Description
Delightful orange cream cupcakes bring zesty citrus magic to classic dessert lovers. Creamy frosting and tender cake create a perfect balance of sweet and tangy flavors you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Base:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp orange zest
Orange Cream Filling:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Frosting:
- 1 cup cream cheese
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
- Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then incorporate eggs one at a time.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl, creating a dry ingredient mixture.
- Gradually fold dry ingredients into the butter mixture, alternating with milk to maintain a smooth batter consistency.
- Fold in orange zest until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Fill cupcake liners approximately 2/3 full with the prepared batter.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Whip heavy cream with powdered sugar until stiff peaks form for the orange cream filling.
- Gently fold orange juice and vanilla extract into the whipped cream mixture.
- Using a piping tool or knife, create a small cavity in each cooled cupcake.
- Fill the cavities with the prepared orange cream filling.
- Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth for the frosting.
- Gradually incorporate powdered sugar, orange zest, and vanilla extract into the frosting.
- Pipe or spread frosting generously over the filled cupcakes.
- Optional: Garnish with additional orange zest or a small orange slice for decoration.
Notes
- Choose room temperature ingredients to ensure smooth blending and even baking texture.
- Grate orange zest carefully to avoid including bitter white pith, which can affect flavor.
- Avoid overmixing batter to prevent dense, tough cupcakes; mix until ingredients are just combined.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute all-purpose flour with a reliable gluten-free flour blend.
- Enhance orange flavor by adding a splash of orange extract to both batter and frosting.
- Cool cupcakes completely before filling to prevent cream from melting and losing structure.
- Store cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for maximum freshness up to 3 days.
- Use a piping bag with a star tip for professional-looking frosting application and elegant presentation.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 30 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg