This alluring orange blossom bundt cake is moist and buttery. It is naturally flavored with orange zest and orange blossom water.
April showers bring May flowers! It’s only March but it’s been raining a ton here in Southern California.
Rain is a great thing. It makes my citrus trees happy! And happy citrus trees results in blossoms and fruits.
Inspired by the abundance of orange blossoms appearing on my orange tree, I made this sweet and floral orange blossom bundt cake.
Reasons to Make This Recipe
Frolic into spring weather with this orange blossom bundt cake. The cake batter is flavored with orange zest, orange blossom water, and vanilla bean paste.
For the finishing touch, it is lightly drizzled with orange blossom glaze.
This bundt cake makes for a great snack. It’s delicious with tea or coffee.
It is a flavorful and rich bundt cake. The combination of eggs, butter, and sour cream help to create a moist cake with a tight crumb.
Bundt Ingredients and Substitutions
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder and Kosher Salt
- Unsalted Butter
- Granulated Sugar and Orange Zest
- Orange Blossom Water and Vanilla Bean Paste
- Large Eggs
- Sour Cream and Whole Milk
Flour
I exclusively use King Arthur Flour all-purpose flour for consistency. However, any brand will work.
Feel free to sub in gluten-free all-purpose flour mix. Unfortunately, almond flour does not substitute well for this recipe.
Baking Powder and Kosher Salt
I recommend double acting aluminum free baking powder.
For consistency purposes, all recipes posted here uses Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. Do not use table salt!
Sugar
Use granulated sugar or superfine sugar. Do not use brown sugar.
Mix finely grated orange zest with sugar to fully enhance the citrus flavor. I recommend this zester.
Orange Blossom Water and Vanilla
Orange blossom water is a necessary ingredient! Do not substitute or omit! See next section for more details.
Pure vanilla extract may be used in place of vanilla bean paste. Vanilla adds a nice balance to the sweet citrus flavor. If you want a super intense orange blossom flavor, you may omit the vanilla.
NOTE: If you don’t have orange blossom water- you can turn this into an orange bundt cake. Double the amount of orange zest. Omit the orange blossom water.
Eggs
For consistency purposes, all recipes posted here uses LARGE eggs. The average weight of a large egg is 1.73 ounces.
Dairy
Low fat milk or reduced fat milk may be used in place of whole milk. Buttermilk may also be substituted.
If you would like to omit the sour cream, simply increase milk to 1 cup.
Fresh Orange Blossoms
These are fresh orange blossoms from my orange tree. However, these aren’t the type of orange blossoms used to make orange blossom water.
The flowers bloom in early spring. They are very fragrant and smell similar to jasmine blossoms.
Orange blossoms are edible. Make sure to use ones free from pesticides. (Word of warning: they don’t taste very good! But, they’re perfect for decor!)
What is Orange Blossom Water?
Orange blossom water is also labeled as orange flower water. It is made from the flower blossoms of bitter orange trees.
I have tested this recipe using the two brands photographed above. I highly recommend the Cortas orange blossom water.
Orange blossom water is made and distilled in the same fashion as rosewater.
This flavor is popularly used in French, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern cuisine.
Orange blossom water is very fragrant. Similar to fresh orange blossoms it smells like jasmine.
How to use Orange Blossom Water?
Just like rose water, use orange blossom water sparingly and with caution! It can be quite powerful depending on the brand and quality.
Orange blossom water can be added to all sorts of baked goods in place of or combined with vanilla. This orange marmalade cake uses orange blossom water in the buttercream.
Orange blossom can be added to drinks such as iced tea or coffee. (But remember, a little goes a long way!)
Recommended Bundt Pan Practices
Unmolding a bundt cake can be nerve-wrecking. Will the cake come out intact? Is the cake cooked inside?
It is important to butter and flour your bundt pan.
While you can use no-stick baking spray with flour, I still prefer and recommend the old fashioned way.
- Start with room temperature softened butter. The butter should have the consistency of mayonnaise.
- Use your fingers (or gloved fingers) or a pastry brush to coat the bundt pan with a generous layer of butter. Be sure to get into all the little cracks and crevices of the pan.
- Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of all-purpose flour into greased pan. Evenly distribute flour by shaking the pan. Tap and swirl pan as needed to move flour all over greased areas.
