Boozy Orange Aperol Spritz Cake

I have been testing the best Aperol Spritz cake recipe that taste-wise also delivers on what we love about Aperol Spritz. This is the perfect Adult only luxurious boozy summer cake for you to try!

I don´t know about you, but for me holding an Aperol Spritz basically equals warm summer evenings, good chats with friends and the most amazing vacation feeling ever. This Orange Aperol Spritz cake consists of a super moist, brown sugar yogurt cake topped with oranges that are soaked with Aperol Spritz. The ultimate boozy cake recipe to make this summer. It is easy and quick to make, fruity with a divine yet not overpowering Aperol Spritz taste! A must for Aperol lovers!

Jump to:

• What is Aperol Spritz?
• Ingredient notes
• 4 Expert Baking tips
• Some more Boozy dessert recipes
• RECIPE CARD
• Boozy Orange Aperol Spritz cake

What is Aperol Spritz?

Aperol Spritz, also called just Spritz, is an Italian cocktail, commonly served as an aperitif and has been widely popular all around the world in recent years. It consists of prosecco, Aperol and soda water.

Aperol is made of gentian, rhubarb, and cinchona, among other ingredients. It has a vibrant orange colour, which is why it is often popular during the summer. Its name comes from "apero", the Italian slang word for aperitif, and a slice of orange. Aperol Spritz is served in a glass full of ice. There is no single composition for a spritz, and it is prepared with different ingredients in different towns and cities, meaning that the alcohol content is highly variable. Often, the drink combines 3 parts Prosecco (Italian sparkling wine) followed by 2 parts Aperol, topped with a dash of soda water and garnished with a slice of orange.

My Boozy Aperol Spritz cake recipe is following the traditional Aperol Spritz cocktail recipe and uses Prosecco, Aperol, and orange segments.

Ingredient notes

For the cake

1. Oil: this Aperol Spritz cake is an oil based cake (no butter) that keeps the the cake super moist, soft and fluffy. Butter based cakes tend to harden a lot in the fridge, with oil we won’t have this issue. Use no flavour vegetable oil
2. Sugar: I am using brown sugar in here but the cake can be made with simple granulated sugar - that will give a lighter colour for the sponge part and less of an intense taste. If you want to learn about the different types of sugar and how to use them in baking, please read my article in here
3. Egg: Room temperature as always
4. Yogurt: Use high fat content Greek or Turkish style thick yogurt. Its creaminess helps keep to keep your Aperol Spritz cake so moist that you won´t be able to stop just after one slice
5. Flour: I am using pasty flour but AP works too, they are so called “soft flour” which are low on protein resulting in delicate, tender texture. If you want to be a Pro when it comes to deciding what type of flour to use in your baking, please read my article in here
6. Orange zest: Citrus zest is a wonderful flavouring ingredient, you can never add too much of it in my view!
7. Baking powder + Baking soda: Makes this Aperol Spritz cake tender and helps the rise
8. Salt: We always need at least a pinch of salt in any cake batter to balance the flavours

Exact ingredient quantities can be found in the RECIPE CARD, at the bottom of this page.

For the Orange Aperol Spritz topping

1. Orange: You will need some orange and also freshly squeezed orange juice to make the Aperol compote topping
2. Aperol & Prosecco: Since Aperol and Prosecco are the base of Aperol Spritz we will use both of them in this Boozy cake recipe
3. Gelatine sheet: It´s an odorless, tasteless and colorless thickening agent, very often used by pastry chefs particularly in mousse cakes or where some liquid ingredients (like Aperol) needs to get stabilised like in this Aperol Spritz cake. Powder or sheet versions are available, in my recipes I always use sheet (1,7 g / sheet), which I found easier to handle. You can replace it by equal gelatin powder of the same weight. If using sheet, simple soak the gelatine sheet into cold water for a few minutes before you need them and use it according to the recipe. Please note that gelatine is not suitable for vegetarians. Agar agar can be a good substitution for vegetarians however replacing gelatine with agar agar is not 1:1 and can only be done by reformulating the recipe slightly.

Exact ingredient quantities can be found in the RECIPE CARD, at the bottom of this page.

4 Expert Baking tips

1. How to make the moist Orange cake

This is a wonderful and easy Yogurt based Orange cake recipe. A super moist, fluffy cake with velvety crumb, incredible delicious. It is also easy to prepare, key is not to overwork the batter.

