Fill your home with the delicious aroma of this Spiced Orange and Honey Loaf Cake. Bursting with a combination of tangy citrus, sweet honey and mixed spices this has truly become one of my favorite loaf cakes.
Loaf cakes are fast becoming my number one choice of bakes ( so get ready to be bombarded by many more loaf cake recipes coming soon☺..) It makes great breakfast food or just an afternoon snack with coffee.Perfect for picnics and school bakes too. Loaf cakes are easier to slice into neat equal slices making it the perfect lunchbox treat. What I really love though, is the simplicity of this type of cake. Dusted with powdered sugar or just drizzled with a bit of frosting makes it look and taste so good.
Now this Spiced Orange and Honey Loaf has me head over heels in love with it. From its beautiful warm orange and golden honey colour to its amazing flavor,this loaf barely lasts a day in my home. Tempted by the delicious aroma wafting through your home, you too will be waiting impatiently for it to be baked. 
There are 3 bold flavours in this loaf, orange,honey and the mixed spices. Together they form an amazing combination of flavours. When grating the rind for the cake, make sure that it is just the orange bits of rind and avoid grating into the white of the peel. The whiter parts of the peel are a bit more bitter and you want to avoid adding this into the mixture. Don't be shy when using the mixed spices, sometimes I actually use a bit more ... about a teaspoon more than what the recipe calls for….I like the spicy cinnamon taste...but use to your preference. 
This loaf takes about 45 to 50 minutes to bake and depending on your oven, the top of the loaf may just brown and darken faster before it is completely baked. To avoid this, I just cover the loaf lightly with foil and remove it about 20 minutes before the end of the baking time. The loaf is baked when a skewer or toothpick inserted comes out clean...that is without any batter clinging to it. Then simply remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar or drizzle with glacé icing before serving.
Easy and quick to prepare, this is no ordinary loaf when it comes to its exceptional flavour. No exaggeration here...try it for yourself and let me know what think
Enjoy ♥
Spiced Orange and Honey Loaf Cake
Ingredients
- 1½ cup (180g ) cake flour
- ½ teaspoon ( 2g ) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ( 2½ g) salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice / All spice
- ½ cup ( 125ml ) oil (canola or sunflower)
- 1 ( 200g ) cup granulated white sugar
- ¼ cup (85g) honey
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla essence / extract
- Zest of an orange
- 4 Tablespoons /¼ cup (60 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice freshly squeezed orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F ( 160°C).
- Prepare a 8½ inch x 4½ inch( 20cmx10cm) loaf pan by spraying with baking spray or line with baking paper.
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and spices.
- In a separate bowl,combine oil, sugar and honey and beat for about 1 minute. Add eggs one at a time and beat on low. Add vanilla, zest, orange juice and mix on low, until combined.
- Add the flour mixture and beat on low-speed until combined.
- Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. See note 1
- Remove from oven and place on cooling rack for 15 minutes. Turn out the cake on cooling rack to cool completely.
- Dust with sifted confectioners sugar ( icing sugar / powdered sugar ) if preferred.
neil@neilshealthymeals.com says
Loaf cakes are my favourite kind of cake bake too Ashika so you get my full vote with this delicious one. Can't wait to try it as my next loaf bake! ?
The Gardening Foodie says
Thank you Neil...I am glad you like the recipe and hope you enjoy 🙂
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen says
I'm growing to love loaf cakes too. They're so much quicker than layer cakes and it's easier to convince myself they're not terrible for me, haha! This one looks just delicious!
The Gardening Foodie says
Thank you Kelsie...definitely a convenient bake 🙂
Kelly @ Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats says
I love all the flavors in here! This would be lovely with a cup of tea 🙂
The Gardening Foodie says
Thank you Kelly...wish I could send you a slice 🙂
Christina says
Ooooh, I'm all about spicy cinnamon so I would adore this cake! Your photography looks amazing! Very pretty 🙂
The Gardening Foodie says
Aww Thank you so much for your kind words Christina??
Maria | kitchenathoskins says
I love a good orange cake and oranges are amazing this time of the year. Cinnamon and honey paired with orange sounds absolutely delicious and the texture looks amazing too.
The Gardening Foodie says
Thank you Maria...this really is a delicious combination ?
Matt says
Yummmmm! I love the texture loaf cakes. The citrusy goodness in this is a change of pace that would work awesome with these kind of cakes. Pinning this guy for someday! 🙂
The Gardening Foodie says
Thank you Matt?
stacey @ The Sugar Coated Cottage says
This bread looks delicious, orange is one of my favorite flavors. The spices with the orange are just perfect! Take care.
The Gardening Foodie says
Thank you Stacey...oh yes the spices with the orange really taste good.
Have a great day ?
Laura says
I can almost smell the orange and cinnamon! So good! And, like you, I always add more spice to just about anything I make! This cake sounds divine - thanks for the recipe!
The Gardening Foodie says
Oh thank you Laura and you are welcome..I am so glad that you like the recipe too?
heather (delicious not gorgeous) says
loaf cakes are so great! and i love the sound of this one. i'm in a big citrus mood, and honey makes everything nice and cozy tasting (:
The Gardening Foodie says
Thank you Heather...oh yes honey creates such delicious flavour and beautiful golden color to bakes ?
Rosa says
What would I use for the mixed spice?
The Gardening Foodie says
Hi Rosa, here in South Africa, mixed spice is sold in the spice section of grocery stores. It is also referred to as All Spice in some countries.
If you cannot get All Spice, then just blend 1 Tbs ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 teaspoon ground ginger powder and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon in a coffee grinder and use as needed. Just store it in a jar and use whenever a recipe calls for mixed spice / all spice.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions regarding the recipe 🙂
Emma - Bake Then Eat says
I look forward to more loaf cakes, they are certainly my favourite kind of cake. The flavours of this one sound divine.
Enola Paul says
I made this but tweaked it a little bit and added dried cranberries and pecans. I let it soak in a honey, orange mixture and glazed it. It was the most moist cake ever and just divine.
The Gardening Foodie says
Hi Enola, Thank you for giving my recipe a try, I'm so glad that you loved it too.
I absolutely love your addition of cranberries and pecans to the recipe, it must have tasted amazing. Thank you for sharing this delicious idea 🙂