Orange Velvet Cake came to life in our kitchen on a grey January morning when Lucia decided that the world outside needed more color and the kitchen was the best place to start. She had been thinking about red velvet cake for days, she told us, but something kept pulling her toward the big bowl of navel oranges sitting on the counter instead. What if the velvet was orange, she said. What if the whole cake tasted like sunshine. Maria reached for the cream cheese without being asked. Teresa found the zester. And within the hour the apartment was filled with the most extraordinary citrus fragrance that made the whole grey morning feel entirely irrelevant.
Orange Velvet Cake is everything you love about the classic velvet cake technique, that impossibly soft and tender velvety crumb that melts the moment it touches your tongue, translated into the brightest and most joyful citrus flavor imaginable. Concentrated orange juice, fresh orange zest, and orange extract woven through both the batter and the frosting create a cake where every single layer tastes genuinely and beautifully of orange.
Finished with a silky tangy orange cream cheese frosting and an optional vibrant orange gel color that makes it look like a piece of captured sunshine, this is a cake that makes people stop and stare before they even pick up a fork. Come follow us on Pinterest where we share beautiful and joyful recipes like this one from our kitchen every single week.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Orange Velvet Cake Recipe
This Orange Velvet Cake recipe uses a combination of cream cheese and butter in the batter itself rather than just in the frosting and this is the secret to the extraordinary velvety texture that sets it apart from every other citrus cake you have ever baked. The cream cheese in the batter adds richness and moisture and creates that signature tender crumb that is so soft and fine it almost dissolves on the tongue. The concentrated orange juice rather than fresh juice gives you an intense orange flavor that is deeply present in every bite without any wateriness in the batter.
The orange cream cheese frosting is tangy and sweet and beautifully balanced against the richness of the cake layers. With both vanilla and orange extract as well as the option of a little orange gel coloring, it can be as subtly pale or as gloriously vivid as you choose to make it. Our Italian Lemon Cream Cake carries that same bright citrus elegance in a gorgeous lemon version that sits beautifully alongside this cake on any spring or summer celebration table.
Ingredients Needed for This Orange Velvet Cake Recipe
For the Orange Velvet Cake:
- 226g (8 oz) Full-Fat Cream Cheese, softened
- 168g (1½ sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened
- 400g (2 cups) Granulated Sugar
- 4 large Eggs, room temperature
- 342g (3 cups) Cake Flour
- 8g (2 tsp) Baking Powder
- 3g (½ tsp) Baking Soda
- 3g (½ tsp) Salt
- 120ml (½ cup) Whole Milk, room temperature
- 120ml (½ cup) Concentrated Orange Juice, thawed, do not dilute
- 60ml (¼ cup) Vegetable Oil
- Zest of 1 Orange
- 1 tbsp Orange Extract
- Orange Gel Food Coloring (optional)
For the Orange Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 339g (3 sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened
- 452g (16 oz) Full-Fat Cream Cheese, softened
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Orange Extract
- ½ tsp Salt
- 805g (7 cups) Powdered Sugar, adjusted to taste
- Orange Gel Food Coloring (optional)
How to Make This Orange Velvet Cake Recipe
Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans thoroughly and line the bases with parchment paper circles. The lower oven temperature compared to most cakes is intentional here and important. It gives the cream cheese in the batter time to set gently without the outside of the cake browning before the inside is fully baked.
In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the whole milk, concentrated orange juice, vegetable oil, orange extract, and fresh orange zest until fully combined. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and softened cream cheese together on medium speed until the mixture is completely smooth, uniform, and creamy with no visible lumps. This should take about 2 minutes of steady mixing. Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue beating until the mixture is light, pale, and genuinely fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes more. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl between each egg to make sure everything is evenly incorporated.
Now add the dry and wet ingredients alternately to the creamed base, beginning and ending with the dry flour mixture. Add the dry ingredients in three portions and the wet ingredients in two portions between them, mixing on low speed between each addition until just combined. Do not overmix once you begin adding the flour, cara mia. Overmixing at this stage develops gluten and will make the cake tough rather than the velvet-soft beauty you are working toward. If using orange gel food coloring, fold it in now with a few gentle strokes of a spatula until the batter reaches your desired shade of orange.
