Orange Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
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This tender, flavorful orange cake is made with fresh orange juice and zest and is frosted with a tangy orange cream cheese frosting.
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A few years back, I inherited the task of making an orange cake for my dad’s birthday. He explained to me that when he was a kid, my grandmother always asked each of her kids what kind of cake they wanted for their birthday, and this was his request each and every year.
Over the years, various relatives have taken on the task of making this orange cake for him, and eventually it came down to me. I have no idea how my version of The Orange Cake stacks up against my grandmother’s, but I DO know that it gets rave reviews from everyone who’s tried it, so I thought it was high time that it made it onto the blog.
In fact this easy orange cake recipe is so beloved that I recently turned it into these orange cupcakes as well as an even simpler orange loaf cake, made with yogurt and olive oil, and unfrosted for those everyday occasions. It’s perfect if you’re looking for a healthier take on orange cake, and we love it just as much.
I absolutely love making cakes, and tweaking them until they’re the best I think they can be, and that’s what I’ve been doing with this orange cake for the past few years.
In contrast to my usual 3-4 layer towering affairs, this recipe makes a standard 2 layer 8-inch cake. I don’t get too elaborate frosting this cake. I prefer to keep it simple and homestyle, in keeping with its traditional origins, and let the bright, fresh, orange flavor just shine.
It works equally well for a casual dinner party as it does as a birthday/celebration cake. And once you try it, this might be the only cake you’ll want to serve at your Christmas party this year.
Why this Orange Cake Recipe Works
- I use a combination of oil and butter. Butter adds great flavor, while the oil keeps it moist. Most recipes use one or the other, but here you have the best of both worlds.
- I like to add an extra egg yolk to make the crumb extra tender and give the cake some extra color.
- Fresh orange juice and zest give this cake and frosting the best flavor.
Ingredient Notes
For The Cake
All Purpose Flour
I tend to use regular all-purpose flour for this cake as it’s what I usually have around and it works great. Cake flour could be used instead for an even fluffier crumb.
Make sure to measure flour correctly – spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off to avoid a dense cake.
Butter & oil
I like to add both butter and oil in this recipe – that’s one of the things that contributes to its amazing texture. Butter adds richness, while the oil keeps the cake super moist.
Make sure to use room temperature butter so it incorporates well into the batter. I like to use unsalted butter but if you only have salted butter, omit the additional salt from the recipe.
Orange Zest & Juice
I like to use both orange zest and juice in my orange cake. The orange juice adds acidity and an amazing citrus flavor. I find that using freshly-squeezed orange juice in baking makes a big difference and makes for a brighter flavor.
The zest also brings all the bold, bright orange flavors, so I add it to my frosting as well. Avoid zesting the bitter white pith when zesting your orange. You only want the very top layer of the orange peel.
Eggs
Apart from the three large eggs, I also add in an extra yolk in here (for good measure). The extra yolk adds a bit more fat for tenderness and also more orange color to the cake. Room temperature eggs will incorporate best into the batter and make for a fluffier cake.
Whole milk
Milk adds both moisture and richness to this cake. Any milk you like will work fine.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
Icing Sugar
Also called confectioners’ sugar or powdered sugar – this is what gives the frosting stability and thickens it so it is easily spreadable.
Cornstarch
Originally, I used four cups of sugar for the frosting, but after some readers found it too sweet, I decided to tackle the task of developing a tangier, less sweet cream cheese frosting that is still firm enough to use in a layer cake, and even for piping onto cupcakes.
The secret is a tablespoon of cornstarch whisked into the sugar, which helps to absorb the moisture from the cream cheese and firm up the frosting without impacting the flavor. You can add more if you’d like an even firmer frosting!
Butter
Make sure to use room temperature butter so it incorporates well into the frosting and you don’t end up with lumps of butter!
Cream Cheese
The star of our frosting! It adds a nice tangy and rich flavor the really complements the orange flavors in the cake. Make sure you let it soften from the fridge so it is easily combined with the rest of the ingredients.
Orange zest
Orange zest is the best way to add bright, concentrated orange flavor to this frosting without affecting the texture. Juice will make the frosting runny. Orange extract is an option, but I prefer the fresh flavor of zest in this frosting.
Don’t forget to watch the video!
Most of my recipes include a short step-by-step video tutorial. Just scroll down to the recipe card, or use the “Jump to Video” button at the top of the post!
How to Make an Orange Layer Cake
Make the orange cake batter
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, oil, and sugar on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, or until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, egg yolk, vanilla, and orange zest to the creamed mixture, and beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Combine the milk and fresh orange juice in a measuring cup.
- With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk/OJ mixture to the wet ingredients. Add them in three parts each, and mix just until everything is combined – be very careful not to overmix or you’ll have a tough cake.
- Pour the batter evenly between the two cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15-20 minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely. For me, the layers bake up flat, but if your cakes are domed, carefully slice the dome off using a sawing motion with serrated knife to make flat layers. Here’s a quick visual on how to level cake layers.
Make the orange cream cheese frosting
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and cornstarch, ensuring there are no large lumps.
