Filled with fresh orange flavor and a cream cheese frosting, these Orange Cupcakes are a summer dessert staple you won’t be able to resist.
As you all know desserts are one my most favorite things in this whole wide world. These Orange Cupcakes are super high on my list of favorites.
I love anything in cake form, especially cupcakes because they are single serving and really make a great dessert option.
With orange juice and orange zest you get a double punch of flavor. It is just the right balance and it does not overpower the cupcake at all.
Topped with the cream cheese frosting, the flavors pair well nicely. I would say refreshing even, if you can use a dessert as that description.
Soft, fluffy and absolutely delicious, these Orange Cupcakes need to make in on your menu ASAP.
If you are a fan of orange and love single serving desserts, then this is the perfect recipe for you.
Some of my other favorite summer dessert recipes we have on our site include: Lemon Brownies, Strawberry Pie and Raspberry Icebox Cake.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- You can use freshly squeeze or bottled orange juice.
- The cream cheese frosting really gives a nice flavor to the overall cupcake.
- Easily double this recipe to serve more people or to keep on hand for later.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST):
Granulated sugar
Orange zest
Cake flour
Baking powder
Baking soda
Salt
Salted butter
Eggs
Vanilla extract
Sour cream
Orange juice
Cream cheese
Powdered sugar
Quartered orange slices, if desired
HOW TO MAKE ORANGE CUPCAKES, STEP BY STEP:
- Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a small bowl, add the sugar and zest. Rub the zest and sugar together with the tips of your fingers. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda together.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and the sugar/zest mixture until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined. Add the sour cream, and orange juice and mix until just combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Fill each cupcake liner ¾ cull of batter and bake for 19-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool in the tin on a wire cooling rack for 5 minutes before removing to cool out of the tin on the cooling rack. Don’t frost until completely cooled.
- To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer whip the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.
- Add the powdered sugar, orange juice/zest, and vanilla and mix on low until combined and then whip on medium-high speed for a few minutes.
- Add the frosting to a piping bag with an open star tip and pipe swirls on top of the cupcakes. Garnish with a slice of orange and a sprinkle of zest.
WHY DO YOU RUB THE SUGAR AND ORANGE ZEST TOGETHER?
Don’t skip rubbing the sugar and zest together. It helps the oils come out of the zest giving it a stronger orange flavor in the cupcakes.
CAN I USE ORANGE EXTRACT?
Yes, we use vanilla because we like the balanced flavor of the orange already in this recipe.
You can use orange extract if you want that little extra punch of orange flavor.
DO I HAVE TO USE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING?
No, this is what we love to use with the flavor of these cupcakes, we feel that it goes really well together.
You can make a regular buttercream or you can even frost these with some whipped topping if you’d like.
WHY DO I NEED TO USE ROOM TEMPERATURE INGREDIENTS?
Using room temperature ingredients helps with the texture of a lot of baked goods.
It traps the air which makes they lighter and fluffier and also helps in the rising as well.
So this is one thing that I try not to skip a lot of time when baking.
HOW TO STORE:
These can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator where they will keep for up to 3 days.
You can also freeze these Orange Cupcakes. Place the unfrosted cupcakes in a freezer bag or container and they will keep for up to 3 months.
To defrost, remove from the freezer to the countertop until thawed. Make your frosting, frost and then enjoy.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- Cream cheese frostings have the tendency to be softer. If your frosting is too soft to pipe then cover it and place in the fridge for 30 minutes before frosting or add slightly more powdered sugar.
- You can swap the vanilla extract for orange extract if you want an even punchier orange flavor.
- Other frostings can be used such as a buttercream or a whipped topping.
- Don’t skip rubbing the sugar and zest together. It helps the oils come out of the zest giving it a stronger orange flavor in the cupcakes.
- These can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
- If you use unsalted butter add an additional ¼ teaspoon salt to the batter and a pinch to the frosting.
- Fresh or store-bought orange juice will both work for this recipe.
- Room temperature ingredients work best with this recipe.
When it comes to a great summertime (or anytime) cupcake, you absolutely cannot go wrong with these Orange Cupcakes.
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried these ORANGE CUPCAKES or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!
Orange Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ Tablespoons orange zest
- 1 1/3 cup cake flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup salted butter softened to room temperature
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup sour cream room temperature
- ¼ cup orange juice
Frosting:
- ¾ cup salted butter softened
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- 4 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons orange juice
- 1 Tablespoon orange zest
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Garnish:
- Orange zest if desired
- Quartered orange slices if desired
Instructions
- Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a small bowl, add the sugar and zest. Rub the zest and sugar together with the tips of your fingers. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda together.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and the sugar/zest mixture until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined. Add the sour cream, and orange juice and mix until just combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Fill each cupcake liner ¾ cull of batter and bake for 19-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool in the tin on a wire cooling rack for 5 minutes before removing to cool out of the tin on the cooling rack. Don’t frost until completely cooled.
- To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer whip the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.
- Add the powdered sugar, orange juice/zest, and vanilla and mix on low until combined and then whip on medium-high speed for a few minutes.
- Add the frosting to a piping bag with an open star tip and pipe swirls on top of the cupcakes. Garnish with a slice of orange and a sprinkle of zest.
Notes
- Cream cheese frostings have the tendency to be softer. If your frosting is too soft to pipe then cover it and place in the fridge for 30 minutes before frosting or add slightly more powdered sugar.
- You can swap the vanilla extract for orange extract if you want an even punchier orange flavor.
- Other frostings can be used such as a buttercream or a whipped topping.
- Don’t skip rubbing the sugar and zest together. It helps the oils come out of the zest giving it a stronger orange flavor in the cupcakes.
- These can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
- If you use unsalted butter add an additional ¼ teaspoon salt to the batter and a pinch to the frosting.
- Fresh or store-bought orange juice will both work for this recipe.
- Room temperature ingredients work best with this recipe.
Nutrition
Tornadough Alli is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and values can vary depending on which brands were used.
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