I was just talking to one of my best childhood friends, Steffi, from Germany. Talking to her got me thinking about many of the things I miss from back home in Europe. One small, but fond item that came to mind was triggered by seeing a jug of buttermilk in my fridge. Germany makes the best flavored milk drinks (Mueller Milch), including flavored buttermilk. You can go into any grocery store in Germany and find pint-sized cartons of delicious flavored buttermilk – all kinds of different fruity flavors. (German buttermilk tastes significantly different than what you buy over here in the U.S.. It’s much milder for one thing.) I used to love getting a carton of cold, refreshing berry or citrus-flavored buttermilk and drinking it in the car on the way home from a grocery trip. So, I was looking at this jug of buttermilk in my fridge today, craving that fruity buttermilk from Germany. I was in the mood for something sweet and fresh. My eyes next caught hold of some oranges I had on the bottom shelf. Buttermilk and oranges…oh, yes! While I was tempted to just make a sweet orange buttermilk drink like the kind I would buy in Germany, I decided to go a different direction. Within 5 minutes I was whipping up a new creation: an Orange Buttermilk Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting!
The buttermilk cuts down on fat while adding a refreshing tang and creating a moist and tender crumb. Two whole tablespoons of fresh orange zest are nestled within the cake and the cream cheese frosting incorporates freshly squeezed orange juice and orange marmalade. Can you spell d.i.v.i.n.e.?
Before we get started, let me also add that you can make three alternative versions of this cake: Lemon, Lime, and Grapefruit. Simply substitute the zest, juice, and marmalade accordingly. Isn’t this fun?
Okay, here’s how it goes:
Combine the sugar and eggs. Â Whisk until combined. Â Sift the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl.
Zest an entire orange. Â Add the zest and vanilla extract to the sugar mixture and whisk until combined. Â And the buttermilk and whisk to combine. Â Add the melted butter and whisk to combine.
Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and carefully whisk just until combined. Careful not to over-whisk or the cake will be dense and heavy.  Place a sheet of foil or parchment paper over the cake pan and press down to get the indentation. Cut just inside of the circle indentation to get a good fit. Place the circle cutout in the bottom of the cake pan.  Carefully butter the top of the foil or parchment paper and the sides of the pan.  Pour the batter into the cake pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
I use the hand-forged aluminum pan from Magic Line, made in the USA. Â Love it!
Bake the cake at 350 F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 30 minutes before removing it and placing it on a wire rack.  Invert the cake from the cake pan and allow the cake to cool completely.  Using a large serrated knife, cut the cake in half and carefully place the layers next to each other.
Squeeze the juice from the orange you zested.  To make the orange cream cheese frosting, combine the cream cheese, butter, orange marmalade, orange extract, and orange juice. Beat with an electric mixer until combined and smooth.  Add the powdered sugar and continue to beat until combined and smooth.  This orange cream cheese frosting is out of this world!
Spread some orange marmalade on the bottom layer of the cake. Â Spread 1/4 of the cream cheese over the marmalade. Â Invert the top layer and place it over the bottom layer. Â Carefully transfer the cake to a cake saver and frost it with the remaining cream cheese frosting.
Enjoy!
Orange Buttermilk Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs ,at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest of one orange ,just a little over 1 tablespoon
- 1/4 cup butter ,melted and cooled to room temperature
- For the frosting
- 4 oz. cream cheese ,softened
- 4 tablespoons butter ,at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons orange marmalade
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the sugar and eggs and whisk until combined. Add the orange zest, vanilla extract and buttermilk and whisk until combined. Add the cooled melted butter and whisk to combine. Add the flour and carefully whisk until just combined, being careful not to over-whisk.
- Prepare a 9x2 inch round baking pan (I use Magic Line), line the bottom with parchment paper or foil and butter the top of the lining and the sides of the pan.
- Pour the batter into the pan, smooth the top with a rubber spatula, and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 30 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack and allowing it to cool completely.
- To make the frosting: Combine the first 6 ingredients and beat with a mixer until combined and smooth. Add the powdered sugar and beat until combined and smooth.
- Cut the cake in half. Spread some orange marmalade on the bottom half. Spread 1/4 of the cream cheese frosting on top of the marmalade. Invert the top half of the cake and place it on top of the bottom layer. Frost the cake with the remaining cream cheese frosting.
Nutrition
Cori Landon says
The best orange cake EVER!! I’ve made this twice now and it’s one of our family favorites. So moist and incredibly flavorful!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad to hear that, Cori, thanks so much!
Andrea P. says
Hi. This sounds fabulous. How do you think it’ll do as cupcakes?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Andrea, absolutely. Just reduce the baking time a bit and check on them (toothpick test) to make sure they’re done.
