Coconut Orange Traybake (Dairy Free)

Name: Coconut Orange Traybake (Dairy Free)
Prep time: 8 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 43 min
Ingredients: 250 grams Self Raising Flour ((2 1/4cups)); 0.5 tsp Salt; 250 grams Plant Based Butter (unsalted) ((1 cup plus 1 and 3/4 tbsps)); 250 grams White Sugar ((1 1/4 cups)); 100 grams Shredded Coconut ((1 1/4 cups)); 2 Eggs ((large - see note)); 240 ml Orange Juice ((1 cup - see note)); 150 grams Icing Sugar ((1 1/4 cups)); 2 tbsp Orange Juice

The combination of coconut and orange in this dairy free traybake recipe is perfect for Summer parties. With the zesty glaze and gorgeous springy sponge, this bake takes less than 45 minutes from prep to plate and will make you the star of any party.

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Close up of the soft crumb in a slice of coconut orange cake.

It’s no secret that I love incorporating fruit in my bakes and coconut is also a firm favourite in our home as well. This cake gives you the best of both worlds and I am happy to report that even my kids love this flavour profile.

Table of Contents

Why You Need to Make This

This cake is light and fluffy, packed with citrus and so simple to make. The orange glaze just finishes it off perfectly as well and is just crying out to be eaten with some afternoon tea.

I adore making traybakes that we can just dig into throughout the week. And the combination of coconut and zesty orange juice is a real winner for evoking summer vibes, even on the dreariest of days.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Let’s dive into the ingredients. I am using regular pantry items that you can easily adapt if you are not dairy free. Don’t have self raising flour? Check out my handy tip below to make your own. For vegan and gluten free options, keep on reading. And for more questions, check out my FAQ section or ask below in the comments.

For the Traybake

Showing bowls of Ingredients to make coconut orange traybake cake. White sugar, self raising flour, shredded coconut, plant based butter, orange juice, 2 eggs and some salt.

Dry Ingredients

Self Raising Flour: to create a light and fluffy consistency for our traybake with extra lift, I am using self raising flour. Self raising flour works perfectly as it already includes baking powder and salt. To make your own self raising flour, take 250g of all purpose flour add 12 grams of baking powder and 2 grams of salt. Sift together twice then use as directed in the recipe. Check out this handy ‘how-to’ video to learn how to make your own self raising flour: how to make self raising flour.

To make this gluten free, I highly recommend using Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 baking flour. I have used this flour blend multiple times with my cake recipes and am always pleased with the results. Follow my directions above to make your own gluten free self raising flour.

Salt: While there is already some salt in the self raising flour, this cake needs just a touch more to cut back on the sweetness, and also enhance the flavours.

Sugar: I’m using white sugar in this recipe to maintain a cleaner sweetness. If you want a slightly caramelly undertone, you could sub with golden or light brown sugar. You can also substitute with coconut sugar for even more coconut goodness.

Shredded Coconut: I love using shredded coconut in my bakes as it adds a great texture to each bite. If you prefer a smoother finish, blitz up your shredded coconut in a food processor or food grinder for a few seconds. I do not recommend using flaked coconut.

Wet Ingredients

Butter: I am using unsalted plant based melted butter to add richness and fat to the cake. You can substitute with a light oil such as canola if you prefer. Or regular unsalted butter if you’re not dairy free or vegan.

Eggs: this cake uses 2 eggs to help with the leavening and also for richness and moisture. I usually use large eggs in my baking, which are equivalent to approximately 50g once removed from their shell. You can also use medium eggs in this recipe. Sub with your preferred egg replacement. My go-to egg replacement when cake recipes ask for 1 or 2 eggs is applesauce. For this particular recipe, sub with 100g apple sauce (50g per egg).

Orange Juice: the addition of orange juice in this cake compliments the coconut perfectly and also helps with moisture levels. I always buy no-pulp orange juice but any type of orange juice will work. You can even sub with a different juice flavour if you prefer.

For the Glaze

To finish the traybake, we will be adding a gorgeous orange glaze. Just 2 ingredients are required: icing sugar and orange juice.

A bowl of icing sugar and a small cup of orange juice on a white counter.

How to Make Coconut Orange Traybake

Before starting this recipe, preheat your oven to 325F (163C) and gather all of your ingredients and supplies. Ensure that your eggs and butter are at room temperature as this will help the batter come together more quickly.

This is the perfect sheet cake (or traybake) for any occasion and bakes quickly. Grease then line your 13-inch by 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper. This will ensure that the cake is easy to remove once it has been baked.

Adding parchment paper to a greased 9 by 13 inch baking pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine 250 grams (2 1/4 cups) self raising flour, 1/2 tsp of salt and 250 grams (1 cup plus 1 and 3/4 tbsps) of plant based unsalted butter.

Adding butter to a bowl of flour and salt.

Mix together with a hand mixer or wooden spoon until just combined. This takes less than a minute. You can also use a stand mixer if you prefer.

Flour salt and butter in a mixing bowl after mixing.

Next let’s start adding our flavours. First, we’ll add 250 grams (1 1/4 cups) of white sugar for sweetness.

Pouring white sugar in to a mixing bowl of dairy free coconut orange traybake ingredients.

