Old Fashioned Orange Cake Recipe

This Old Fashioned Orange Cake Recipe will make you smack your lips and beg for seconds. Its citrusy goodness is perfect throughout this spongy and delightful cake. It’s lovely for all your spring and summer events like baby showers, birthday parties, and backyard barbecues. 

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Old Fashioned Orange Cake Recipe

I will never get tired of traditional cake flavors like chocolate, white, or red velvet. However, sometimes I get hankering for something that is different and has some pizzazz. This orange cake has everything I am looking for and more. It’s sweet, moist, and has a mind-blowing flavor combination that’s better than you can dream of. 

What I love about this old-fashioned orange cake is that it screams SUMMER! Granted, you can indulge any time of year that you like, but the flavors or the best when it’s hot. Eating a cool and refreshing piece of cake is a wonderful way to finish dinner or enjoy an evening snack. My taste buds will never get tired of this amazing orange cake. 

How do I Make My Cake Orange Colored? 

The cake will have a slightly yellow or orange color, but to make it a deeper orange, it’s a great idea to add in some food coloring. Just add in between 3-5 orange food coloring. It’s best to use gel because it will incorporate much better than anything else. If you want the orange cake to be even more brightly colored, you can add a few more drops of color. 

Does This Cake Include Real Oranges?

No, this layered orange cake doesn’t have actual oranges in it. The recipe does call for orange zest, which does indeed come off of an actual orange. There is also orange extract to really give the cake that amazing and delicious orange flavor. 

Ingredients

For this old-fashioned orange cake, you will need ingredients for the cake itself as well as the frosting. Don’t worry, though; you don’t need anything crazy. 

• Flour
• Baking powder
• Large eggs
• Unsalted sweet cream butter, melted
• Sugar
• Buttermilk
• Pure Vanilla extract
• Orange extract
• Orange zest
• 3-5 drops of orange gel food coloring

Vanilla Frosting Ingredients:

• Unsalted sweet cream butter softened
• Powdered sugar
• Pure vanilla extract
• Large piping bag fitted with a star tip
• Small angled spatula
• Orange gel food coloring
• Medium mixing bowls

How do You Make an Orange Cake from Scratch?

I realize it looks like a lot of steps to make this easy orange cake, but I promise it is so simple! Making layered cakes is one of my favorite things to do because it looks gorgeous, and you get lots of yummy frosting in each and every bite. Okay, let’s get started. 

First Step: Spray the three 9-inch round baking pans with some non-stick spray. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Second Step: Mix together the flour and baking powder in a large bowl until combined. 

Third Step: Beat the eggs, butter, and sugar together using a stand mixer until everything is well combined. 

Fourth Step: Add in the buttermilk, vanilla, orange extract, and orange zest until it’s combined. 

Fifth Step: Slowly pour in the flour and mix well. 

Sixth Step: Drop in the orange gel food coloring and mix until the color is throughout.

Seventh Step: Pour the cake batter into the three pans—Bake for 30-35 minutes. The cakes will be done when you can easily insert a knife into the middle of the cake, and it comes out clean. 

Eighth Step: Let the cakes cool all the way down and cut off the domes on top of the cakes. 

Vanilla Frosting Directions:

First Step: Begin mixing the vanilla frosting. Combine the sugar, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer using low speed. Mix for 2 minutes and make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl whenever it’s needed. 

Second Step: Place one cup of frosting on the bottom layer of the cake. Then add the second layer of cake and slightly press it down. 

Third Step: Add another cup of frosting on the second layer of cake. 

Fourth Step: Add the final layer of cake and add a thin crumb coat of frosting all over the cake and put it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. 

Decorating directions:

First Step: Put 1 cup of white frosting into a small bowl. 

Second Step: Add a few drops of orange gel food coloring to one of the bowls of frosting and mix. 

Third Step: Take the chilled cake from the fridge and put it on a rotating cake stand. 

Fourth Step: Put one cup of white frosting into a piping bag. 

Fifth Step: Frost the entire cake with the rest of the white frosting. Use a cake smoother to make sure it’s smooth. 

Sixth Step: Using an angled spatula, add dollops of orange frosting randomly onto the white icing. 

Seventh Step: Take the cake smoother and smooth out the orange and white frostings, so it has a marbled effect. 

Eighth Step: Add dollops of white frosting on top. 

Ninth Step: Sprinkle orange zest all over the cake. 

Tenth Step: Put the layered orange cake in the refrigerator overnight and allow the frosting to harden, then enjoy!   

Old Fashioned Orange Cake Recipe

This Old Fashioned Orange Cake Recipe will make you smack your lips and beg for seconds. Its citrusy goodness is perfect throughout this spongy and delightful cake.

4.43 from 14 votes

Review Recipe

Ingredients 

• 4 C flour
• 3 tsp Baking powder
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 C unsalted sweet cream butter, melted
• 4 C sugar
• 2 C Buttermilk
• 2 tsp pure Vanilla extract
• 2 tsp Orange extract
• 4 tbsp Orange zest
• 3-5 drops of orange gel food coloring

Vanilla Frosting Ingredients:

• 6 sticks, 3 C unsalted sweet cream butter, softened
• 6-8 C powdered sugar
• 3 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large piping bag fitted with a star tip
• 1 small angled spatula
• Orange gel food coloring
• 2 medium mixing bowls

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Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 3 9inch baking rounds with pam baking spray
• Using a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder
• Using a standing mixer, beat together the eggs, butter, and sugar until combined
• Beat in the buttermilk, vanilla, orange extract and orange zest until combined
• Gradually beat in the flour mixture until combined
• Mix until combined the orange food coloring
• Divide the batter between the three pans and baking for 30-35 minutes or until a knife comes out clean in the center
• Allow the cakes to cool down completely. Then, cut the dome on top of the cake and the stiff sides.

Vanilla Frosting Directions:

• Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla on low speed until smooth, then mix for an additional 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed.
• Place one cake layer on a serving platter.
• Spread 1 cup of frosting over top, then top with the second cake layer, pressing lightly down.
• Spread 1 cup of frosting evenly over the top
• Repeat the steps with the remaining two cake layers
• Frost a crumb coat onto the cake and then place cake into the fridge for 30 minutes

Decorating directions:

• Scoop 1 C of white frosting into one bowl
• In the first bowl, mix in a few drops of orange gel food coloring
• Remove cake from fridge and place onto a rotating cake stand
• Scoop 1 C of white frosting into the piping bag
• Using remaining white frosting, frost entire cake and smooth with a cake smoother
• Using the angled spatula, scoop out some orange frosting and randomly dap it onto the white frosting
• Using the cake smoother, smooth the orange frosting into the white to create a unique blend
• Pipe dollops of white frosting onto the top
• Zest an orange over the top
• Place in the fridge overnight to allow frosting to harden before enjoying!

Author: Laura

THANKS FOR PINING!!

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