Baking

Orange cake

Name: Orange cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: Australian
Ingredients: 150 g butter, softened; 1 tbsp finely grated orange rind; 150 g (⅔ cup) caster sugar; 3 eggs; 225 g (1½ cups) self-raising flour; 60 ml (¼ cup) milk; 120 g (¾ cup) icing sugar; 1½ tbsp orange juice; 1 tbsp desiccated coconut

Serves 10 Prep 15 min Cook 40 min Total 55 min

If you searched for orange cake and want the useful bits up front, you are in the right place: metric measures, a short intro, then ingredients, method, tip, and notes. Serves 10 with about 15 min prep and 40 min cook time (around 55 min total). That is a home estimate — ovens and pans vary, so use colour and texture as well as the clock. Shop first for butter, finely grated orange rind and caster sugar; those ingredients do the heavy lifting for flavour and texture, while the rest of the list seasons, binds, or finishes the plate. Good for weekend baking sessions and school-lunch tin fillers. One tray or tin as written — freeze extras in airtight bags. Keep Australian cup measures (250 ml) so the ratios match what we tested on the page. Everything on this page is metric-first for Australia. If you are converting from cups on an old card, weigh flour, sugar, and butter whenever the ingredient line shows grams.

Ingredients

150 g butter, softened
1 tbsp finely grated orange rind
150 g (⅔ cup) caster sugar
3 eggs
225 g (1½ cups) self-raising flour
60 ml (¼ cup) milk
120 g (¾ cup) icing sugar
1½ tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp desiccated coconut

Method

Heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Grease a 20 cm deep round cake pan.
Beat butter, rind, sugar, eggs, flour and milk on low until just combined, then medium ~3 minutes until smooth.
Spread into pan. Bake 40 minutes. Stand 5 minutes; turn out top-side up onto a rack to cool.
Mix sifted icing sugar and juice; spread over cake. Sprinkle with coconut.

Tip: Have butter, eggs and milk at room temperature for the one-bowl method.

Notes

Method rhythm: step one is “Heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Grease a 20 cm deep round cake pan.”. Do not skip resting, cooling, or draining steps if they appear later — they are usually there for texture. The finish is “Mix sifted icing sugar and juice; spread over cake. Sprinkle with coconut.”. Taste before you plate; salt at the end often needs a final pinch.
Before the heat goes on, line up butter, finely grated orange rind and caster sugar and anything perishable from the list. Soften butter, bring eggs off the fridge if the method needs them room-temp, and preheat so you are not waiting mid-recipe. For a baking cook of this size (10), a clear bench saves more time than any gadget.
Make-ahead and leftovers: one tray or tin as written — freeze extras in airtight bags. Store Orange cake airtight once fully cool; most batches keep several days, or freeze flat and thaw in the tin. Label freezer bags with the dish name and date. Allergens sit in the ingredient list — always double-check if cooking for guests.
Putting it together for Orange cake: work clean, taste as you go, and do not rush browning or reduction steps if they appear in the method. If you are cooking for mixed diets, plate sauces and toppings separately where practical. Keep this page bookmarked if it becomes a household regular — we update wording when cooks report a confusing step. Metric consistency across Scoops & Dishes means once you trust the cups and scales here, breakfast through dessert behaves the same way.