Cake is a weakness of mine….kinda like it is with Moose Finbar in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Except I don’t blow up and die like he does. Just saying! But seriously, cake and I have an amazing relationship. We love each other, a lot. And this Orange Vanilla Bundt Cake is one of my absolute favorite cake recipes ever!
Actually, this cake is originally referred to as Bizcocho de Naranja. Remember that lunch coop I told you I was a part of at my office? Oh…yes you do…remember when I posted this Hubbard Squash Soup and these Southwest Meatballs. Yeah, I knew you would remember! Yeah you! Well, this Orange Vanilla Cake (my new name for it) came from that lunch coop and oh my goodness…it’s amazing. Diego made this cake and he’s from Spain. His recipe is called “Bizcocho de Naranja” and it’s a simple classic Spanish recipe. He brought this cake to lunch coop and we all loved it! It’s crazy moist and super flavorful. So I asked him for the recipe and he gave it to me. But I switched it up just a little bit because well, that’s what I like to do!
So how did I change it up exactly? A couple of ways actually. For one, I made a gluten-free version of Bizcocho de Naranja. When Diego brought this into the lunch coop, he had it in a 9x13 cake pan with no frosting and served it with vanilla ice cream instead. I wanted to turn this into a bundt cake and add a cream cheese frosting and THEN add the mini chocolate chips on top! And I didn’t serve this one with vanilla ice cream but I totally could have! Frosting and ice cream go so well together! And this bundt pan mold…guys!!! Let me share…
So pretty, right? I LOVE this mold! This bundt mold is called the Nordic Ware Platinum Collection Heritage Bundt Pan and it’s so easy to bake with….I’m talking a clean release from the mold! No crumbles or breaks in my cake!
So back to Diego and this Bizcocho de Naranja which I’m now calling Orange Vanilla Bundt Cake. The cake calls for simple ingredients that you have in your kitchen. What makes this cake POP is the almond extract (I totally added this extra ingredient) and the fresh orange. Oh and those mini chocolate chips on top of that cream cheese frosting. Huge shout out to mini chocolate chips!
I get a little heavy-handed when it comes to adding on that cream cheese frosting. I think frosting should freely drip so that I can eat it with my fork. And there is nothing wrong with doing that. No judging here. Especially when it comes to cake….and frosting!
I do also like to eat my cake like the rest of the world and actually slice myself a piece. And put it on a plate. Sometimes…, although that’s not always required.
This Orange Vanilla Bundt Cake is good for breakfast with my latte. It’s also good for a snack before lunch, with another latte. Sometimes, it’s perfect for lunch and it’s ALWAYS perfect at night after dinner when I’m in my jammies on my couch wearing my fuzzy socks with a glass of milk.
And don’t be fooled…this is a small slice. I’ve been known to eat up to 3 slices of this cake a night. It’s ok, because there’s no judging here. This is a safe place! When it’s that good you eat it and you enjoy every single bite!
Shout out to Diego for sharing his cake recipe! In honor of Diego’s traditional recipe, I put his original version in the notes section of the recipe card. And don’t worry…if you don’t have this bundt mold, you can use a regular 9x13 cake pan, like this one here. And I do highly recommend serving this cake with vanilla ice cream. The vanilla ice cream and orange in this cake pair beautifully! Oh - and if you’re gluten-free, you can totally make a gluten-free version of this cake! And yep, I tell you how in the recipe card below. Enjoy my friends and happy sweet eats with this cake. For all my Spanish friends, Disfruta este pastel!
