A tangy, creamy orange cream cheese frosting for cakes and cupcakes. Best with Tahitian vanilla (floral, cherry, anise); any pure vanilla works. Makes about 3 cups; frosts 24 cupcakes or a 9-by-13-inch cake.
Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
Baking
Frostings fillings toppings
Origin: Tahitian
Vanilla: Extract
Easy
A tangy, creamy orange cream cheese frosting for cakes and cupcakes. Best with Tahitian vanilla (floral, cherry, anise); any pure vanilla works. Makes about 3 cups; frosts 24 cupcakes or a 9-by-13-inch cake.
Prep
10 min
Cook
—
Total
10 min
Yield
24 cupcakes
Diet
—
Ingredients
Adjust yield
cupcakes
Ingredient amounts change with yield. Follow the recipe instructions for times, temperatures, and equipment.
- 8.0 oz (227.0 g)cream cheese, softened but still cool
- ½ cup (114.0 g)unsalted butter, softened
- 3.0 cups (360.0 g)confectioners' sugar, sifted
- ⅛ tspfine sea salt
- 1.0 tbsporange zest, finely grated
- 2.0 tsp (10.0 ml)VanillaGoods pure vanilla extract
Make it at home
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Instructions
- Beat the cream cheese, butter, and orange zest on medium speed until smooth and combined, about 1 minute.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar and salt, then the vanilla. Beat on medium just until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Don't overbeat, or the frosting turns runny.
- If it's too soft to pipe, refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes.
Tips
- Use full-fat brick cream cheese; spreadable tub cream cheese makes a runny frosting.
- Vanilla swap: use vanilla bean paste 1:1 in place of the extract for visible specks, or the seeds of 1 vanilla bean for each tablespoon of extract.
- Best vanilla for this: Tahitian (floral, cherry, anise), or Madagascar (rich, creamy, classic). Any pure vanilla works.
- Storage: Refrigerate the frosting and any frosted cake for up to 5 days. Let stand 20 minutes before serving.
Recipe FAQ
How long does it take to make orange cream cheese frosting?
Plan on 10 minutes of prep. It makes about 3 cups; frosts 24 cupcakes or a 9-by-13-inch cake.
How should I store orange cream cheese frosting?
Refrigerate the frosting and any frosted cake for up to 5 days. Let stand 20 minutes before serving.
Can I use a different form of vanilla?
use vanilla bean paste 1:1 in place of the extract for visible specks, or the seeds of 1 vanilla bean for each tablespoon of extract.
Estimated · per serving
Nutrition
Per serving = 1 of 24 servings this recipe makes.
126
Calories / serving
7.1g
Fat
15.6g
Carbs
0.6g
Protein
15.1g
Sugar
Whole recipe (24 servings): ~3024 cal · 170g fat · 374g carbs · 14g protein · 362g sugar
Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.
Per serving · 126 calories
What it takes to burn one serving
- Brisk walking 24 min·1.4 mi·~2800 steps
- Walking uphill or incline treadmill 17 min·0.9 mi·~1700 steps
- Moderate cycling 13 min·2.6 mi
- Swimming laps 18 min
- Jogging 12 min·1.0 mi·~1900 steps
- Stair climbing 12 min·~1100 steps
- Dancing 20 min
- Bodyweight circuit training 13 min
- Cleaning, errands, or playing with the dog 29 min
Rough estimates for one serving, based on standard MET values at about 155 lb. Your own burn depends on body size, effort, and fitness. Shown for context only — food is not something you have to earn.
Made with VanillaGoods
Recipe Rating
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