Orange Cupcakes

Fluffy, moist and light Orange Cupcakes topped with fresh orange Buttercream. And the taste? 10527x better than gulping a tall glass of orange juice. No, I am serious!

Try my Orange Cake with cranberry filling next! If you too adore orange scent in desserts like me, you need to bake these Orange Cookies dotted with cranberries. 

If cupcakes are more your thing, my easy Cupcake Recipes are sure to delight you!

It is raining oranges on my blog lately. And does this surprise you??? You are so aware of my love for bright and citrusy flavors by now. This Orange Cake is one of the most loved recipes on my blog. We are so alike when it comes to flavoring our cakes.

These cupcakes today are bursting with sweet orange flavors. So light and buttery; soft and springy. And the fresh orange buttercream frosting over them will make the fluffiest clouds in the sky a little jealous!

Ingredients you will need:

Other than the usual gang of baking staples, you will also need sour cream and egg whites. I suggest not to substitute these two.

Whole eggs just won't work in this batter. On the contrary egg whites will produce light and fluffy cupcakes. You will need 3 large egg whites for this batter.

• Butter
• Granulated Sugar
• Sour Cream: It is literally the moist maker in these cupcakes. Greek yogurt can be  close substitute here, but I advise to use full fat sour cream only.
• Egg whites: Whipping egg whites separately assures a higher rise and fluffy cupcakes. Always bring egg whites to room temp first.
• Flour and leaveners: All purpose flour is the base of this recipe and we will use baking soda for the lift.
• Orange zest and juice: Both zest and juice of orange are needed for a perfect flavor.
• Milk: Any variety of milk works. I have used 2% here.

How to make Orange Flavored Cupcakes:

• Step 1. We will begin by sifting our usual gang of dry ingredients- flour leavener and salt. Set them aside.
• Step 2. Next, cream room temperature butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes to yield soft, buttery and fluffy cupcakes.
• Step 3. Now it is time for adding all the liquid ingredients to the batter along with half of the dry ingredients. Beat it all till well combined.
• Step 4. Add half of the meringue and the remaining dry ingredients next. Fold gently using a spatula.
• Step 5. Add remaining meringue and fold till flour and meringue gets mixed into the batter. Do not overmix the batter at this stage.
• Step 6. Pour batter into prepared liners an bake at 350 deg F until done. PRO TIP: Bake cupcakes in the center rack. Don't keep baking pan too close to any of the heating elements to get flat top cupcakes.

I baked 12 slightly larger cupcakes with this recipe. I liked them this way as they came out with super flat tops. You can bake 14-15 good sized cupcakes instead if you desire.

Texture of these cupcakes:

I will let this next picture speak for itself first!

And for this light and cotton soft texture, the major credit goes to our egg whites (whipped separately). Second close, in producing a soft and a moist orange cupcake is our sour cream.

To make our moist cupcakes even more fluffier and more moist than ever, we are using sour cream. It is known to lighten up the crumb of the cake considerably.

You may substitute sour cream with full fat greek yogurt. But I can't recommend sour cream enough for best results.

We will beat our egg whites separately (till soft peaks stage) to give that springy texture to our bake. You can't afford to skip this step.

We will fold egg whites in the batter, alternating them with our dry ingredients. This will ensure more air bubbles in the batter, resulting in a fluffier bake.

Add them both (sour cream and egg whites) as mentioned in the recipe and these cupcakes will be the talk of the town!

Orange Buttercream Frosting:

Oh and I almost forgot to sing the praises of my orange frosting. 😉 This is one light, fluffy and smooth orange buttercream frosting with citrus undertones you will love!

The secret is to beat the butter till it gets really light in texture. The butter will have changed its color completely when its beaten well. That's when you know you are going to enjoy a light and creamy frosting!

I have used both orange zest and just enough orange juice in the frosting. This will intensify the flavor in  buttercream without liquefying it.

Sweet and Orange-y, Flavor Packed and Perfectly pipeable. Uh uh! Get your fingers off of that mixing bowl!!

Tips to bake perfect cupcakes:

1. Room Temperature Ingredients: Always use room temperature butter, eggs and dairy products to make batter. This step ensures even mixing of the ingredients and results in an even textured bake.
2. Whisking Egg Whites: Always use a clean and oil free bowl to whisk egg whites. If there is any fat content in the bowl from before, it won't let your whites peak. 
3. No Over-Beating or Over-Mixing the batter: This tip sounds like a basic one, but carries a lot of weight in baking. If the cake/cupcake batter is over beaten, it develops gluten and gluten isn't good for your cupcakes. Over mixing and over baking, both result in a tough and a dense bake. You certainly don't want any of that!
4. Cool Cupcakes down before frosting: Before attempting to frost cupcakes, make sure they are cooled completely. TIP: To speed this process up, stick your cupcakes in refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes.
5. Keep Cupcakes Covered: Keep frosted/unfrosted cupcakes covered at all times or else they will dry out and won't taste as good!

