Orange Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This delectable Orange Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, bright with zest and marmalade, survived a TSA checkpoint in Indianapolis and a flight over the Rockies to reach Aspen.

My youngest sister turned one of those milestone ages you only celebrate once a decade and invited us to Aspen. Many of our childhood summers were spent in that charming mountain town, so the trip promised a nostalgic getaway and my first autumn visit to Aspen.

Maddy asked for an orange cake for her celebration. Rather than bake at 8,000 feet, I prepared the cake at home, generously iced it, froze it for stability, and carried it through the airport with my fingers crossed. It made the trip intact and was a hit—rich, dense, and full of orange flavor. P.S. this cake freezes and travels very well.

Me and my sisters, Katie, Maddy, and Mary, in our temporary Aspen home along the Roaring Fork.

Orange Cake or Orange Brownies

This cake is dense—more like a pound cake or brownie than a light, airy layer cake. I credit Paula Deen’s Orange Brownies for inspiration. If you prefer fluffy cakes, this isn’t the one, but if you enjoy a substantial, moist cake with intense citrus flavor, you’ll love it.

Carrying the cake through two airports taught me a bit of baggage-arm exercise: I left it in a metal 9 x 13-inch pan for protection. At the TSA scanner I mentioned I had a cake in my carry-on and the agent waved it through. The cake was adored by everyone at the party—decadent, orange-forward, and topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting.

More Citrus Recipes You’ll Love

If citrus is your preference, try a glazed lemon pound cake, a strawberry-lemon tart, chewy orange crinkle cookies, or glazed lemon tea scones. These bright, tangy desserts highlight the same fresh citrus appeal as this orange cake.

The Recipe:

Orange Cake

Prep Time
30 minutes

Cook Time
30 minutes

Total Time
1 hour

Yield
24 servings

A dense orange cake finished with orange-infused cream cheese frosting. Adapted from Paula Deen.

Ingredients

Cake:

1 ½ cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
4 eggs
2 teaspoons orange extract (I used Penzey’s)
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons butter (½ stick), at room temperature
4 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted (reduce to 3 ½ cups for a looser, less sweet frosting)
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
1 tablespoon orange marmalade
2 tablespoons orange juice

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick foil or grease with non-stick spray. Set aside.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter, eggs, orange extract, and orange zest.
Beat with a hand mixer until well blended, scraping down the sides as needed.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove the cake to a wire rack and cool completely.
When the cake is cool, make the frosting.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and smooth. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar.
Mix until smooth, then beat in the orange zest, marmalade, and orange juice.
Spread the frosting over the cooled cake with an offset spatula.

Notes

Reduce the powdered sugar to 3½ cups for a slightly thinner, less sweet frosting if preferred.

Recommended Products

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KitchenAid 9-Speed Digital Hand Mixer
OXO Good Grips 11-Inch Better Balloon Whisk
9 x 13 Baking Pan

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1 slice

Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 306Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 207mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 0gSugar: 38gProtein: 3g

Nutrition information is provided as an estimate. Ingredient brands and optional toppings can change nutritional values. For the most accurate results, calculate nutrition using the exact ingredients you use.

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