Lee Gear says
Hi Lisa,
This sounds great can’t wait to make it. Thank you for sharing, my question is can I bake in a 13 x 9 pan?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Lee, if you double the recipe then you can use a 9×13 pan, otherwise the cake will be very flat. Happy baking!
Lisa Purinton says
Hi, Sounds heavenly. Instead of fresh zest from an orange, can I use McCormick orange peel? It’s in a jar in the spice section of the grocery store. I bought it a while back and I’ve never used it and was wondering if it would be appropriate for this recipe. Thank you, Lisa
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Lisa, yes you could use that but I strongly recommend fresh zest instead – it has a better, stronger and much fresher flavor. It simply tastes much better! I don’t use dried orange peel often except for in things like dried spice blends and dried cider blends, things like that. Happy baking!
Daryl Ann says
Could you double the recipe and make 2 rounds instead of cutting 1 round in half? I am not too adept at cutting a cake layer in half..it always seems to look messy.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Daryl, yes you can do that. With double the thickness and the same amount of frosting it may be a bit on the dry side though – perhaps increase the frosting amount as well?
Ruth says
Wanting to bake this cake but am surprised to see there is no baking soda, which I thought was required when you use buttermilk…any thoughts about this?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Ruth, great question! The difference between baking powder and baking soda is that baking soda requires an external acid (such as buttermilk) to activate it whereas baking powder does not. In other words, if this recipe called for baking soda only, something like buttermilk would be required in order to activate the soda. We’re using baking powder instead, which produces a fluffier texture than baking soda and doesn’t “require” buttermilk, we’re just using buttermilk anyway for the flavor.
Patti says
I am planning on making this for a baby shower this weekend (it is a citrus theme). I would like to make cupcakes instead of a cake. Do you have any suggestions on anything I should change, including the timing?
Thank you
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Patti, I haven’t tried making these as cupcakes but theoretically it should work just as well. All you’ll need to adjust is baking time. They’ll need to bake between 15-20 minutes, just do the toothpick test on one of them to determine if they need to bake longer than 15 min. Happy baking and let us know how it goes!
Allen Vergakis says
Oh this looks sooo good! Thanks for the recipe. Can’t wait to try it. God bless you and yours. In Christ, Allen.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks, Allen, and happy baking! :)
Fiora Wilkinson says
Just made the Orange cake and frosting. Absolutely delicious! That being said if I’d just served up the frosting on its own I think the family would have been just as happy!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I couldn’t agree more, Fiora – give me a bowl of this frosting and a spoon and I would be perfectly content :) So glad the cake and frosting were a hit, thank you!
Janet says
I really want to try this! Any tips on how to adjust for baking at 6,000 foot elevation?
Thanks,
Janet
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Janet, whatever adjustments you already make for most cakes should work fine for this. Here’s a link to a site about what adjustments to make for baking: http://dish.allrecipes.com/high-altitude-cake-baking/ Happy baking and I hope it turns out wonderfully!
Tess says
Just took this out of the oven, and ohmiword, the aroma in the kitchen!! Waiting for it to cool so I can get that cream cheese frosting on there. Thanks for sharing this gorgeous recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks, Tess, I’d love to be in your kitchen right now! :) That cream cheese frosting is the best part – be sure to spread it on the cake quickly before you eat it all from the bowl (that’s what I’m always tempted to do, lol)!
Tess says
I had to come back to say, “This cake was so good!!” I always love a buttermilk cake and this was no exception.
We took it to a sleepy coastal hotel and the restaurant manager kindly allowed us to have it for my mom’s birthday lunch ……. and came back for seconds after we’d shared a slice with him! Best compliment ever LOL
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Tess, that’s awesome! And what a great compliment indeed, thanks so much for sharing this feedback! :)
Anonymous says
I didnt really like this cake. Too dense. The frosting is so good though.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Did you use buttermilk or substitute regular milk?
Anne says
This cake is really one of the best cakes I ever made.
Thanks for the recipe.
And I made it with weihenstephaner buttermilk have ;-)
But I also prefer mueller
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you so much, Anne, I really appreciate that. And I can’t even tell you how much I miss Weihenstephaner Buttermilch, especially the fruity ones!! And Müllermilch…Schokolade, Erdbeer, Vanille….Oh goodness, I’m homesick!
ashwinsgirl says
i am making this for my grandmoms bday today.. hope she loves it :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fabulous, I hope your grandma has a wonderful birthday!
Lauren says
Hi there sounds like a great recipe im about t make it for mothers day, how come there is no butter called for in the recipe?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Lauren, the butter is listed right after the orange zest and is mentioned in step 3 of the directions. Happy baking!