Simple Orange Layer Cake | Life Love & Sugar

Three layers of fluffy orange cake are drizzled with orange syrup and paired with whipped cream cheese frosting on this tempting dessert! Recent citrus taste graces every chew of this straightforward Orange Layer Cake.

Tender Orange Layer Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

Orange is such a refreshing taste, and this delicious dessert does it justice. The cake layers are mild and fluffy, and the identical goes for the tangy whipped cream cheese frosting. The easy orange syrup infuses the cake with extra moisture and much more recent orange goodness.

Anybody who is aware of me is aware of I’m not afraid to go all out for my layer desserts, however this one is surprisingly easy. It has the connoisseur really feel of an expert-level deal with with a beginner-friendly preparation course of behind the scenes. That’s what I name the perfect of each worlds! For those who take pleasure in munching on juicy orange segments or sipping on ice-cold orange juice, you’re going to adore this luscious layer cake.

What Is Orange Cake Made Of?

Let’s talk about the components that make this citrus dessert so divine. You should definitely scroll all the way down to the recipe card for the corresponding quantities.

For the Orange Cake

• All-Function Flour: Measure with a meals scale to make sure accuracy or fluff up the flour and spoon it into your measuring cup little by little, then degree off with a knife.
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Unsalted Butter: Carry this to room temperature.
• Vegetable Oil
• Sugar
• Vanilla Extract
• Giant Eggs
• Milk: I exploit 2% milk.
• Orange Juice: Freshly squeezed.
• Orange Zest: Don’t neglect to zest your oranges earlier than you juice them.

For the Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

• Heavy Whipping Cream: Maintain this chilled till you’re prepared to make use of it.
• Powdered Sugar: For sweetness and to maintain the whipped cream from wilting.
• Vanilla Extract
• Cream Cheese: Delivered to room temperature.
• Orange Gel Icing Shade: Steer clear of liquid meals coloring, which might skinny out the frosting.
• Orange Slices: Non-obligatory, to brighten the underside fringe of the cake.

For the Orange Syrup

• Recent Orange Juice: This cake wouldn’t be the identical if it have been made with bottled juice.
• Powdered Sugar

The best way to Juice Oranges

Comply with these steps when squeezing your oranges to get as a lot juice as attainable out of every one:

1. Heat: When fruit is heat, it releases extra juice. In case your oranges have been saved in a cool place, go forward and microwave every one for 20-30 seconds earlier than you’re employed with it.
2. Roll: Use the palm of your hand to firmly roll the orange in opposition to your slicing board or countertop.
3. Lower: Rigorously slice the orange in half with a pointy kitchen knife.
4. Squeeze: Use your citrus juicer or reamer to extract as a lot juice as attainable from every half.
5. Repeat: Repeat the method with further oranges till you could have sufficient juice. For this recipe, you’ll want round 5-6 complete.

Let’s Get Baking!

After you have sufficient orange juice, you’re prepared to begin on this beautiful layer cake. For those who’d wish to make the cake layers a day forward of time, allow them to cool, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and set them apart or retailer them in an air tight container till you’re able to construct the cake.

Make the Cake Layers

1. Prep for Baking: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Put together three 8-inch cake pans with nonstick baking spray and parchment circles on the underside.
2. Mix Dry Substances: Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Set the dry ingredient combination apart.
3. Beat Butter, Oil, Sugar & Vanilla: Add the butter, oil, sugar and vanilla extract to a big mixer bowl and beat till the combination turns into mild in shade and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Don’t skimp on the creaming time.
4. Add Eggs: Add the eggs separately, mixing till principally mixed after every addition. Scrape down the perimeters of the bowl as wanted to make sure that the entire components are properly included.
5. Begin Including Dry Substances: Add half of the dry components to the batter and blend till principally mixed.
6. Add Milk, OJ & Orange Zest: Add the milk, orange juice and orange zest, mixing till properly mixed.
7. End Including Dry Substances: Add the remaining dry components and blend till the batter is properly mixed and clean. Scrape down the perimeters of the bowl as wanted. Don’t over-mix the batter.
8. Bake: Distribute the batter evenly among the many ready cake pans and bake them for 18-23 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clear.
9. Let Cool: Let the desserts cool within the pans for 2-3 minutes, then flip them out onto cooling racks and allow them to relaxation till they attain room temperature.

