Orange Frosting
You're going to love this quick and easy orange frosting. Buttercream is always yummy, but mix in some fresh orange juice and you've got a delicious, creamy creation on your hands!
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Orange Frosting Recipe
This bright and cheery orange frosting recipe makes for some of the best summer time sweet treat. Juicing fresh oranges and mixing in that tart flavor with rich, sweet, buttercream is just addictively tasty.
Orange cupcakes topped with this frosting are irresistible, but it can go on top of dozens of other treats too. That splash of orange juice cuts through the classic buttercream sweetness for a lovely little citrus touch.
It's a lot like my lemon frosting in that sense, but there's just something extra special about this orange frosting. Not to mention, it's super easy to make and way better than any store-bought frosting you could ever find.
Whip up a batch of this frosting with real orange flavor and use it to top dozens of your favorite treats. From chocolate cake to sugar cookies, it'll be great on almost anything!
Why You'll Love this Recipe
This orange buttercream frosting recipe is easy to love. It's so yummy and simple to make:
- This buttercream recipe only require five real food ingredients. No funny business, no preservatives, and no weird flavors. Just simple things that you can buy at any grocery store!
- A tangy twist on classic buttercream is a nice surprise on desserts during the summer time and spring. It makes them a bit lighter and not too rich and heavy.
- Fresh buttercream can be piped onto cupcakes, cakes, and cookies in pretty designs. Just grab any piping tip you want to use and get to work!
Ingredients
You only need five simple ingredients to make this delicious citrusy buttercream frosting. It has the most amazing orange flavor and really takes baked goods to the next level. Here's what you'll need to make it:
- softened butter
- vanilla extract
- orange juice
- powdered sugar
- heavy cream
Substitutions and Variations
Want the color of the frosting to reflect the flavor? Then use a few drops of orange food coloring or use 1 drop each of red and yellow food coloring. Repeat until your desired orange shade is reached.
If you like, you can garnish the cupcakes with orange-colored sprinkles, orange zest, slices of orange fruit — fresh, dehydrated, candied or even some orange candy.
To add extra orange flavor to this homemade frosting, you can add a small splash of orange extract. Some fresh orange zest would be tasty too.
Salted and unsalted butter both work in buttercream. However, I prefer to use unsalted. For best results, make sure to soften the butter before mixing.
How to Make Orange Buttercream Frosting
Cream together butter, vanilla and orange juice in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer.
Add ½ cup of powdered sugar to the butter mixture and mix. Continue adding powdered sugar ½ cup at a time until icing is thickened.
Add heavy cream and mix until it reaches desired consistency. The orange icing should be smooth but hold its shape fairly well.
Pipe icing onto room temperature cupcakes, cake or cookies then serve and enjoy!
How to Use Orange Frosting
Use orange buttercream on top of tons of different flavors of cake! It'd be so tasty on apple spice cupcakes and would be great on plain vanilla cupcakes too.
Chocolate orange are a yummy citrusy sweet combo, so why not add this frosting on top of chocolate cake or chocolate cupcakes. It would also be a fun topping on confetti cupcakes.
Believe it or not, you can also use it in place of cream cheese frosting on this pumpkin spice cake. Orange goes so well with pumpkin spice!
How to Store Leftover Orange Frosting
Transfer leftover homemade orange buttercream frosting to an airtight container or zip top plastic bag. Then store in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw before using, and remove from the fridge for about 10 minutes to soften before icing your desserts.
Tips for Success
To ensure your buttercream has the best fluffy texture, follow these few simple tips and tricks:
- Don't make buttercream in a warm kitchen or it won't hold up well. If it gets too warm, then pop the frosting into the fridge until the consistency is better.
- If you are using a stand mixer then make sure you're using the paddle attachment. Be sure to periodically scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula too.
- For best results when piping, be sure to squeeze out the air bubbles before topping your desserts.
FAQ
You do not have to use food coloring, but if you'd like a pretty orange color then you totally can! Use 1-2 drops of orange or a combination of 1 drop red and 1 drop yellow for a light color. The more you use, the darker the color will be! So just add as much as you want until you reach the desired color.
In general, cream cheese frosting tends to be a bit sweeter. It's more heavy and rich so it's often sweeter than buttercream.
More Frosting Recipes
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Orange Frosting
Equipment
Ingredients
Orange Buttercream
- 1 stick butter softened
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
Instructions
Orange Buttercream Icing
- Use a hand mixer to cream butter, vanilla and orange juice.
- Add ½ cup of powdered sugar. Continue adding powdered sugar ½ cup at a time until icing is thickened.
- Add heavy cream. Icing should be smooth but hold its shape fairly well.
- Pipe icing onto room temperature cupcakes.
Notes
Nutrition
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I made this frosting for a box cake mix. Major elevation❣️
I am SO glad you enjoyed it, Sharon!
Thank you for sharing this recipe.