- In a separate large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla extract and orange zest, and beat until fully incorporated.
- Add the confectioner’s sugar, a cup at a time, beating until smooth and creamy.
- Place one orange cake layer on a plate or turntable, scoop about 1 cup of frosting in the center of the cake and spread it to the edges evenly, using an offset spatula.
- Place the second cake layeron top of the first layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake.
- Garnish the top with orange slices if you like.
Storage Instructions
Even if you are planning to eat the cake on the same day, since cream cheese frosting is made with fresh dairy ingredients, and also has a tendency to get soft at room temperature, this orange cake is best stored in the fridge.
If you’d like to store it for 4-5 days, just store it in an airtight container or wrap it in plastic wrap. I like to take it out about an hour before slicing and serving, to let it soften up.
To freeze, wrap individual slices or the whole (unfrosted) cake tightly in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Frosted cakes can also be frozen, but the texture of the cream cheese frosting might change somewhat. You can freeze this orange cake for up to 2 months, and thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
Recipe Variations
- Swap out the orange juice and zest for another citrus like lemon or lime to create a tangy lemon or lime cake. Since lemon and lime juice are more acidic, use only 1/4 cup and compensate for the rest of the liquid with more milk.
- You can substitute a ½ cup of the flour for cocoa powder and add a handful of mini chocolate chips to the batter for a rich chocolate-orange combo. It would be perfect to serve on Christmas (like these orange chocolate chip muffins!)
- Try adding a teaspoon of ground cardamom to the dry ingredients for a warm, spiced version of the orange cake that is perfect for the holiday season.
More Cake Recipes
Absolutely! You can add cranberries or nuts such as almonds or walnuts for a burst of different texture and flavor. To prevent fruits from sinking, toss them in a bit of flour before folding them into the batter.
Yes, but freshly squeezed orange juice provides a brighter, more natural flavor. If using store bought, opt for a high-quality, pulp-free juice without added sugars.
Your baking powder might not be fresh or you might be mixing the batter too much. Overmixing can develop excess gluten, leading to a denser texture.
Use a microplane or fine grater to gently remove only the bright orange layer of the peel. Avoid pressing too hard to prevent grating the underlying white pith, which can impart bitterness.
Tell me what you think!
If you try this recipe, l’d be so grateful if you’d leave a comment and a rating in the recipe card. I love to hear your feedback, and your tips can help other readers too!
Orange Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 cup whole milk room temperature
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice from about 2 oranges
Frosting
- 2.5 cups icing sugar (confectioner's or powdered sugar)*
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 8-inch cake pans.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter, oil and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the eggs, egg yolk, vanilla and orange zest. Beat until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- In a measuring cup, combine the milk and orange juice.
- With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and milk/OJ mixture, in 3 instalments each, beating until JUST combined (do not over-beat).
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the layers to cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes and turn them over onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Frosting
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the icing sugar and cornstarch, breaking up any large lumps.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract and orange zest.
- Beat in the icing sugar mixture, one cup at a time, until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
- Place one cake layer on a plate or turntable, and using an offset spatula, frost the top with about 1 cup of frosting. Place the second layer upside down on top and frost the top and sides of the cake. Decorate with orange slices if desired.
This is the best cake I have ever made!!
I made it for a morning tea at a neighbour’s and everyone raved about it!
Thank you so much 🍊🍊🧡
Oh that is so wonderful to hear!! Thank you so much Helen!
Do you think I could substitute avocado oil for the vegetable oil? Looking forward to making this tomorrow!
Absolutely! Any oil will work here 🙂
Very moist and extremely tasty. Taste just as good without the icing.
Yay!! So happy to hear that 🙂
From the divine smell of the batter I knew this cake would be heaven – it doesn’t disappoint! First time I have hidden the beaters from my kids so I could have them all to myself!
Haha!! That is great to hear, thank you so much! 🙂
Can you sub wheat flour instead of all purpose and swap sugar for maple syrup? I’m interested in making this for my son’s second birthday but trying to make it a little healthier!
I totally get that! However I’m not sure you’d get a great result with those substitutions. Whole wheat flour doesn’t rise as well as all-purpose so the cake would probably be pretty heavy. You could just subbing a portion of the all-purpose – maybe 1/3. As for the maple syrup, again that’s probably not going to give you a fluffy result as liquid sweeteners act differently, especially in a cake recipe, where you need to cream butter and sugar together. I did create this orange loaf cake which is made with yogurt and olive oil as a “healthier” orange cake, and I think it could work as a layer cake, although you’d probably need to double the recipe to get the same quantity of batter as this cake. Happy birthday to your son, I’m sure he will love whatever you decide on 🙂
It was ok frosting was a bit too sweet probably could be a 4 layer instead of 2 layer cake
The family loved this cake! It’s very tender, moist, and tasty. It gave me some trouble getting it out of the pan, but nothing that a little frosting couldn’t cover. I used orange curd between the layers, just to fancy it up a bit.
Fantastic!! I love the orange curd idea 🙂
Do you think it would work in 3 6inch round pans? I’m assuming yes, but wanted an expert opinion! Thanks!
