Things have finally calmed down from the busy holiday season and we are getting a chance to share our Orange Raspberry cake. This cake was adapted from our Lemon Blueberry cake and we couldn’t be more happy with the end result. It consist of moist orange cake layers with whole raspberries and layered with cream cheese buttercream and raspberry orange compote.
Over the holidays we really wanted to make an Orange Cranberry cake, but we ended up not having the time or opportunity to do so. The end of December is always a whirlwind at our house (Ami’s house). Our son was born on December 29th which is so nicely sandwhiched between Christmas and New Years, poor boy! When it came time to decide on a flavor for his 4th birthday cake I asked what he would like. He spouted off some random flavor which I can’t even remember what it was. Then I thought, what about the orange cranberry cake! The orange and red would be perfect since the party was going to be Hot Wheels themed and the inside would look like flames. But would the kids like cranberry? I think it would be delicious, but is it really right for a 4 year olds birthday. I knew I would have no problem getting him on board with the orange cake since lately he asks for orange juice every time we go to the store. He loves raspberries so I decided to swap the cranberries for raspberries and once I proposed this cake flavor to him he was all about it.
Our lemon cake is one of my favorites, but I have to say I think I like the orange version better. The raspberries paired perfectly with the orange cake and these flavors togehter would work for any time of the year. The cake was a huge hit at the party! Excited to make this orange cake again and try different variations of it and we will most definitely try it with cranberries! We hope you love this cake flavor as much as we do. If you make it we would love to hear what you think. Comment below or tag us in your posts.
Orange Raspberry Cake
Ingredients
For the Orange Raspberry Cake
- 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour spoon & leveled
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened but still cool
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tbsp orange zest*
- 1/2 cup orange juice*
- 2 cups frozen or fresh raspberries
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
For the Raspberry Orange Compote
- 2 cups frozen or fresh raspberries
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp orange juice*
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
For the Orange Raspberry Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray three 6″ cake pans with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high until creamed (about 1 minute). Scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Add both sugars and beat until creamed (about 2 minutes).
- Add the eggs and vanilla and beat on medium until combined. Scrape down the bowl.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients while beating on low speed.
- Add the buttermilk, orange zest and orange juice. Mix on the lowest speed to fully combine, but don’t overmix.
- In a small bowl, toss the raspberries with the one tablespoon of flour (this will prevent the raspberries from sinking to the bottom). Fold the raspberries into the batter.
- Divide batter between prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (It took our 6 inch cakes about 35 minutes)
For the Raspberry Orange Compote
- Add all ingredients to a sauce pan and stir together.
- Bring to a boil and allow to boil for 5 minutes. Stir often to keep from burning.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Pour into a heat proof jar and cool completely.
To Assemble the Cake
- Trim the top of each cake to level as needed.
- Place first cake on cardboard round. Apply a layer of cream cheese buttercream and create a damn around the edge. Spoon on a thin layer of compote. Keep the compote about an inch from the edge of the cake.
- Add the next cake layer and repeat.
- Once the cake is fully stacked, crumb coat and chill in fridge for at least 30 minute. Frost and decorate as you please.
- Serve with any leftover compote if you desire.
Notes
Cream Cheese Buttercream
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter soft, but still cold
- 1 8 oz. package cream cheese
- 2½ tsp vanilla extract
- 5 cups powdered sugar measured then sifted
Instructions
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter.
- Add the cream cheese and vanilla and mix until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of bowl as needed.
- On low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar one cup at a time.
- Once fully incorporated, beat on high for a few minutes and then reduce the speed to low and mix for about 30 seconds to remove any air bubbles.
