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    Home » Vegan Recipes

    Vegan Orange Cake with Vanilla Coconut Whip Frosting

    Published Dec 6, 2017 · Updated Nov 26, 2018 · 31 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.

    JUMP TO RECIPE

    Thank you Nielsen-Massey Vanillas for sponsoring this recipe post.


    Vegan Orange Cake Recipe

    It is SO cliche to say this, but the holidays are unequivocally my favorite time of year! My tree goes up before Thanksgiving, for an extra festive flair. Holiday music is always on (though, the past couple of years, it's less Bing Crosby and more Alvin and the Chipmunks. Motherhood!)

    I am so into it, guys. Give me ALL THE CHRISTMAS. The lights, the decorations, the joy...and perhaps most importantly - the baking!

    Gingerbread, peppermint, and pumpkin are all classic holiday flavors. But I love thinking outside the box and going with flavors that are less traditional but still festive. One of my favorite desserts to make is the Vegan Orange Cake recipe I'm sharing with you today. It's topped with a heavenly vanilla coconut whip frosting and orange zest.

    This is an orange cake that actually tastes like oranges - with the help of Nielsen-Massey Pure Orange Extract. I highly recommend buying the finest quality products with rich flavor profiles when holiday baking. It makes all the difference. Some orange extracts are made from artificial flavors, but this extract is made from real, high-quality oranges.

    Orange pairs really well with vanilla, so I also added some Pure Vanilla Extract and topped my cake with Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Sugar - both also by Nielsen-Massey Vanillas and both BURSTING with amazing vanilla flavor. (Side tip: Adding a teaspoon of vanilla sugar to chamomile tea is absolutely to die for.) Follow Nielsen-Massey Vanillas on social media for more incredible recipe ideas!

    Vanilla Coconut Whip Frosting

    I have used coconut whipped cream a ton on this blog (and in real life) - it's THAT good. It's 1) vegan 2) creamy and fluffy and 3) healthier than sugar-and-cream-filled frosting like buttercream. I mean, it's cake, so we aren't being TOO healthy here but this frosting also just tastes REALLY good.

    To make the frosting, leave a couple cans of coconut cream in the fridge overnight. If you can't find straight up coconut cream, use 4 cans of coconut milk instead. About 30 minutes before preparing the frosting, place your mixing bowl in the fridge. Keeping the frosting cold will help it whip up.

    Scoop out the coconut cream from the cans, leaving the liquid behind, and place it into the bowl. Add in your sweetener (maple syrup or agave both work wonderfully) and Pure Vanilla Extract. Whip on medium speed using a stand mixer or a hand mixer - a stand mixer works better, I've found, but either will produce a delicious frosting. Be careful not to over whip. The frosting should be fluffy and form peaks.

    Frosting Tips:

    • If your frosting comes out too liquid-y, try adding more coconut cream OR a couple tablespoons of organic powdered sugar.
    • If you make this cake ahead of time, place it in the fridge so the frosting holds up. I've left it out at room temperature for 2 hours and it was fine but any longer that, you might be pushing your luck.

    This Vegan Orange Cake is a wonderful holiday dessert that is sure to please your friends and family! You might want to print out a few extra copies of this recipe to bring with you to your holiday gatherings. (They'll be TOTALLY shocked to find out that this scrumptious cake recipe is vegan!)

    Recipe

    Vegan Orange Cake with Vanilla Coconut Whip Frosting

    Karissa Besaw
    This incredible vegan orange cake is totally bursting with flavor. It's topped with a heavenly vanilla coconut whip frosting!
    4.88 from 16 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 25 minutes mins
    Total Time 40 minutes mins
    Servings 16 slices

    Ingredients
      

    Vegan Orange Cake

    • 3 cups flour
    • 1 cup organic sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 1 tablespoon baking powder
    • 2 teaspoon baking soda
    • 2 cups orange juice
    • ¼ cup grapeseed oil
    • 2.5 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Pure Orange Extract
    • 1 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Pure Vanilla Extract

    Vanilla Coconut Whip Frosting

    • 2 cups coconut cream
    • 3-4 tablespoon organic agave or maple syrup
    • 1 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Pure Vanilla Extract

    Toppings

    • orange zest from one orange
    • optional Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Sugar
    • optional cranberries

    Instructions
     

    Vegan Orange Cake

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease your cake pan(s) and sprinkle with flour. 
    • Whisk together all dry ingredients in one bowl (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda) and wet ingredients another large bowl (orange juice, oil, orange extract, and vanilla extract.)
    • Whisk about a cup of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Then, stir in remaining dry ingredients. 
    • Pour cake batter evenly into two round cake pans or into one 9x13 pan. 
    • Bake for 22-25 minutes*. (Or until a toothpick comes out clean.)