Make the Frosting

1. Mix Heavy Cream, Powdered Sugar & Vanilla: Add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to a big mixing bowl and whip on excessive velocity till stiff peaks kind. Set the whipped cream apart.
2. Beat Cream Cheese: Add the cream cheese to a separate mixing bowl and beat it till it’s clean and creamy.
3. Mix Whipped Cream & Cream Cheese: Add about 1/3 of the whipped cream to the crushed cream cheese and fold them collectively gently to mix them with out deflating the whipped cream. As soon as the combination is usually mixed, add one other third of the whipped cream and repeat, then add the ultimate third and gently fold till every little thing is totally mixed. Set the frosting apart.

Make the Syrup & Construct the Cake

1. Make Syrup: Mix the orange juice with the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Set the syrup apart.
2. Take away Cake Domes: Use a big serrated knife to take away the domes from the tops of the desserts in order that they’re flat. These desserts don’t have giant domes, however I like to verify they’re fully flat.
3. Begin Layering: Place the primary layer of cake onto a serving plate or a cardboard cake spherical. Drizzle it evenly with 4 tablespoons of orange syrup, then unfold on about 1 cup of frosting.
4. End Layering & Frost Exterior: Add the second cake layer, one other 4 tablespoons of orange syrup and one other cup of frosting. Then add the ultimate cake layer and frost the highest and out of doors of the cake.
5. Add Orange Frosting Ring: Dye the remaining frosting with orange gel icing shade, then pipe a border across the prime rim of the cake.
6. Embellish With Orange Slices: Embellish the underside fringe of the cake with some orange slices if desired. Retailer the cake well-covered within the fridge till you’re able to serve it. I discover that it’s finest served cool, however not tremendous chilly.

Suggestions for Success

Wish to knock this orange cake out of the park? You should definitely use the following tips.

• Temperature Issues: For those who don’t carry the butter and cream cheese to room temperature, you’ll have a tough time working with them. Conversely, the heavy whipping cream needs to be good and chilly.
• Don’t Zest the Pith: Beneath the rind or “pores and skin” of an orange, there’s a stringy white substance known as the pith. You don’t need any of this in your orange zest, so ensure you discard it or keep away from it altogether.
• Fold With Care: Work slowly and gently if you’re folding the whipped cream into the crushed cream cheese. For those who mix them too shortly, the frosting may lose its pleasant fluffiness.
• Gel Colours Solely: Liquid meals coloring will not be as vibrant as gel coloring, so it’s important to use much more of it to achieve the identical shade. This could trigger the frosting to change into too skinny.

Storage Directions

This cake might be saved in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4 days. I wish to take away it from the fridge about 10-Quarter-hour earlier than I serve it.

Does This Cake Freeze Effectively?

I don’t usually freeze full desserts, however you possibly can completely make the cake layers forward of time and freeze them for as much as 3 months.

Allow them to cool fully, then wrap every one in a good layer of plastic wrap adopted by a layer of industrial quality foil. Freeze the cake layers after utilizing a sharpie to point the date they have to be utilized by. Thaw out the entire layers within the fridge earlier than you construct the cake.

Print

Recipe

Orange Layer Cake

• 
  Writer: Lindsay
• 
  Prep Time: 1 hour Quarter-hour
• 
  Prepare dinner Time: 18 minutes
• 
  Complete Time: 1 hour 33 minutes
• 
  Yield: 14
• 
  Class: Dessert
• 
  Methodology: Oven
• 
  Delicacies: American

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Description

Three layers of fluffy orange cake are drizzled with orange easy syrup and paired with whipped cream cheese frosting on this tempting dessert! Recent citrus taste graces every chew of this straightforward Orange Layer Cake.

