Healthy Orange Bundt Cake
I honestly wasn’t a big fan of orange-flavored cakes until I tried this recipe… And now I’m obsessed! It’s really moist and tender with lots of bright orange flavor, and the sweet drizzle adds the perfect finishing touch. Leftovers will keep for at least three days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
- 3 ¾ cups (450g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 2 ¼ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 tbsp (32g) orange zest (about 2 gigantic or 3-4 medium – and see Notes!)
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 4 large egg whites, room temperature
- 4 tsp vanilla extract
- 5 tsp liquid stevia (see Notes!)
- ¾ cup (180g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¾ cup (180mL) freshly squeezed orange juice (about 2 gigantic or 3-4 medium)
- 1 cup (240mL) nonfat milk
FOR THE DRIZZLE
- 3 tbsp (45g) confectioners’ style erythritol
- 2 ½ - 2 ¾ tsp freshly squeezed orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and generously coat a 12-cup bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray or nonstick cooking spray with flour.
- To prepare the cake, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Once thoroughly combined, whisk in the orange zest. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, vanilla extract, and stevia. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in the orange juice. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.)
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes or until the top feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring the cake to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cake has completely cooled to room temperature and just before serving, prepare the drizzle. Stir together the erythritol and orange juice in a small bowl. Transfer the mixture to a zip-topped plastic bag, cut off a tiny piece of one corner, and drizzle over the cooled cake.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s very important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much flour will dry out your cake and give it a crumbly texture, instead of yielding a really moist and tender texture.
IMPORTANT MIXING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not use a stand mixer or hand-held mixer to mix up the batter. This will result in a dense or tough cake. Use a whisk where instructed, and use a fork for everything else.
IMPORTANT ORANGE NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Use oranges that are purely orange without any green spots. Make sure to use the full amount of zest because that’s what provides the majority of the orange flavor.
Measure the zest by grams or tablespoons, and measure the orange juice by mL or cups — not by "4 medium" oranges. Not all medium oranges are the exact same size, which will impact the flavor and texture of your cake!
IMPORTANT BUNDT PAN NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: This is the bundt pan that I use. Make sure you coat your bundt pan really well with cooking spray! With so many nooks and crannies, compared to traditional round or rectangular cake pans, the batter has more chances to stick to the sides, so a generous coating of cooking spray will ensure your bundt cake slides right out of the pan.
IMPORTANT DRIZZLE NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: I prefer a minimalistic drizzle, but it's easy to add more! For more drizzle (and a sweeter cake!), double the drizzle.
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the white whole wheat flour. Regular whole wheat flour may be substituted in a pinch, although the cake may be less tender and may have a noticeable wheat-y flavor.
EGG WHITES NOTE + ALTERNATIVE: The cake requires 4 full egg whites. The whites contain the majority of the protein in eggs, and that protein is required to ensure the cake maintains its shape and texture while cooling. Without all 4 egg whites, the cake will collapse while cooling and turn out much denser.
If you prefer to use whole eggs, then use 4 large eggs AND reduce the milk by 2 tablespoons to compensate for the added volume from the yolks.
STEVIA NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they're not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. For the best results, I recommend using the same one I do. I buy mine online here because that's the best price I've found. (It’s one of my favorite ingredients, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine too!)
However, if you really prefer to omit the liquid stevia from the cake, substitute 2 cups (384g) granulated sugar AND omit the milk, but the cake will no longer be clean-eating friendly. You may substitute 2 cups (384g) coconut sugar AND omit the milk to keep the cake clean eating friendly, but it will be much darker in color. The baking time may vary with either of those substitutions as well.
Do not substitute honey, maple syrup, or agave because the cake batter will be much too liquidy with any of those.
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
ERYTHRITOL NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: This is the confectioners' style erythritol that I use. Regular confectioners’ style (powdered) sugar may be substituted for the confectioners’ style erythritol in the drizzle. However, regular powdered sugar is much more absorbent, so start with just 1 teaspoon of orange juice.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, use the following: 2 cups (240g) millet flour, 1 cup (120g) tapioca flour, ¾ cup (90g) brown rice flour, and 3 teaspoons xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will work as well, if measured like this.
HALF BATCH OPTION: If you have a 6-cup bundt pan, you can make a half-recipe and bake at 350°F for 45-55 minutes instead.
HOW TO STORE: This cake is best if eaten the same day it’s drizzled, but leftover cake will keep for at least three days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
When refrigerating leftover slices of already drizzled bundt cake, the drizzle will turn brittle and crack if made with erythritol, or it will dissolve into the cake if made with powdered sugar. Neither will affect the flavor — only the appearance!
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low sugar}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.