Traditional Portuguese Orange Roll Cake – Easy & Moist Recipe

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Orange roll cake is a traditional Portuguese dessert, perfect for spring and summer when oranges are at their peak—sweet, juicy, and full of flavor. It’s a fresh, moist treat with a rich, intense orange taste.

This cake is especially associated with the Algarve and Setúbal regions, both famous for producing top-quality oranges. Although there’s no definitive proof, it’s believed that the recipe originated in the former Convent of Our Lady of the Conception in Lagos.

It’s a very simple and quick dessert to make, and if you’re a fan of oranges, you’ll love it. Below, we’ll walk you through how to make this Portuguese orange roll cake step by step, with clear and easy instructions so you can prepare it without any fuss!

Orange Roll, a yellow cake rolled in moist, topped with sugar and orange slices, served on a white plate. The background shows a blurred kitchen scene.
Typical Portuguese dessert – Orange Roll Cake.
Contents hide
Preparation
Ingredients – Orange Pie
Tools You’ll Need to Make Orange Roll Cake
Orange Roll Cake – Easy Step-by-Step Recipe
Serving Suggestions
Tips and Variations
Storage
Conclusion
Moist Orange roll cake: Step by Step Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions

Preparation

  • Servings: 8–10
  • Total time: 35 minutes (20 minutes of baking + 15 minutes of prep). It should chill in the fridge for a few hours. You can make it the same day or the day before.
  • Difficulty level: Very easy recipe.

Ingredients – Orange Pie

  • 2 cups (400 g) of sugar
  • 3 to 4 oranges (depending on size)
  • 3 ½ tablespoons (50 g) of melted butter
  • 8 eggs
  • ½ cup (60 g) of all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon of baking powder
  • Butter or oil to grease the baking pan
ingredients to make moist orange roll on a floral tablecloth: whole oranges, sugar, eggs, melted butter, flour and baking powder, each labeled in English for a step-by-step recipe.
Ingredients for making an orange roll

Tools You’ll Need to Make Orange Roll Cake

  • Large mixing bowl
  • Zester or fine grater (for orange zest)
  • Whisk
  • 9.5-inch wide baking tray (about 24 cm)
  • Clean kitchen towel
  • Parchment paper
A bowl, whisk, grater, rubber spatula, measuring spoon, and rectangular baking sheet lined with parchment paper are laid out on a floral tablecloth—perfect for whipping up a moist Orange Pie. The baking tray is next to the bowl.
Tools needed to make an orange roll cake.

Orange Roll Cake – Easy Step-by-Step Recipe

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
  2. Using your hands, mix the orange zest with the sugar, rubbing them together until the sugar turns slightly orange and takes on a strong citrus aroma.
A hand mixes white sugar with orange zest in a white bowl, preparing a moist orange tart on a floral-print tablecloth.
Coat the orange peel well with sugar
Two hands mixing sugar with yellow orange in a white bowl on a table with floral tablecloth, preparing a moist Orange Pie.
Until the sugar is yellow and well mixed
  1. Add the flour and baking powder to the orange-infused sugar and mix well.
  2. Whisk the eggs with the orange juice and melted butter in a separate bowl until smooth.
  3. Gradually add the flour and sugar mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring gently until you get a smooth, consistent batter.
A person prepares an Orange roll cake, beating eggs in a white bowl on a floral patterned tablecloth.
Mix the eggs, orange juice, and melted butter.
A white bowl contains a moist Orange Pie batter with a portion of flour or powdered ingredient on top. The bowl sits on a floral print tablecloth.
Combine the sugar, flour, and yeast mixture with the beaten eggs.
  1. Grease a baking pan generously with butter or oil. Line it with parchment paper and grease the paper too.
  2. Pour the batter into the pan and gently tap it on the counter to release any air bubbles.
A rectangular baking pan lined with parchment paper, with a small pat of butter in the center, sits on a floral-print tablecloth, ready to be greased for a moist Orange Pie recipe.
Grease a baking dish with butter and line with parchment paper.
A bowl of moist yellow orange pie noodles is being poured into a rectangular baking dish lined with parchment paper. The baking tray, ready for this delicious recipe, sits on a floral-print tablecloth.
Pour the batter into the dish and tap it on the counter to remove air bubbles.
  1. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cake is fully cooked. To check, insert a toothpick into the center—if it comes out clean, it’s ready; if not, bake for a few more minutes.
A rectangular metal baking pan lined with parchment paper, filled with moist Orange Pie batter, is baking in the oven. The oven door is open and the edges of the parchment paper are slightly curled.
Let the cake bake in the oven at 350°F (180°C) for 20 minutes.
A large rectangular Orange Pie with a golden yellow surface rests on a metal pan lined with parchment paper. The surface is slightly uneven and golden at the edges, revealing this delicious recipe on a striped tablecloth with a piece of cloth in the corner.
Appearance of baked orange cake before rolling.
  1. In the meantime, sprinkle sugar on a clean kitchen towel on the counter.
  1. When the cake is done, flip it onto the towel and carefully remove the parchment paper.
  2. Sprinkle the surface of the cake with a little more sugar.
A moist Orange Tart rests on a white and blue tea towel with floral embroidery and the Portugal brand, placed on a table with a floral print tablecloth.
Pour the pie into the cloth sprinkled with sugar.
A rectangular sheet of yellow Orange Pie pasta rests, sprinkled with sugar, on a blue and white striped dish towel. A person's hand dusted with flour is visible at the top. The bottom surface features a floral-print cloth — ideal for a moist recipe.
Sprinkle the pie with sugar.
  1. With the towel, carefully roll the cake, pressing it tightly to form a compact cylinder.
hands rolling an orange and sugar pie on a striped dish towel. Sugar covers the surface and part of a flowered shirt.
Roll the pie dough with the help of the cloth.
A moist, golden rectangular orange tart, covered with sugar, rests on a white cloth with blue lines and a small embroidery.
Roll it as tightly as possible to get a cylindrical shape.
  1. Refrigerate for a few hours, keeping it rolled in the towel to firm up.
  2. When ready to serve, carefully remove the towel and place the rolled cake on a serving plate.
  3. You can garnish it with orange slices, mint leaves, and/or a dusting of powdered sugar.
Uma Torta de Laranja húmida é servida em um prato branco com flores, decorado com fatias de laranja frescas. O prato fica sobre uma toalha de mesa estampada em uma cozinha moderna, tornando esta receita irresistivelmente
Portuguese Orange Roll decorated with orange slices