• Ingredients must be all measures with a Digital scale
• Prepare baking pan 15 cm (6 inch) round cake pan with parchment paper
• Pre-heat oven to 180 C / 356°F
• Eggs as well yogurt must be on room temperature, yogurt can form lumps easily if used cold
• Whisk oil, egg, yogurt and the sugar just until combined
• Sift dry ingredients together (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt) before adding to the mixture, whisk just until combined
• Then add zest of 1 large orange
• Pour cake batter into prepared baking pan and bake for 30 minutes. Do not open the oven door during baking
• After 30 minutes check the middle of the cake with a toothpick . Bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let it cool on a cooling rack
• Make the syrup by boiling sugar and orange juice then once it gets syrupy, mix in Prosecco and Aperol
• Gently apply syrup on top of the cake. Wait until syrup sinks in then apply another layer. Make sure the sponge soaks in all that lovely syrup however be careful, not to make the cake super wet

Can I make this Aperol Spritz cake in a bigger cake pan?

Yes, you can however you need to adjust quantities and baking time

How do I know that my sponge cake is well baked?

After about 30 minutes (each oven is different) you really need to check the middle of the cake. When toothpick inserted it should come out clean. If cake is not well baked, it will collapse after baking

2. How to easily release cake from cake pan

There is nothing worst than a beautiful cake stuck in the cake pan! Never again! How to avoid it?

With the help of a pastry brush, brush the inside of the cake pan with a tiny bit of oil then use parchment paper on the bottom and side as well. The oil only needed for the parchment to stick to the pan. What I love about this pan preparation is that no matter what cake I bake, with the help of the parchment paper it is always incredible easy to release the cake from the pan. Make sure you do the cake pan preparation before starting to mix the ingredients!

3. How to make the Orange Aperol Spritz topping for the cake

The topping is where the Aperol Spritz flavour will be happening! I tried a lot of different versions from different frostings, whipped ganache etc. and found unless it is a jelly like topping like this, the Aperol flavour just would not come through properly. 

I am using a 15cm / 6 inch tin, make sure to adjust the quantity of the topping if you are using a larger cake tin.

• Cut oranges into segments (make sure you remove the white part) and make the freshly squeezed orange juice
• Pour Prosecco and Aperol on top of orange segments and ideally let them infuse for a few hours
• Soak gelatine sheets into cold water
• Bring orange juice to boil, then remove saucepan from heat, squeeze excess water from gelatine sheets and stir them into the orange juice
• Pour orange juice over the orange & Aperol mixture, stir so they well mixed together
• And then now onto waiting. The mixture is too runny at this point so I suggest to let it set slightly before pouring on top of the cake (the gelatin will do the job). On the other hand, make sure you don’t wait until it fully sets, aim for the consistency when it’s thick enough to pour but not fully set

How much alcohol is in this Aperol topping?

As you can see both the Prosecco and Aperol is given to the recipe without boiling them therefore the cake contains alcohol, in fact as much alcohol as these two ingredients. If you want to reduce the alcohol content, boil Aperol and Prosecco with the orange juice together as boiling reducing the alcohol level.

Can I make this Aperol layer without gelatin?

This Aperol topping will be used as another layer on the cake therefore some stability is required in its structure – some thickening agent must be used, I am using gelatin sheet. Yes, you can make it without gelatin, however need to use another thickening agent. agar agar. As you can imagine the Aperol and Prosecco needs to thicken on otherwise it would not set on top of the cake

4. How to assemble

First and foremost make sure your cake is cooled even chilled in the fridge for half an hour. Place chilled cake into a Mousse cake ring (adjustable in size) set to 15cm / 6 inch, use Acetate cake collar around the ring inside for neat looking end results. Alternatively use a spring form.

Pour the Orange Aperol topping over the cake when the topping starts to thicken but not fully thickened yet. I left the topping in the fridge for 1-2 hours, checked it regularly to make sure it won´t fully thicken.

Once Aperol layer on top of the cake, smooth the top with an Offset spatula. Chill for 4 hours then carefully remove the mousse ring and acetate cake collar.

Decorate with orange zest and some green eg. rosemary.

This Orange Aperol Spritz cake is really super easy summer cake you can make that will impress everyone!

Some more Boozy dessert recipes

Mojito Pound cake – This Mojito Pound Cake recipe is the easiest, most festive cake you can make for your adult friends and family. Lime, mint, and of course rum can be found in this beautifully aromatic, sweet, and tangy loaf cake.

Whine mousse Parfait with Peach – Sweet yet refreshing peach compote on silky Sauvignon Blanc mousse will be your new favorite and super simple dessert if you are a wine lover!

RECIPE CARD