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Substances

For the Orange Cake

• 2 1/2 cups (325g) all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (112g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups (310g) sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 giant eggs
• 3/4 cup (180ml) milk
• 1/2 cup (120ml) recent orange juice
• 2 tbsp recent orange zest

For the Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

• 2 1/2 cups (600ml) heavy whipping cream, chilly
• 1 1/2 cups (173g) powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 16 oz (452g) cream cheese, room temperature
• Orange gel icing shade
• Orange slices, non-compulsory

For the Orange Syrup

• 6 tbsp recent orange juice, about 2–3 oranges
• 4 tbsp (29g) powdered sugar

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Directions

Make the Cake Layers

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and put together three 8 inch cake pans with non-stick baking spray and parchment circles on the underside.
2. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium-sized bowl and put aside.
3. Add the butter, oil, sugar and vanilla extract to a big mixer bowl and beat collectively till mild in shade and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Don’t skimp on the creaming time.
4. Add the eggs separately, mixing till principally mixed after every. Scrape down the perimeters of the bowl as wanted to make certain all components are properly included.
5. Add half of the dry components to the batter and blend till principally mixed.
6. Add the milk, orange juice, and orange zest and blend till properly mixed.
7. Add the remaining dry components and blend till properly mixed and clean. Scrape down the perimeters of the bowl as wanted to make certain all components are properly included. Don’t over combine the batter.
8. Pour the batter into the ready cake pans and bake for 18-23 minutes, or till a toothpick comes out clear.
9. Let the desserts cool within the pans for 2-3 minutes, then flip them out onto cooling racks and allow them to relaxation till they attain room temperature.

Make the Frosting

1. Add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to a big mixing bowl and whip on excessive velocity till stiff peaks kind. Put aside.
2. In one other mixing bowl, add the cream cheese and beat till clean and creamy. Add about 1/3 of the whipped cream to the cream cheese and gently fold collectively to mix so that you simply don’t deflate the whipped cream. When principally mixed, add one other third of the whipped cream and gently fold collectively, then add the ultimate third and gently fold collectively till fully mixed. Put aside.

Make the Syrup & Construct the Cake

1. Mix the orange juice and powdered sugar for the syrup in a small bowl. Put aside.
2. To construct the cake, use a big serrated knife to take away the domes from the highest of the desserts in order that they’re flat. These desserts don’t have a big dome, however I like to verify they’re fully flat.
3. Place the primary layer of cake on a serving plate or a cardboard cake spherical. Drizzle the cake layer with 4 tablespoons of orange syrup, then unfold about 1 cup of frosting on prime of the cake layer. Add the second cake layer, one other 4 tablespoons of orange syrup and one other cup of frosting. Prime the cake with the ultimate layer and frost the skin of the cake.
4. Shade the remaining whipped frosting with orange gel icing shade, then pipe a border across the prime outer fringe of the cake.
5. Embellish the underside of the cake with some orange slices if desired. Retailer well-covered within the fridge till able to serve. Cake is finest served cool, however not tremendous chilly.

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Notes

• Makes 12-14 slices.
• To Make Forward: Let cake layers cool fully, wrap every one tightly in plastic wrap and set them apart till able to construct cake, as much as 24 hours. For longer storage, wrap every plastic-wrapped cake layer in heavy-duty aluminum foil and freeze for as much as 3 months. Thaw and produce to room temperature earlier than utilizing.
• To Retailer Extras: Refrigerate extras in an hermetic container. Cake is finest if eaten inside 3-4 days.

Diet

• Serving Measurement:
• Energy: 585
• Sugar: 42.6 g
• Sodium: 242.4 mg
• Fats: 34.9 g
• Carbohydrates: 62.4 g
• Protein: 7.6 g
• Ldl cholesterol: 127.8 mg

Key phrases: orange dessert, whipped frosting with cream cheese, easy syrup for cake