Divide the batter evenly between the three prepared cake pans. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the very center of each layer comes out completely clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 5 to 10 minutes then turn out carefully onto wire racks and cool completely before frosting. Frosting a warm cake will melt the cream cheese frosting immediately and all your beautiful work will slide right off.
For the orange cream cheese frosting, beat the softened butter and softened cream cheese together until completely smooth. Add the vanilla extract, orange extract, and salt and mix until combined. Add the powdered sugar gradually, one cup at a time, mixing on low between each addition. Once all the sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium and beat for 3 to 4 minutes until the frosting is light, smooth, and generously fluffy. Add orange gel coloring if using and beat until the color is evenly distributed throughout. If the frosting feels too soft to work with, refrigerate it for 10 to 15 minutes to firm up before spreading and piping.
Assemble the cake by placing the first layer on your cake stand and spreading a generous and even layer of orange cream cheese frosting across the surface. Repeat with the second and third layers. Frost the outside of the cake with the remaining frosting, smoothing it with an offset spatula or creating decorative swirls as you prefer. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to set the frosting before slicing.
How to Serve This Orange Velvet Cake Recipe
Allow the cake to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving so the cream cheese frosting softens slightly and the full orange flavor of the cake layers opens up properly from the cold. Serve each slice on a white plate with a small curl of fresh orange zest placed on top for a garnish that is beautiful, simple, and completely true to the flavor inside. Fresh raspberries alongside each slice add a gorgeous jewel-red contrast against the orange frosting and the tart berry flavor pairs magnificently with the sweet citrus. Our Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes bring a bright lemony blueberry energy that creates the most beautiful and cohesive citrus-themed dessert spread alongside this cake.
How to Store This Orange Velvet Cake Recipe
Store the assembled and frosted cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Because the frosting contains cream cheese it must always be kept refrigerated between servings. Always allow slices to come to room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before eating for the most beautiful texture and the fullest orange flavor. Unfrosted cake layers can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw frozen layers at room temperature before assembling and frosting.
Tips to Make This Orange Velvet Cake Recipe
Every single ingredient in both the cake batter and the frosting must be at full room temperature before you begin. Cold butter will not cream properly with the cream cheese and cold eggs can cause the batter to curdle and separate. Take everything out of the refrigerator at least 1 hour before you plan to start baking. Use concentrated orange juice straight from the thawed can without adding any water. The intensity of flavor from the concentrate rather than fresh juice is what gives this cake its deeply present and genuinely extraordinary orange taste. Always sift the cake flour before measuring for the lightest and most tender crumb possible.
Helpful Notes for This Orange Velvet Cake Recipe
Cake flour is the ingredient that makes the crumb of this Orange Velvet Cake genuinely velvety and soft rather than just moist. The lower protein content of cake flour compared to all-purpose flour is what gives velvet cakes their characteristic tender fine texture. If you do not have cake flour, make a substitute by removing 2 tablespoons from each cup of all-purpose flour and replacing them with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, then sifting thoroughly before use.
The orange extract is not optional in this recipe even if you have plenty of orange zest and concentrated juice. The extract adds a dimension of orange flavor that the juice and zest alone cannot fully replicate and it is what gives both the cake and the frosting their fully rounded and deeply satisfying orange character.
Variation of This Orange Velvet Cake Recipe
Maria made a blood orange version of this cake one February when blood oranges were at their peak at the market and the deep ruby color of the juice made the most extraordinary naturally tinted batter and frosting without any food coloring needed. Teresa tried a version with a tablespoon of finely chopped fresh rosemary stirred into the frosting for a sophisticated herbal note alongside the orange that was so unexpected and so beautiful that we served it at a dinner party and everyone asked what the mystery ingredient was.
For a chocolate-orange variation, spread a thin layer of dark chocolate ganache between the cake layers alongside the orange cream cheese frosting for a combination that is rich, sophisticated, and completely irresistible. Our Dole Whip Cupcakes with Pineapple Filling bring a bright tropical citrus energy that creates a joyful and colorful summer spread alongside this vibrant orange cake.