And 100 grams (1 1/4 cups) of shredded coconut. If you prefer finer coconut, feel free to blitz it up in a food processor first. I love the texture that this coconut gives to the cake.

Shredded coconut on top of cake batter ingredients in a glass mixing bowl.

Give everything another quick mix with the hand mixer.

Whisking the ingredients in a glass bowl to make coconut orange cake.

Add 240 ml (1 cup ) of orange juice. I always use no pulp juice as that’s just the kind that we prefer to drink. But you can use juice with pulp if you wish.

Pouring a jug of orange juice in to a bowl with dairy free coconut orange traybake batter.

Next, let’s add our 2 eggs for richness and colour. You can sub with 100 grams of apple sauce if you are vegan.

Cracking an egg over a bowl of coconut orange cake batter.

Give it one last mix together. You’ll notice here that the cake batter looks quite wet. Don’t worry! This is completely normal for this type of cake.

Coconut orange cake batter in a glass mixing bowl.

Once your batter is ready, evenly spread it into the baking pan with a spatula, making sure that you reach all the way into the corners.

Spreading cake batter in a baking pan lined with parchment paper.

I always tap my cake pans on the counter a few times before putting them in the oven. It helps the batter settle more evenly and also brings any bubbles to the surface.

Coconut orange cake batter freshly spread in the 9 by 13 inch baking pan.

Time to Bake

Bake in your preheated oven for 35 minutes at 325F (163C). The dairy free coconut orange traybake will be lightly golden and firm to the touch once baked. And the smell! OMG, it’s like a summer party in my kitchen right now. Remove the cake pan from the oven, allow it to sit for 5 minutes then transfer the cake from the pan to a cooling rack.

Showing the freshly baked coconut orange cake in the baking pan.

How to Make the Orange Glaze

This traybake doesn’t take long to cool. While the cake is cooling, make up the orange glaze. Add 150 grams (1 1/4 cups) of icing sugar to a mixing bowl and gradually stir in your orange juice.

Holding a small cup of orange juice over a bowl of icing sugar.

I used 30 ml (2 tbsp) of orange juice but you may need to adjust this amount depending on the humidity in your kitchen. In the depths of winter, I usually need a little bit more juice to compensate for the dryness in the air.

Pouring orange juice in to a bowl of icing sugar to make orange glaze.

Mix until you reach a pourable consistency that ribbons slightly when you drizzle some from the spoon. This glaze also pairs wonderfully with my no-spread sugar cookies and the kids’ favourite, my vanilla cupcakes recipe.

Orange glaze drizzling from the spoon in to a stainless steel bowl.

Pour the glaze over your cooled cake and spread out with an offset (tapered) spatula.

Drizzling the orange glaze on top of the coconut orange cake in a baking pan.

You’ll notice here that I haven’t removed the cake from the cake pan. If you are transporting the cake to a party, it’s often easier to leave it in the pan and cover it for transportation. Or you can remove the cake 5 minutes after it comes out of the oven and pop it on a serving board as mentioned above.

Spreading the orange glaze on the coconut orange cake with a tapered spatula.

Make sure you spread all of the glaze across the entire cake.

Showing the completed iced coconut orange cake in a baking pan.

Slice up into bite-size pieces and enjoy!

Slicing a corner piece from a coconut orange traybake on a cutting board.

This dairy free coconut orange traybake makes upwards of 16 slices, depending on how generous you are when you slice it.

Holding up a corner slice of coconut orange cake.

Smaller inch-sized slices are perfect for kids parties or for an afternoon tea dessert table. Now doesn’t that look yummy!

5 slices of coconut orange cake on a cutting board next to the rest of the traybake.

More Options

Why not swap out the orange juice for lemon or lime juice and add zest to the glaze to finish off the cake. The flavour combinations are endless. Leave a comment below and let me know what other flavours you’re going to try.

Common Questions

How many people does this traybake serve?

You can easily make upwards of 16 slices with this cake, depending on how small the slices are. I usually cut a few larger slices and then make inch-sized slices for the kids. This traybake is large enough for a small to medium sized gathering.

Can I bake this as a loaf cake?

Most definitely. You will need to bake it a little bit longer (check it at 45 minutes).

What about other flavours?

This recipe is so easy to adapt. Simply swap out the orange juice with your preferred juice, add zest if desired and use flavoured extracts or emulsions to jazz up the flavour. This cake does also work wonderfully as a lime or lemon cake.

How should I store this cake?

This cake is best served on the day it is made but will last in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.

Can I freeze this cake?

Yes. You can either freeze it before or after your glaze it. Freeze individual slices wrapped in parchment paper then cling wrap in an airtight container.

One Last Close Up

Let’s just have one last look at this glorious cake before you head off to bake your own. That icing just looks so inviting. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my dairy free coconut orange traybake and feel inspired to try making one.

Close up of a slice of coconut orange cake showing the orange glaze on top.

Want More Cake Ideas?

If you like this recipe for coconut and orange traybake, why not check a few of my other cake recipes:

Enjoy the perfect afternoon tea with my favourite coffee maple layer cake
Indulge with my scrumptious butterscotch traybake
Treat yourself with my ultimate dairy free carrot cake
Get all fruity with my rustic almond blueberry cake