes that is still in its springform tin and place in the fridge for 45 minutes so that it can thicken.
Make the orange buttercream:
- Beat together all your buttercream ingredients inside a large mixing bowl so that they become creamy. It may feel quite thick at first, but within about 2-3 minutes the texture will become smooth.
- Remove the other cooled cake from its springform tin and spread the buttercream over the flat side of the cake. Place into the fridge so that the buttercream can thicken.
Assemble the cake:
- Remove both cake halves from the fridge and place the chocolate covered one over the buttercream layer. Slice and serve.
Video
Notes
- For the best orange cake flavors you need to be using freshly squeezed oranges and freshly grated zest. This will make your cake taste amazing.
- This will take away the light texture from the cake and instead, you will have a dense, heavy cake which has a totally undesirable texture. I like to fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients carefully until the flour is just combined to avoid this ever happening.
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