My Orange Poppy-Seed Cake (Ciambella ai Semi di Papavero all'Arancia) is soft and so tender. Topped with a luscious glaze made with fresh orange juice, each bite is bursting with citrus flavor. This easy cake comes together in minutes! Perfect for a brunch or any celebration.
If you're making this Orange Poppy Seed Cake, be sure to also check out my Orange Glazed Polenta Cake and my Lemon Ricotta Cake for more bright, citrus forward Italian desserts.
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Originally published April 2014
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⭐ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Super soft texture thanks to 2 sticks of butter
- Real orange zest and juice for bright, natural flavor
- No mixer needed for glaze-just whisk and pour
- Bakes in under 30 minutes
- Simple and classic with a homemade touch
🍽️ Ingredients You'll Need
For the Cake:
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest (organic if possible)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
For the Orange Glaze:
- 1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar
- 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
📝 Pro tip: Zest your orange before juicing to make things easier.
This is still a cake that I love to bake! My kids love it...my friends love it. Everyone is happy when I bake this gorgeous ciambella (ring cake).
🧁 How to Make Orange and Poppy Seed Bundt Cake
1. Preheat & Prep
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease your Bundt or tube pan thoroughly with baking spray or butter and flour.
2. Mix Dry Ingredients
In a bowl, whisk together:
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Orange zest
- Salt
Set aside.
3. Cream Butter and Sugar
In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy-about 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add Eggs
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until just combined.
5. Combine
Reduce speed to low. Add the dry ingredients and poppy seeds, mixing just until combined. Be careful not to overmix.
6. Bake
Pour batter into prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake for about 28-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown.
7. Cool and Invert
Cool the cake in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully invert onto a wire rack.
🍊 Make the Simple Orange Glaze
In a bowl, whisk together:
- 1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar
- 3 tablespoons orange juice
💡 Adjust glaze thickness with a little more sugar or juice as needed.
Pour over warm cake and let the glaze drizzle over the edges. Let it set for 15 minutes before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Serve your orange and poppy seed cake:
- With a cup of tea or coffee
- As a light spring dessert
- At brunches, Easter, or baby showers
- Slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream
How to Store
- Room Temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Fridge: Store up to 5 days, but bring to room temp before serving.
- Freezer: Wrap tightly and freeze slices for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or for 30 minutes at room temperature.
📝 FAQs
Fresh juice is best for flavor, but bottled works in a pinch.
Yes! This cake actually tastes better the next day as the orange flavor deepens.
Yes, just be sure to check doneness with a toothpick. Baking time may vary slightly.
🧡 More Citrus Desserts to Try
📸 Tried This Recipe?
Tag us on Instagram @savoringitaly and use the hashtag #savoringitaly-we'd love to see your orange and poppy seed cake!
Recipe slightly adapted from a Bon Appetit recipe.
Some other cake recipes:
Orange Poppy Seed Pound Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange zest (use organic orange if possible}
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- For the glaze:
For the glaze:
- 1 ½ cups confectioners sugar
- 3 Tablespoons fresh orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Prep your Bundt pan or tube pan (I like to use baking spray).
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, orange zest, and salt in a bowl.
- Beat together butter and granulated sugar in another bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Beat in eggs until combined. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture and
- eggs until combined. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture and poppy seeds and mix until just combined.
- Transfer batter to cake pan, smoothing top, and bake until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean and top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.
- Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then invert onto rack.
- Whisk together confectioners sugar and orange juice in a bowl until smooth (add more confectioner's sugar or juice a teaspoon at a time if it's too thick or too thin until you get desired consistency).
- Pour glaze over warm cake, spreading it with a spatula to drizzle over edge. Let stand until glaze is set, about 15 minutes.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
looks great
I could make a cake like this every week, love your orange version!
Ma che bella ciambella. I love the drizzle. For many years I made the Ukrainian poppyseed cake from the Moosewood Cookbook. This one looks fantastic ~ perfect crumb texture in that photo of the slice. Lovely to talk to you today, amica mia. Un abbraccio.
I love that you did a combination of orange and poppyseed. This cake looks perfectly moist!
Isn't funny how sometimes the simplest recipes are the ones that elicit rave reviews? I love citrus with poppyseeds. Since I happen to have picked up a bunch of oranges, I'll be baking your cake this week!
I've had lemon poppy seed cake before and loved it, but I've never tried it with orange. If it turns out half as fantastic as yours look, it'll be a winner in this house.
I love your breads and orange, poppy and that glaze sound fantastic.
What's not to love? The glaze alone...*thud*
This cake. Want now. Swoon.
I can see why everyone loves this cake!! yummm. . orange poppyseed .. delicious!!! hey, I'll be attending BlogHer Food in Miami next month. . . are you close to Miami? if so, I'd love to meet up!