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5 from 2 votes
orange cake with orange buttercream frosting and cranberry drip
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Orange Cake with Cranberry Drip
Prep Time
1 hr 30 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Cooling Time
1 hr
Total Time
3 hrs 15 mins
 

Layers of Moist Orange Deliciousness with a Creamy Buttercream Frosting, Balanced in a Cranberry Glaze … The Holiday Cake of your Dreams …!!

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apricot cake, cranberry, orange cake, thanksgiving
Servings: 8
Author: Akhila
Ingredients
For the orange cake
  • 1¾ cup flour
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¾ cup softened unsalted butter
  • 1½ cup Florida Crystals® Organic Raw Cane Sugar
  • 2 eggs at room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ cup milk
  • ¼ cup orange juice
  • Zest of one large orange
For the orange buttercream filling and crumb coat
  • 1½ cup softened unsalted butter
  • 1½ cup Florida Crystals® Organic Powdered Raw Cane Sugar sifted
  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp orange juice
For the cranberry drip
  • 1 cup cranberry
  • ½ cup Florida Crystals® Organic Raw Cane Sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 cup Florida Crystals® Organic Powdered Raw Cane Sugar sifted + more
For the sugar coated cranberries
  • 1 cup cranberries
  • 2 tbsp + ¼ cup Florida Crystals® Organic Raw Cane Sugar
  • 2 tbsp water
Decoration
  • Orange swirls
  • Freshly sliced oranges
  • Sugar coated cranberries
Instructions
For the cake
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Line three 6-inch pans with parchment paper, apply butter to the pan and set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients by sifting flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar, beat until combined.
  5. Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by adding vanilla extract and zest of one orange.
  6. Add the dry ingredients in 2 sets alternating with milk and beat until they combine well.
  7. Add orange juice and give the batter a one last beat on low or until mixed well. The cake batter will be slightly dense.
  8. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 30-35 mins until a toothpick or a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 15-20 mins.
  9. Unmold the cakes carefully to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely.
For the filling and crumb coat
  1. Beat butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar and 1 tbsp orange juice, beat until it turns out smooth.
  2. Add 1 tsp or more orange juice as needed for desired consistency. Make sure your frosting is not runny or too thick, it should be spreadable.
  3. If the frosting seems loose, refrigerate it for some time to thicken.
  4. For the sugar coated cranberries
  5. In a saucepan, combine 2 tbsp sugar with water and cook on a medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.
  6. Add the cranberries into the saucepan and stir to coat them well in the sugar syrup.
  7. Transfer the cranberries onto a wire rack and allow them to cool for 30- 45 minutes.
  8. In a small bowl, take the remaining ¼ cup sugar and roll the cooled sticky cranberries in it until they are sugar coated properly. You can also do this in batches to carefully coat each one of them.
Assembling the cake
  1. Level the top surface of all the cakes by shaving off the uneven portions.
  2. Place your cake base on a turntable / cake stand.
  3. Apply a little frosting on the center of the cake base and spread. This helps the cake to stay tight and not slide off.
  4. Place the bottom cake on the center on the cake base.
  5. Apply a thin layer of frosting on top of the cake in the center and level it leaving ½ inch gap from the edges of the cake.
  6. Place the middle layer cake on top and press gently so that the excess frosting oozes out of the sides, if any.
  7. Repeat step 5.
  8. Place the third/final cake upside down on top of the frosting, so that the flat bottom of the cake faces upwards. Gently press and apply a thin layer of frosting on top of the third cake. Using a spatula, level the top and the oozed out frosting around the sides of the cake to form a thin and evenly covered crumb coating.
  9. Refrigerate 30 minutes for the crumb coating and filling to set properly.
  10. Now apply the final coat of frosting on top and around the cake, starting from the bottom to the top. Scrape down the excess frosting using a scraper. Refrigerate for another 30 minutes before pouring the cranberry drip.
For the cranberry drip
  1. In a medium saucepan, cook cranberries with cane sugar, lemon juice and water.
  2. Cook until the cranberries pop open, and then lightly mash them so that it turns into a thick sauce. Switch off the flame, strain the sauce and keep aside.
  3. In a separate bowl, add the powdered sugar and mix the strained sauce 1 tbsp at a time and whisk well. Repeat until it forms a thick pourable glaze. If the glaze turns out thick, add the leftover sauce if any or water to thin it out. And if thin, add more powdered sugar to thicken the glaze.
  4. Pour the glaze over the cake and allow it to fall through the edges to create that drip effect.
  5. Decorate the cake with sugar coated cranberries, orange swirls, orange slices if desired.
Notes

1. If your cake feels dry or crumbly after baking, brush some simple sugar syrup over the cake to retain it moistness and texture.
2. Grease your pan properly to avoid any cracks or holes in your cake. This helps the cake to slide through the sides of the pan easily.
3. Pick the cake with the prettiest bottom for your topmost layer. Use the ones with cracks or holes for the middle or bottom layers.
4. Decorate the cake after placing on a turntable.
5. Use a strong/sturdy scraper to scrape down the excess frosting from the sides of the cake.
6. Refrigerate the crumb coated and fully frosted stages of cake to set properly. You can even bake the cake in advance and frost the next day to manage time.