More Cupcakes Recipes:

Angel Food Cupcakes

Soft Pistachio Cupcakes

Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes

Strawberry Cupcakes

Apple Cupcakes

Bake these light and fruity cupcakes in Summer for a refreshing treat or in Winters when Oranges are in season!

If you liked this recipe give it a star review. Also, tell me in the comments below, how did this turn out for you! And don’t forget to share your creations with me on Instagram at #greedyeatsblog 

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Recipe

Orange Cupcakes

Fluffy, moist and light Orange Cupcakes with sweet orange scent topped with fresh Orange Buttercream Frosting.

4.93 from 13 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

US Customary - Metric

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 17 minutes minutes

Total Time: 37 minutes minutes

Servings 14 Cupcakes

1x2x3x

Calories: 394kcal

Author: Neha

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 ¼ cups (163g) All purpose flour
• ▢ ¾ cups (155g) Granulated Sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Baking powder
• ▢ 3 large Egg whites (at Room temperature)
• ▢ cups (57g) Sour cream (at Room temperature)
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon Salt
• ▢ 6 tablespoon (84 gms) Butter (unsalted, at Room temperature)
• ▢ ¼ Cup Milk (full fat, at Room temperature)
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon Water
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons Orange juice
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon Orange zest
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract

Orange Buttercream Frosting

• ▢ 1 Cup (224g) unsalted butter (softened to room temp)
• ▢ 4 Cups (460g) powdered sugar
• ▢ 3-4 Tablespoons Orange Juice
• ▢ ½ Tablespoon Orange Zest (Finely grated)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Pure vanilla extract

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C) and line your cupcake pans with liners. You will need two pans if you are baking 14 cupcakes. Sift the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt) together and set aside.
• Add room temperature egg whites in a clean mixing bowl. Beat for about a minute until frothy using a handheld or stand mixture and the balloon whisk attachment. Add half of the sugar, pouring a tablespoon at a time and whisking till the whites reach soft peak stage.
• In a handheld or stand mixer (fitted with a paddle attachment) beat butter for about a minute. Add the remaining sugar and beat on high for about 2 minutes. The mixture will be light and creamy. Add half of the dry ingredients and pour in sour cream, milk, vanilla extract, water, orange juice and zest. Beat well to combine.
• Now fold in half of the meringue using a spatula. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients and fold in the rest of meringue. Take care not to over mix the batter at this stage.
• Pour batter in the cupcake liners and bake for about 15-17 minutes. Or until they pass the toothpick test. Let the cupcakes cool completely at room temperature before frosting.

For Orange Buttercream Frosting-

• Beat room temperature butter on high with a whisk attachment for about two minutes. Add a cup of sugar and beat well until creamy and combined. Add another cup of sugar and beat well.
• Now add the orange zest, a tablespoon of juice and another cup of sugar and whisk to incorporate well.
• Add in the last batch of sugar, vanilla and the remaining amount of orange juice as required for the right consistency. Continue to beat well till the buttercream gets smooth, silky and pipeable.
• Pipe on the cooled cupcakes and decorate with raspberries and a mint sprig or as you please!

Notes

Quick Tips:

• You may replace sour cream with greek yogurt if you wish. But this affects the texture of this cupcakes to some extent. Greek yogurt makes them a little dense.
• I recommend using freshly squeezed orange juice for that real orange flavor in these cupcakes.
• If you wish to bake a slightly large cupcakes then bake this recipe in 12 cupcake liners.

A note on Egg Whites:

I like to beat my whites separately and add them to cupcake batter. You may add and beat in egg whites after beating butter and ¾ cups sugar. I find cupcakes bake lighter and fluffier when egg whites are beaten separately to soft peak stage.

Make ahead Instructions:

• Cupcakes: You can make your cupcakes a day in advance. Store them at room temperature, covered tightly.
• Frosting: Same way Buttercream frosting can be made a day or 2 in advance. Store it in the refrigerator. Bring it to room temperature and give it a quick whirl to make it fluffy again before piping. 

Storage Information:

• Any leftovers will keep for a day at room temperature.
• For longer storage, I prefer to store frosted in the refrigerator (for 1-2 days).
• Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for about 2 months. Thaw completely before frosting.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Cupcake | Calories: 394kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 19g | Sodium: 104mg | Sugar: 45g

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