Serving Suggestions

This dessert pairs wonderfully with a glass of Port or another sweet wine. It’s also excellent with tea or coffee, whether as an afternoon snack or breakfast.

Tips and Variations

  • Orange roll cake is an easy dessert to make. Since it’s a very moist cake, don’t be surprised by the small amount of flour—it’s meant to be that way! You won’t get a sponge cake-like texture like in other rolls, but a moist and slightly dense consistency.
  • Another important tip is to choose the right baking tray. If the tray is too large, the cake may end up too flat and dry. But if it’s too deep, it might crack when you roll it. The ideal is to use a tray around 9.5 inches (24 cm) wide or similar.
  • If you want to switch things up, you can replace the orange with lemon—it’s just as delicious! Of course, the flavor will be tangier, but the result is still fresh and flavorful.
  • It’s also crucial that both the oven and the baking tray are perfectly level. The batter is quite runny and will shift to one side if the surface is slightly tilted, leading to uneven baking.
A golden-yellow, moist Orange Roll Cake covered in sugar rests on a white plate adorned with flowers and a butterfly. The plate sits atop a floral-patterned tablecloth.
Typical Portuguese Orange Roll cake, an ideal dessert for summer and spring.

Storage

To store the orange roll cake, keep it in the refrigerator wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. It will stay fresh for 3 to 4 days. Before serving, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes so it becomes more flavorful.

You can also freeze it for 2 to 3 months—ideally already sliced and well wrapped in plastic wrap. When ready to eat it, just let it thaw at room temperature. It will still taste great!

Conclusion

This is an excellent dessert for anyone who loves oranges and wants something simple and easy to make. Plus, it’s delicious—fresh, moist, and flavorful. We hope you enjoy it!

Bom Apetite!

Moist Orange roll cake: Step by Step Recipe

Jorge Bastos
The orange roll cake is a traditional Portuguese dessert, perfect for spring and summer when oranges are at their peak—sweet, juicy, and full of flavor. It’s a fresh, moist treat with an intense orange taste.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes

Equipment

  • 1 Large bowl
  • Zester
  • Whisk
  • 24 cm (9.5 inch) baking tray
  • Clean kitchen towel
  • Parchment paper

Ingredients
  

  • 400 g Sugar
  • 3-4 unit Oranges
  • 50 g Melted butter
  • 8 unit Eggs
  • 60 g All-purpose flour T55 in Portugal
  • 1 tbsp Baking powder
  • Oil or butter to grease the pan

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 180 ºC (350 ºF).
  • Using your hands, mix the orange zest with the sugar, rubbing it until the sugar takes on an orange hue and a strong orange aroma.
  • Add the flour and baking powder to the flavored sugar and mix well.
  • In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the orange juice and melted butter until you get a smooth mixture.
  • Combine the flour and sugar mixture with the wet ingredients and mix until you get a consistent, smooth batter.
  • Grease a baking pan well with butter or oil, line it with parchment paper, and grease the paper as well.
  • Pour the batter into the pan and lightly tap the pan on the countertop to remove air bubbles.
  • Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the roll cake is fully cooked. To check if it’s done, insert a toothpick into the center — if it comes out clean, it’s ready; if not, bake for a few more minutes.
  • Lay a clean kitchen towel on the countertop and sprinkle it with sugar.
  • Once the roll cake is baked, flip it onto the towel and carefully remove the parchment paper.
  • Sprinkle a little more sugar on the surface of the cake.
  • With the help of the towel, carefully roll the cake, pressing gently to form a tight cylinder.
  • Store in the fridge for a few hours, wrapped in the towel, to set.
  • When ready to serve, carefully remove the towel and place the roll cake on a serving plate.
  • Decorate with orange slices, mint leaves, and/or powdered sugar.

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Orange roll recipe
Portuguese orange roll cake - Easy recipe

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