    Coconut Whip Frosting

    • Prep: Refrigerate 2 cans of coconut cream or 4 cans of coconut milk overnight (I'd recommend buying an extra can just in case one is a dud). Refrigerate mixing bowl at least 30 minutes in advance of making frosting. 
    • Scoop out cold coconut cream from the cans and add into refrigerated bowl. Leave behind the excess liquid (you can store it in your fridge.)
    • Add in agave or maple syrup and vanilla extract. Whip on medium speed for 2-4 minutes, or until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to over-whip and check frequently. If the cream begins to separate, you have over-whipped.
    • After cake cools, frost it** and top with orange zest. You can also top with vanilla sugar and cranberries for a super festive appearance! 

    Notes

    *REGARDING COOK TIME: Cook time with vary depending on the size pans you use and the material they are made of. For two 9-inch round pans, my cake is done in about 22 minutes. For a 9x13 glass pan, it is done in about 25 minutes. 
    **If making this recipe ahead of time, store frosting in the fridge. Re-whip when you are ready to frost the cake.
    Note about servings: There are 16 servings in a double layer cake, but you can stretch this out to about 24 servings for a 9x13 cake.
     
    Did you try this recipe?Let us know how it was!

     

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    about karissa

    About Karissa

    Hey! I’m happy you’re here! My name is Karissa and I’ve been cooking up delicious vegan food since going vegan in 2016. Not vegan and just want to eat more plants? We don't judge - everyone is welcome in our kitchen. Read more...

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    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Donnalee says

      November 27, 2022 at 10:37 am

      5 stars
      Wonderful flavor and texture will definitely make again.

      Reply
    2. Julie says

      December 28, 2021 at 6:36 am

      5 stars
      I was in charge of dessert for Christmas so I combined the cake from this recipe, filling it with homemade cranberry sauce and topping it off with coconut cream frosting that goes with your Carrot Cake Pancakes. Everybody loved it, even my 93-year old grandmother whose grandfather was a baker. Thank you for making our Christmas great!

      Reply
    3. cere says

      November 06, 2021 at 8:28 pm

      Cake pans come in multiple sizes, and you really need to specify which size your recipe calls for. Even the small difference between 8- and 9-inch round cake pans can ruin a good recipe. I'm shocked that any food blogger posting cake recipes wouldn't know to do this already.

      Reply
      • Karissa says

        November 08, 2021 at 9:11 am

        Thanks for being so helpful. You caught a recipe in my very early blogging days. We all had to start somewhere, right? This recipe used a 9-inch pan.

        Reply
    4. larissa says

      March 25, 2021 at 2:39 pm

      should this recipe be made with store bought or freshly squeezed orange juice? i’d like to use whichever gives the best result 🙂

      Reply
      • Karissa says

        March 26, 2021 at 9:13 am

        I just used store-bought.

        Reply
    5. Kayla says

      August 14, 2020 at 8:47 am

      5 stars
      Made this for sons birthday yesterday and it was a hit! Godson said my cake was one of thee best cakes he’s had. Sis-in-luv said it was bomb - others raved about how yummy it was. I didn’t make homemade frosting, but used vegan / coconut based store bought. I will for sure make this again. Thank you so much - will try your other recipes for sure!

      Reply
    6. Irma says

      August 01, 2020 at 2:19 pm

      5 stars
      Hi, Karissa!
      I can't believe I haven't thanked you for this recipe before. I made it once last year. It is SO simple to make and ridiculously delicious.
      My 3-year old son and I made it again today for my mom's birthday and the house smells divine. Batter taste test confirms that flavour matches aroma 🙂
      Coconut frosting is soooo easy to make too.
      Thank you!!

      I will top this cake off with some strawberries and mangoes today.
      🙂
      Irma.

