Moroccan Orange Cake Recipe – Meskouta with Oranges

This easy Moroccan orange cake is a moist, sweet cake that can be served as a snack, for dessert or tea time, or even for breakfast or to break the fast in Ramadan.

Not only is it an easy recipe, it also packs a deliciously sweet citrus flavor that’s good enough to be served without icing. Fresh oranges are key to the cake’s great flavor.

You only need one or two oranges to get the amount of juice and zest required for this recipe. Make sure to wash and zest the oranges before juicing. You can use a fine side of a box grater or a citrus zester to make the zest.

Meskouta Cake with Oranges

Moroccan orange cake is a variation of meskouta, a popular Moroccan cake with a texture similar to a sponge cake. There are different types of meskouta cakes based on flavors like lemon or vanilla.

Sometimes Moroccan cooks will beat the egg whites separately and fold them into the batter for a lighter texture, but there’s really no need to take that step for this or other meskouta recipes.

Although a round tube or bundt pan is most often used to make meskouta, some cooks prefer to use a loaf pan. Adjust baking time according to the size and shape of your own pan.

Using Bowls and Tea Glasses as Measures

Traditionally, Moroccans measure their ingredients using bowls and Moroccan tea glasses. Although many Moroccan cooks are shifting to scales or measuring cups when baking, I’ve included the traditional measures for meskouta in the Recipe Notes just for fun.

Children enjoy using nonformal methods for measuring ingredients, so you might like to try that method if you’re baking this cake with them. Take note that the average Moroccan tea glass amounts to about 6 to 8 ounces of liquid and a soup bowl about 12 ounces or 1 1/2 cups.

How Much Baking Powder to Use

The traditional Moroccan recipe calls for 2 sachets (7 g each) of baking powder which is equivalent to 4 teaspoons. However, I’ve updated the recipe to reduce the amount of measured baking powder from 4 teaspoons to 3 teaspoons.

This is in response to comments I’ve found on other sites which raise concern that the larger amount of baking powder might cause a bitter flavor or too rapid rising (then sinking) of the middle of the cake. 

Although I’ve made this cake many times over the years and never had either problem, I tested the recipe recently using 3 teaspoons baking powder and again with 4 teaspoons. Both cakes came out great, so I opted to list the smaller amount in the conventional ingredients list.

Serving and Storing

The orange cake is truly delicious all on its own, but you can certainly top it with a dusting of powdered sugar or a simple icing if you like. Orange jam and coconut icing also make a nice finishing touch, as do garnishes of crushed nuts.

Properly covered or wrapped, the cake will stay fresh for a few days at room temp or for several months in the freezer.

For another easy Moroccan dessert that uses oranges, try this simple Moroccan Orange and Cinnamon Dessert Salad.