- Invert pan. Tap and discard any excess flour.
Which bundt pan is used for this recipe?
This is the 10-cup capacity bundt pan photographed above.
Can you make this bundt cake recipe in a different size baking pan?
As previously mentioned, this bundt cake is baked in a 10-cup capacity bundt pan. There are several options if you don’t have a similar sized bundt pan.
The recipe makes two 9×5-inch loaf cakes. Adjust baking time as necessary. It take about 45-50 minutes to bake using two loaf pans.
You can also bake this in an angel food cake tube pan.
Orange Blossom Glaze
The orange blossom glaze is made from a simple mixture of powdered sugar, finely grated orange zest, milk, and orange blossom water.
Make the glaze as thin or as thick as you’d like by adjusting the amount of milk used. I prefer a light thin glaze to prevent the bundt cake from being too sweet.
To make an orange glaze, omit the orange blossom water. Substitute orange juice in place of some or all of the milk.
Are orange blossoms edible?
Yes, orange blossoms are safe to eat. However, be sure to blossoms free from pesticides and herbicides.
Although, word of warning, these blossoms don’t taste very good. They are a bit bitter. I suggest simply using the orange blossoms as a pretty garnish.
More Bundt Cake Recipes
Orange Blossom Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 390 grams (3 cups) all-purpose flour
- 12 grams (1 Tbsp) baking powder
- 6 grams (2 tsp) kosher salt
- 300 grams (1 ½cups) granulated sugar
- 5 tsp finely grated orange zest
- 230 grams (1 cup) unsalted butter, , room temp, softened
- 2 tsp orange blossom water
- 1 tsp vanilla paste, or pure vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, , room temp
- 90 grams (6 Tbsp) sour cream, , room temp
- 170 grams (¾ cup) whole milk, , room temp
Glaze:
- 115 grams (1 cup) powdered sugar
- 2 tsp finely grated orange zest
- 1 ½ tsp orange blossom water, *
- 2 Tbsp whole milk, *
- pinch kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter and flour 10-cup bundt cake pan. Tap out any excess flour. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using an electric handheld mixer), cream together butter, sugar, orange zest, orange blossom water, and vanilla until smooth. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
- Add eggs one at a time, ensuring each egg is incorporated before adding the next. Add sour cream and mix until combined. The batter may look curdled or separated after adding sour cream.
- Add dry flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk. Begin and end with flour mixture. Mix on low speed until thoroughly combined. Scrape down bowl as needed to ensure thorough mixing.
- Transfer batter into prepared bundt cake pan. Level batter. Bake for 60-70 minutes until cake springs back to touch and toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean. Rotate pan midway through baking for even cooking.
- Allow cake to cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert bundt cake onto a wire rack and unmold. Allow cake to cool to room temperature.
Glaze:
- Whisk together powdered sugar, orange zest, orange blossom water, milk, and salt until smooth. If glaze is too thick, add another tablespoon of milk. Drizzle over cooled bundt cake.
Notes
- I used this 10-cup capacity bundt cake pan
- This microplane zester/grater is recommended
- I exclusively use Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Keep in mind that not all salts are created equal. Some kosher salts are saltier than others, even when using the same quantities.
- Orange blossom water can be purchased online. Depending on the grocery store or supermarket, orange blossom water can be found in the baking aisle, with the jams and preserves, or in a special section with Middle Eastern/Asian cuisine.
- If glaze is too thick, add tablespoon of milk at a time until desired consistency is achieved.
- If you don’t have orange blossom water- you can turn this into an orange bundt cake. Double the amount of orange zest and omit the orange blossom water.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
The butter, eggs, and other dairy don’t need to be room temp.?
Thank you for pointing that out. Yes, the butter and eggs should be room temperature.
My attempt at this didn’t bake all the way through :( and I baked it for 70 minutes! Not sure what I did wrong, although what was fully cooked tasted great!
I’m so sorry to hear that! Do you keep an oven thermometer in the oven? Very often the internal temperature of the oven does not match the temperature it is set for. You can easily get an oven thermometer for $10 or so. This will help to ensure your oven temperature is properly calibrated.
OMG! This recipe is amazing! The flavour ?. Soft and fluffy as well.
Can I use a splash orange extract in place of orange water??
Orange extract has a different flavor from orange blossom water. Orange blossom is lighter and more floral.