This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This Mini Orange Oatmeal Cake is a small, tender cake made with oats simmered in orange juice for bright citrus flavor in every bite. It comes together quickly with simple ingredients and bakes into a soft, moist cake that’s perfect for breakfast, an afternoon treat, or a light dessert.
Featured Comment
“Love this cake. It’s hard not to eat the whole thing at once!”
– KB
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Bright Citrus Flavor: This mini orange oatmeal cake is filled with fresh orange notes and a soft, tender crumb, making it a wonderful choice for breakfast, a snack, or a light dessert.
- Easy to Make: With simple steps and basic ingredients, this cake comes together quickly and bakes in about 30 minutes.
- Wholesome Ingredients: Rolled oats and orange juice create a naturally flavorful base without needing anything complicated or hard to find.
- Versatile: Enjoy it warm from the oven, add a light glaze, or top it with yogurt or whipped cream for a different finish.
- Perfect Size: This small cake is just the right amount for one or two people, giving you a freshly baked treat without extra portions.
I love this mini orange oatmeal cake because it brings together two ingredients I use often, orange juice and hearty rolled oats. Cooking the oats in orange juice gives the cake a bright citrus taste that feels special without adding extra steps.
It’s the kind of small cake I make when I want something simple, comforting, and homemade. If you enjoy easy single serving desserts with fresh ingredients and a soft, tender crumb, this little cake is one you’ll want to bake again and again.
If you like small cake recipes like this one, try our mini grapefruit cake, mini spice cake, small apple cake, small pound cake, small banana upside down cake, moist mini carrot cake, and small blueberry cake recipe.
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this mini oatmeal cake recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
How To Make An Small Orange Oatmeal Cake
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
Start by simmering old fashioned rolled oats in orange juice. This step softens the oats and adds bright citrus flavor. Cook the mixture in a small saucepan until the oats are tender, then set it aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, whisk the melted butter, egg, and vanilla.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients, then fold in the cooled orange oatmeal until the batter is smooth. Pour the batter into a 5×5-inch baking dish.
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Expert Tips
- Choosing the Right Baking Dish: A 5×5 inch dish works well, but any dish with a similar surface area is fine. A 4×6 inch dish will give you the same results.
- Muffin or Ramekin Options: This batter is flexible. You can bake two muffins in a standard muffin pan or divide the batter between two 10-ounce oven safe ramekins for smaller cakes.
- Measure Flour Correctly: For the best texture, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off. Scooping directly from the bag packs the flour and can make the cake dense.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Quick oats soften too quickly and will change the texture of the cake. Old fashioned rolled oats give the best structure and flavor.
The cake is ready when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
f you have some cake left, cover it and keep it at room temperature for up to one day, or refrigerate it for up to three days. Enjoy it as is or warm it briefly in the microwave.
Yes, double the ingredient amounts and bake in either two 5×5-inch baking dishes or one 6×8-inch baking dish.
More Mini Breakfast Cakes And Muffin Recipes
If you enjoy this Mini Orange Oatmeal Cake, you might also like our other easy single serving breakfast cakes and muffins. They’re simple to make and great for a morning or midday treat.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve tried this mini orange oat breakfast cake or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
Also, if you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see!
Mini Orange Oatmeal Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup old fashioned oats
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons salted butter -melted
- 1 large egg
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
- powdered sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C).
- In a 1-quart saucepan, bring the orange juice to a simmer and stir in the oats.
- Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the oats soften.
- Remove from heat and let the mixture cool.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, and baking soda.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the melted butter, egg, and vanilla.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then fold in the cooled oatmeal. Pour the batter into a lightly buttered 5×5 inch baking dish.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool on a wire rack.
- Dust with powdered sugar if you like.
Notes
- Choosing the Right Baking Dish: A 5×5 inch dish works well, but any dish with a similar surface area is fine. A 4×6 inch dish will give you the same results.
- Muffin or Ramekin Options: This batter is flexible. You can bake two muffins in a standard muffin pan or divide the batter between two 10-ounce oven safe ramekins for smaller cakes.
- Measure Flour Correctly: For the best texture, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off. Scooping directly from the bag packs the flour and can make the cake dense.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This was super delicious. Topped off with a little nondairy whipped topping. The oatmeal not only gives it texture but almost a nutty taste. I did add a little orange zest to enhance the orange flavor.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know.
I just made this so my adult daughter can eat something nutritious while driving to work. To save dishes, I added the butter to the warm oatmeal/juice. Then added everything else once it was cooled down..
EVERY recipe I have ever made from ODK has been delicious! Stay tuned for this one.
Love this cake. Hard not to eat the whole thing at once!
Oh Joanie, the is a wonderful snack cake! I used a combination of naval & mandarin orange juice with some Valencia orange zest from a jar. I had juiced & frozen a bunch of oranges that were going bad. Also added 1/8 tsp of cardamom. The cake had a delicate, floral flavor that would be great for breakfast with bacon and definitely a cup of coffee or tea. Infusing the oats with the fruit flavor is genius. Hubby doesn’t like orange but wanted a repeat adding cranberries and pecans, for a huge win!