      Reply
    7. Imogen Hobson says

      July 13, 2020 at 3:54 pm

      Any chance of converting to ml, grams and centigrade? From a non-US reader. 😉

      Reply
    8. Kate says

      November 12, 2019 at 5:12 am

      This was a pretty great cake and super easy as far as sweet vegan treats go. I could not get stiff peaks with my coconut cream frosting for the life of me. I also have one question, how do you tell if a can of coconut cream is a dud? I tried searching google but it just kept sending me to links about coconut milk. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Karissa says

        November 12, 2019 at 7:22 pm

        Hey, Kate! Glad you enjoyed the cake but that's a bummer about the frosting! When putting it in the fridge overnight, the cream will harden and the liquid will settle on the bottom. A good can of coconut cream will be at least 2/3 full of cream. You'll want to discard the liquid part and use just the cream. The issue may be the brand - I typically only use Thai Kitchen or Trader Joe's coconut cream and don't have experience with other brands.

        Reply
    9. Judit Bartok says

      September 12, 2019 at 8:44 am

      Is it suitable for freezing?

      Reply
      • Karissa says

        September 12, 2019 at 6:12 pm

        Hi! I haven't tried freezing it, so I'm not sure!

        Reply
      • Jackie says

        April 01, 2020 at 12:57 am

        Hi I don’t have pure orange extract, will it be okay without?

        Reply
    10. Charo Vargas says

      February 24, 2019 at 1:50 pm

      I can't wait to make my first vegan cake. Do I need to grease the pans before pouring the batter? Thank you,

      Reply
      • Karissa says

        February 25, 2019 at 11:19 am

        If you use good non-stick pans that aren't scratched up, greasing isn't usually necessary. But if you want to play it safe, definitely grease them up.

        Reply
    11. Lillian says

      January 17, 2019 at 8:35 am

      4 stars
      Should I use plain flour or self raising flour?

      Reply
      • Karissa says

        January 17, 2019 at 9:18 am

        All-purpose flour.

        Reply
    12. Lizzy says

      December 08, 2018 at 3:17 pm

      5 stars
      Made this fantastic recipe for my mother's 57th birthday. Didn't have enough ripe oranges yet to get 2 cups of juice, so subbed in the remaining amount with pineapple juice, plus added about .5 tbsp apple cider vinegar. It was soo fluffy and moist, almost like a sponge cake. Filled with whipped buttercream and topped with rich chocolate ganache, all vegan of course. Thank you for the recipe! Definitely staying in my repertoire.

      Reply
      • Karissa says

        December 08, 2018 at 6:19 pm

        So happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing.

        Reply
    13. Amanda says

      December 02, 2018 at 1:12 pm

      4 stars
      Thank you Karissa for this delecious vegan cake.I tried it, it came out very nice but there is a color difference meaning as if the oil deposited at the bottom give it a darker color then the cake above.
      Is there anyway to avoid this next time?
      Definitely will do again❤❤

      Reply
      • Karissa says

        December 03, 2018 at 6:03 pm

        Hmmm... I'm really not sure! Could it be the cake pans?

        Reply
    14. Monika says

      October 22, 2018 at 3:24 pm

      5 stars
      Can't wait to try this! Have you done a gluten-free version? I am making my neighbours son's birthday cake (has to be vegan and gluten-free) and he has requested orange.

      Reply
      • Karissa says

        October 23, 2018 at 9:49 am

        No gluten-free version - I haven't done a ton of gluten-free baking yet but I am planning to!

        Reply
      • Hannah says

        December 17, 2018 at 1:28 pm

        Did you end up trying this as a gluten-free cake? I want to make it for my sister but she also cannot have gluten.

        Reply
    15. Kelly says

      April 14, 2018 at 2:39 pm

      The cake doesn't need vinegar?

      Reply
      • Karissa says

        April 15, 2018 at 10:48 am

        No. The orange juice is acidic enough.

        Reply
    16. Iliana says

      December 21, 2017 at 12:38 am

      This looks amazing! What if I don't have grapeseed oil? What can I use instead?

      Thanks!
      Iliana

      Reply
      • Karissa says

        December 21, 2017 at 4:40 pm

        Any neutral-tasting oil will work!

        Reply
    17. Nicole Dawson says

      December 15, 2017 at 10:11 am

      Not only does this look so pretty, it sounds pretty darn amazing too! I love the simplicity of coconut whip frosting with the hints of orange.

      Reply
    18. Katie | Delightful Vegans says

      December 12, 2017 at 10:09 pm

      Karissa, this is seriously making me drool - it looks that good! Wish I could just eat a slice through the computer screen!

      Reply

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