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4.93 from 13 votes

Orange Cupcakes

Fluffy, moist and light Orange Cupcakes with sweet orange scent topped with fresh Orange Buttercream Frosting.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time17 minutes
Total Time37 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 14 Cupcakes
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)
  • 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

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