Overall, I love my 5×5 as I get to bake something new every day. Love small batch cooking, especially for dessert. We get a nice finish to dinner without overeating.
Two tablespoons of honey mixed in with the egg is a successful sugar substitute, but most folks will want more sweetness. The texture and flavor are just delightful. Like so many other ODK goodies, this recipe is easy to pull together.
Really, really good!
Any thoughts on substituting gluten-free almond or oat flour for the wheat?
We have not tested this recipe with other types of flour.
Enhanced the flavor with the addition of orange zest and craisins. Wonderful snack cake recipe.
very tasty thanks i made alot of your recipes very good
I added a handful of dried cranberries to the batter and oh my! It turned out heavenly and quite seasonal. These will be my on Thanksgiving breakfast menu later this week along with your cheesy baked eggs. Several of your Thanksgiving recipes will be used to make dinner for my mother, my aunt, and me, as well.
I made these as muffins and added a few chocolate chips – because I like chocolate and orange. I love the chewiness the oatmeal gives the muffins but I would add orange zest next time I make them to give them more orange flavor. Very good.
I tried the same recipe and as she told, it’s a mini cake. so I ended up with very small portion. I recommend double the quantity. the taste is very good and I like adding oats to make it more healthy 🙂
I made this yesterday. I doubled the recipe, and ended up with 6 muffins and one small cake. I made an orange glaze for the cake. I love the texture, just wish there was a little more orange flavor. Next time maybe I’ll add some orange zest.
I’ve made this several times. Soooo good. Easy. And the aroma while baking!! Yummy!
Didn’t have old fashioned oats so I used 3 min. oats. Followed the instructions and the recipe turned out fine. Also I did add some zest from orange.
Has anyone made this with vegan substitutes , ie. Flax egg , or applesauce or vegan butter for the butter ?
Re. Orange pound cake. Do you grease the pan? Thanks. LOVE the book
Yes, lightly butter or grease the baking dish.
How much is ur cookbook? Love all ur recipes on Facebook
Thank you so much, Patricia. The price of our cookbook varies depending on where the book is purchased. It is available on Amazon and in most bookstores – https://onedishkitchen.com/ultimate-cooking-for-one-book-order-page/
All your recipes are fantastic, it is good to have recipes for one person since I am now by myself, since my husband passed 4 months ago .
I’m so sorry for your loss, Linda and I’m glad the recipes are helpful.
Simply delicious! I did add orange zest to the batter to bring out the orange flavor a bit more. Love these amazing small portion recipes.
I just made this yummy; I think next time I’ll add pure orange extract. I made into muffins; I got 3 !
Hi Mia,
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake – great idea to make them into muffins!
Joanie
Made this during my isolation due to the Coronavirus, I only had one fresh orange so I squeezed that and added lemon juice to make the 1/2 cup and to cut calories I used Truvia instead of sugar. It came out delicious. So light and tasty. I will be making this again!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the cake. Thank you for sharing the changes you made to the recipe – I know it will help other readers who might want to make it.
Hello, nice recipe 🙂 could you please at metrics to this one two? Thanks!
Hi Eva,
We are currently in the process of converting all of our recipes to metric, it’s a slow process but were working through it. I went ahead and updated this one today.
Hope you enjoy the recipe and have a wonderful weekend!
Joanie
Joan – great recipe . This is the third dessert recipe I’ve tried and all have been very good . Can’t wsit to test them all. This cake had the perfect level of sweetness.
Barb,
Thank you so much for letting me know that you enjoyed the recipe. I’m so happy you liked the cake and also the other desserts you’ve tried. Your comment truly makes my day.
Joanie
This was perfect for me to bake for breakfast for the kids. They wanted something sweet to eat and the recipe was just the perfect size to make 2 portions for me.
I absolutely loved this beautiful, tender, mini orange oat breakfast cake! It was perfect. Just lightly sweet and so satisfying! I enjoyed mine with a nice cold glass of milk, but when my friend came over to visit she enjoyed her piece with a mug of hot tea.
I made this and it was fantastic!!!!! However was sure I had orange juice, wrong, what to do, searched and I found margarita mix. It had orange, lemon and lime so I figured can’t be all bad. This is a very moist cake perfect for one or two. Will make it often, thank you.
Hi Lorie,
What a great idea! So glad the margarita mix worked for you and I’m so happy you enjoyed the cake!
I just love when breakfast seems more like dessert! This cake was amazing and I loved every single bite! I’m going to try the Blueberry Crumble For One next.
Thank you for the amazing recipes. You have helped my to make life easier for me. I look forward to each recipe as my cooking skills develop with confidence. You are amazing too.
Hi John,
I’m so happy you are enjoying the recipes. Thank you so much for letting me know.
Have a wonderful weekend!