FAQs About This Orange Velvet Cake Recipe
Can I use fresh orange juice instead of concentrated orange juice?
Concentrated orange juice gives a much more intense orange flavor than fresh juice because it has been reduced and the water removed. If you only have fresh orange juice, reduce it by simmering it gently in a small saucepan until it has reduced by about half, then allow it to cool completely before using it in the batter. This concentrates the flavor and prevents the batter from becoming too thin.
Why does this recipe use both butter and cream cheese in the cake batter?
The combination of butter and cream cheese together in the batter is what creates the signature velvety texture this cake is named for. Butter provides flavor and structure while cream cheese adds a subtle tang and an extraordinary tenderness to the crumb that butter alone simply cannot achieve. It is the same principle that makes cream cheese pastry so tender and it works beautifully in cake batter as well.
My frosting is too soft to spread. What do I do?
Cream cheese frosting softens quickly especially in a warm kitchen. If your frosting is too soft to hold its shape and spread cleanly, place the bowl in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes until it firms up slightly, then beat briefly again before using. Working with a cold cake that has been refrigerated for 30 minutes before frosting also helps the frosting grip and set more quickly on contact.
Conclusion
This Orange Velvet Cake is the most joyful and sunshine-filled cake we have ever made in our kitchen and it has earned a place of honor at every celebration table we have set since the first afternoon Lucia decided the world needed more color. It is bright and soft and deeply orangey and completely impossible to resist. We hope it brings that same warmth and sunshine to your table and your home. Make it, share it, and come back to tell us all about it. With all our love, Maria, Lucia, and Teresa
Print
Orange Velvet Cake The Most Beautiful and Bright Citrus Cake You Will Bake
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 15 slices 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A stunning Orange Velvet Cake with an impossibly soft and tender velvety crumb bursting with concentrated orange juice, fresh zest, and orange extract, layered and frosted with a silky tangy orange cream cheese frosting. The most beautiful and bright citrus cake you will ever bake.
Ingredients
226g Full-Fat Cream Cheese softened
168g Unsalted Butter softened
400g Granulated Sugar
4 large Eggs room temperature
342g Cake Flour
8g Baking Powder
3g Baking Soda
3g Salt
120ml Whole Milk room temperature
120ml Concentrated Orange Juice thawed do not dilute
60ml Vegetable Oil
Zest of 1 Orange
1 tbsp Orange Extract
Orange Gel Food Coloring optional
339g Unsalted Butter softened for frosting
452g Full-Fat Cream Cheese softened for frosting
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1 tsp Orange Extract for frosting
1/2 tsp Salt for frosting
805g Powdered Sugar
Orange Gel Food Coloring optional for frosting
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans and line bases with parchment.
2. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. Whisk together milk, concentrated orange juice, vegetable oil, orange extract, and orange zest. Set aside.
4. Beat softened butter and cream cheese together until completely smooth, about 2 minutes.
5. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.
6. Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each.
7. Alternate adding dry and wet ingredients to the batter in three dry and two wet additions. Mix until just combined.
8. Fold in orange gel food coloring if using.
9. Divide batter evenly between pans and bake 28 to 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
10. Cool in pans 5 to 10 minutes then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
11. Beat frosting butter and cream cheese until smooth.
12. Add vanilla, orange extract, and salt. Mix to combine.
13. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time on low speed.
14. Increase to medium and beat 3 to 4 minutes until light and fluffy. Add orange gel coloring if using.
15. Assemble cake with frosting between each layer and over the outside.
16. Refrigerate 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
All ingredients must be at full room temperature before beginning.
Use concentrated orange juice without diluting for the most intense orange flavor.
Always sift cake flour for the lightest and most tender crumb.
Orange extract is essential in both batter and frosting for full rounded citrus flavor.
Refrigerate frosting for 10 to 15 minutes if too soft to spread.
Allow cake to come to room temperature 30 minutes before serving.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 520
- Sugar: 55g
- Sodium: 290mg
- Fat: 28g
- Saturated Fat: 17g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 65g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 115mg
Keywords: orange velvet cake, orange cream cheese frosting, citrus velvet cake, orange layer cake recipe
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