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5 from 12 votes

Orange Creamsicle Cake

This easy two layer cake is made with fresh orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla to give it the classic orange creamsicle flavor!
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 613kcal

Ingredients

  • For the cake:
  • 3 ¼ cups (390 g) cake flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt (reduce to 3/4 teaspoon if using a finer salt)
  • ½ cup (1 stick, 113 g) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup (120 mL) vegetable oil (or other neutral oil)
  • 2 cups (396 g) granulated white sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons orange zest
  • 4 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ¼ cups (300 mL) buttermilk
  • ¼ cup (60 mL) orange juice
  • For the frosting:
  • 3 ¾ sticks (423 g) unsalted butter softened
  • 3 ¾ cups (453 g) confectioner sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons heavy cream or milk
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup (60 mL) orange juice
  • zest of 1 orange (about 1 tablespoon)

Instructions

To make the cake:

  • Preheat and prepare pan. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Set aside.
  • Combine dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
  • Cream butter and sugar. In a second mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, cream butter, oil, sugar and zest together until light and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
  • Add eggs and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition. Add vanilla extract.
  • Alternate dry ingredients with buttermilk. Alternate adding the flour mixture with the buttermilk and orange juice, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
  • Bake. Bake 30-35 minutes (for 9” layers).

To make the frosting:

  • Mix butter and sugar. In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, combine the butter and confectioners sugar. Mix on low speed at first, then increase the speed to medium until combined.
  • Add heavy cream, vanilla, orange juice, and zest. Add in your heavy cream, vanilla extract,juice, and mix on medium to high speed for 7-8 minutes until light and cream. When cake is cooled frost cake and serve.

Notes

  • Different Pans: Bake 35-40 minutes for a 9" x 13" pan; 24-27 minutes for 8" layers, or 23 to 25 minutes for cupcakes. The cake is done when it's golden brown around the edges and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 5 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack (unless in a 9x13 pan) to cool completely.
  • Storage: 
    • Cake Layers - At room temperature: You can make the cake layers 2-3 days ahead of time. Leave them unfrosted, and wrap in plastic wrap or tin-foil. Just make sure they are completely cool before doing so. 
    • Freezing - Cake Layers: You can also wrap the cooled cake layers and freeze for up to 3 months if you don't plan to use the layers in a few days. I let them thaw at room temperature before icing them.
    • Frosted Cake (at room temperature) If you have frosted the cake, then be sure to cover it properly. I like to store the cake in a plastic cake container. It will be fine at room temperature for about 2 days. The frosting will lock the moisture in.
    • Freezing Frosted Cake: Yes you can freeze a frosted cake! You can freeze a whole cake, or slices. I recommend freezing the cake (or slices) first unwrapped until frozen solid, about 4 hours. Then wrap carefully in plastic wrap (a few layers) and a final layer of aluminum foil. When ready to enjoy, just thaw at room temperature. 

Nutrition

Calories: 613kcal | Carbohydrates: 99g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 246mg | Potassium: 210mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 73g | Vitamin A: 445IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 1mg