Yes, 3 6-inch pans is exactly right! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
I made it exactly as you said. EVERYONE loved it. My only problem was it stuck, I mean stuck to the bottom of my cake pans and I had to piece it together. Parchment paper for me next time 🙂 Wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you. I’ll definitely make it again.
Veronica
I am so glad you all enjoyed it!! Thank you so much :). Although I haven’t had that sticking issue with this cake, parchment paper is always good insurance!
Hello,
My name is Sonia and I made your orange-flavored buttercream frosting for our church event.
However, I made my own tweaked version of an orange cake. The buttercream frosting was a hit! Everyone that had a slice, loved it!
This Orange flavored Buttercream is a keeper….baking again this weekend using your recipe
Thank you so much
Fantastic Sonia! I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Super delicious cake! I made this recipe with my three year old. I reduced the sugar, added more zest and a little almond essence and topped with whipped cream/sour cream for a lighter finish, everybody loved it!
That sounds amazing! I love that frosting option 🙂
I only have 1 8-inch pan, do I need to adjust the recipe if I bake it as one whole cake then slice it to 2-3 layers?
The only adjustment would be to increase the baking time. I would start checking it after 20 minutes. Another solution would be to just bake the layers one at a time. The batter can sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or so while you bake the first layer. Let it cool for a few minutes, turn over onto a cooling rack, wash the pan and make the second layer 🙂
I made half the recipe and baked the cakes in 6-inch round pans. It’s a bit of a pain to measure out 1.5 eggs and half a yolk, but it was worth the results. The cake is really moist, and the cake and frosting have a lovely subtle orange scent. I made the frosting with a quarter less icing sugar and it still tasted plenty sweet for us. Thank you for the lovely recipe!
Wonderful thank you so much Judy!! I’m glad you were able to adapt it to a 6-inch size easily enough 🙂
Hi Ann! Is it possible to make a lemon cake by substituting lemon juice/zest for the orange juice/zest?
Hi Paul! Yes you can totally make a lemon cake! Check out Bessie’s comment, she decreased the juice from 1/2 cup to 1/4 cup (since lemon juice is more sour) and increased the milk to compensate for the missing liquid.
Made this cake a couple of times now. My husband is not a ‘sweets person’ but he absolutely loved it. I did only use one cup of icing sugar in the cream cheese icing and it was absolutely perfect! (So for those saying it’s too sweet one cup works perfectly fine 😉)
We will definitely be using this recipe on repeat! Thank you! ❤️
Fantastic Emma! Thank you so much for this. I’m so happy to hear the reduced amount of sugar worked for you. I’ll make a note of it in the recipe 🙂
The cake itself was light and lovely, but the frosting was tooooo sweet! I didn’t even use the whole 4 cups, I stopped at 3, but even then the final result was a cake that was sickly sweet. I ended up removing the frosting to enjoy the cake. I am quite surprised no one else has mentioned this in their review. Makes me think I’ve done something wrong :-s
I am sorry you found it too sweet! I have made this cake countless times and never had that particular comment before… It is pretty much a standard classic cream cheese frosting recipe, which in general is not as sweet as an American-style buttercream. Cream cheese frosting has a tendency to be quite soft, and reducing the sugar can make it too soft to hold up in a layer cake.
The is amazing !! I have made it three times so far . Do you think i can make a lemon cake using the same ingredients, or I need to change some thing?.
I’m so happy to hear that!! Lemon would be great! It is more sour than orange juice though, so I would maybe cut down a bit on the juice (maybe 1/3 or 1/4 cup instead of 1/2 and add a little extra milk to compensate) :). I’d love to know how it turns out!
Hi Ann,
Thank you very much for your tips. I tried the lemon cake, following the Orange cake recipe. Instead of 1/2 cup orange juice, I put 1/4 cup lemon juice, I also increased the milk from 1/2 a cup to 3/4 cup. The cake was amazing. Now it’s on demand in my house. Thank you again
Bessie
I am so happy to hear that and thank you so much for reporting back Bessie!! I’ll have to try it 🙂
How would I use your recipe if I wanted to add chocolate to the cake batter?
Well I’ve never tried it but orange and chocolate are great together, especially at Christmas time! I think substituting 1/4 cup of the flour for unsweetened cocoa powder should do the trick :). I’d love to know how it turns out!
How would I be able to use your recipe but add chocolate to the batter?
Thank you very much! I’ll have to try it now.
Just made this last week for my sis’ birthday. Excellent! I used orange extract instead of vanilla- liked the extra orange flavor. Drained mandarin oranges to decorate.
I’m so happy to hear that!! Happy birthday to your sister 🙂
This orange cake looks delicious! Festive and perfect for special occasions!
Thank you so much Natalie! It’s definitely a favorite around here 🙂
Wow…this cake was amazing. The orange flavor and tender crumb made this cake a winner. This cake is now in my make again folder.
I am so happy to hear that!! Thank you so much 🙂
Looks delicious! Can’t wait to make this!
Yay!! Thanks Karly! Let me know how it goes 🙂