This Italian Hangover Cake features fluffy and perfectly moist sponge, bright orange flavours and boozy glaze.
This cake has become very popular in the past few years, and when you try it you will know why. But to sum it up, bright citrus flavours and rum are a match made in heaven. You can serve this cake on its own or I with a scoop of custard. Vanilla custard goes so well with the alcoholic, orange flavours.
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💭 What is an Italian Hangover Cake?
The Italian Hangover Cake comes from the famous NY-based DeFazio’s Pizzeria, and it’s been one of their most popular desserts. It is based on the traditional Italian Bundt Cake (Ciambellone), but their alcoholic orange cake version also contains a mixture of Vodka, Grand Marnier, and Disaronno as well as orange juice.
To make it simpler and more affordable I have decided to use only rum in this recipe.
🧡 Why you will love this cake
- Melt in your mouth texture. This cake is perfectly fluffy, tender and moist.
- Sweet and tart. Thanks to the orange juice and rum this cake has that perfect balance of sweetens and tartness.
- Customisable. You can easily add extra ingredients like dried fruits or omit the alcohol to make it kid-friendly.
- Naturally dairy-free. This cake doesn't contain any milk products which makes it naturally dairy-free.
🍊Ingredients and Substitutes
For the Cake:
All purpose flour. If you want to make it gluten-free, you can use Better Batter GF multipurpose Flour or Cup4Cup GF multipurpose flour.
Baking Soda. This helps the cake rise and become tender, light and fluffy.
Eggs. The eggs are the reason why this cake is so fluffy. You should use medium-sized eggs.
Sugar. You can use regular granulated sugar or raw cane sugar.
Extra-virgin olive oil. The fat in this recipe comes from the olive oil. You can substitute the olive oil for an equal amount of sunflower or canola oil.
Orange Juice. You can use freshly squeezed orange juice or store-bought. For best flavor I recommend using freshly squeezed as the oranges are the hero in this recipe.
Orange zest. The zest of the orange reinforces the orange flavor.
Salt. Salt enhances the flavors of all the other ingredients.
Rum. This is where the boozy flavor comes from. If you want to make it alcohol free you can omit it or replace it for 1 tablespoon of rum extract.
For the Glaze:
Orange Juice. The orange juice provides a bright and citrusy flavor and makes this cake perfectly moist.
Rum. The rum in the glaze reinforces the boozy flavor and goes so well with the orange juice.
Orange Zest. The orange zest brings stronger orange flavors to the glaze.
Powdered Sugar. The powdered sugar provides sweetens and body to the glaze.
🥣 Equipment
- Bundt pan
- Mixer
📖 How to make Italian Hangover Cake
Step 1: Prepare the oven and bundt cake pan
Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and grease a 10-inch bundt cake pan with olive oil.
Step 2: Make the cake batter
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt and set it aside.
In a big mixing bowl whisk together eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed of the mixer and slowly add the olive oil, orange juice and orange zest and mix until combined. Finally add the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Watch out not to over-mix.
Step 3: Bake the cake.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared bundt cake pan and place it in the oven. Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes or until the cake is cooked thoroughly and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Step 4. Make the Glaze
While the cake is baking, prepare the glaze. In a medium bowl whisk together powdered sugar, orange juice, orange zest and rum.
Step 5. Glaze and Serve.
When the cake is baked, take it out of the oven and let it cool down for at least 30 minutes.
Once cooled, take it out of the bundt pan and place it on a cake stand. Drizzle with the glaze, slice and serve.
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
- Use Freshly squeezed orange juice for the best flavor.
- It’s much easier to zest the oranges before you juice them.
- Grease the bundt pan to ensure easy removal of the cake
📔 Storage tips
You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
💬 FAQ
Yes you can use a round 9-inch cake pan instead.
Yes, this cake freezes well. Slice the leftover cake and place each slice in an individual zip bag. Freeze the cake for up to 1 month.
🌟 More Dairy-Free Desserts
Did you make this? Tell me about it! Leave a ⭐ REVIEW and COMMENT below!
Recipe
Italian Hangover Cake
Equipment
- Bundt Cake Pan
- Mixer
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 ½ cup all purpose flour*
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 1 cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoon orange zest
- 2 teaspoon dark or light rum
For the glaze:
- 3 teaspoon dark or light rum
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 cup icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉(180℃) and grease a 10-inch bundt cake pan with olive oil.
- In a medium bowl mix together the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda and salt). Set aside.
- In a big mixing whisk eggs and sugar them until light and fluffy for about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Reduce the speed of the mixer and slowly add the olive oil, orange juice, rum, and orange zest and mix until combined. Finally add the flour mixture and mix just until combined.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared bundt cake pan and place it in the oven.
- Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes or until the cake is cooked thoroughly and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean
To make the glaze:
- While the cake is baking, prepare the glaze.
- In a medium bowl mix all the ingredients for the glaze (icing sugar, orange juice, rum and orange zest).
- Once the cake is cooled, remove it from the bundt cake and place in on a cake stand. Drizzle with the glaze, slice and serve.
Notes
- You can make this cake gluten-free. Substitute the all purpose flour for a multipurpose gluten-free flour.
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