Orange cupcakes
These simple orange cupcakes with orange buttercream use real oranges to bring a lovely fresh zesty flavour. An easy recipe for light and fluffy cupcakes kids and beginner bakers will enjoy making (and eating!)
Orange cupcakes use real oranges to bring a fresh, citrus flavour to our favourite easy cupcakes. With a zesty orange cupcake and orange buttercream made with real orange juice they’re a great, easy bake for kids or beginner bakers.
We love making cupcakes -they’re one of my kid’s favourite things to bake and it’s fun to play with different flavours. Lemon cupcakes are probably a more commonly thought of cupcake flavour but the subtle orange flavour these orange cupcakes is equally tempting.
How can kids help make orange cupcakes?
As with all cupcake recipes there are a lot of simple steps for kids to get involved with. They can help measure and mix everything together and spoon the batter into the cases.
Other jobs little ones might enjoy includes squeezing the orange to make the juice for the orange buttercream.
It’s also fun to decorate cupcakes. Let your kids have a go at piping the icing on top of each cupcake (guide their hands if you need to). If piping is too tricky for younger children or toddlers give them the sprinkles and put them in charge of the finishing touches.
What can I use if I don’t have self raising flour?
If you don’t have any self raising flour, you can swap it for an equal amount of plain or all-purpose flour and add an extra 1 ¼ tea spoon of baking powder.
How long do orange cupcakes keep?
These cupcakes will keep in an airtight container for a few days. If you want to keep them for longer, wrap them well before you add the orange frosting and put them in a freezer bag. They’ll keep in the freezer for a few months.
Defrost them fully then add the frosting, serve and enjoy.
What else can you make with oranges?
If you liked these orange cupcakes, you might also like our orange biscuits, orange sponge cake, or no bake orange cheesecake. They’re a great way of using up more oranges if there are a few left over in your pack.
Other fun cupcakes for kids
If you and your kids love making cupcakes, check out some of our other easy cupcake recipes below:
Chocolate chip cupcakes
Nutella cupcakes
Chocolate cupcakes
Vanilla cupcakes
Butterfly cupcakes
Funfetti cupcakes
Strawberry cupcakes
Rainbow cupcakes
Monster cupcakes
Black Forest cupcakes
Eton mess cupcakes
Ice cream cone cupcakes
Lemon drizzle cupcakes
Useful equipment
You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make these orange cupcakes
Muffin tin
Cupcake cases
Digital scales
Freestanding mixer
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Lemon juicer
Lemon zester
Spatula
Icecream scoop
Piping bag
Wire rack
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Ingredients
For the orange cupcakes
3 eggs
150g (1 ¼ cup) self raising flour*
150g (¾ cup) caster sugar
150g (2/3 cup) butter or margarine
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 orange, zested
For the frosting
250g (2 cups) icing/confectioners sugar
80g (1/3 cup) butter
2/3 tbsp orange juice (about ½ an orange)
Sprinkles and food colouring (optional)
* If you don’t have and self raising flour, use an equal amount of plain or all purpose flour with an extra 1 ¼ tsp of baking powder.
How to make orange cupcakes
Preheat your oven to 180C / 170C Fan / 350F and prepare your muffin tin.
Get your kids to line a muffin tin with paper or silicon cupcake cases.
Mix everything together
Get your kids to add everything to a large mixing bowl or free-standing mixer. It doesn’t matter what order you do it in but if you follow the order of the ingredients you’re less likely to miss something.
Start with eggs and get your kids to crack them into a small bowl before adding them to your mixing bowl. We always do this just in case any shell goes in (which it often does). When it does, simply fish it out with a larger piece of shell – it will stick to that more easily that your finger.
Next, weigh out the flour, sugar and butter and add that to your mixing bowl. If your butter isn’t soft enough, pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to make it easier to mix, but not long enough to melt it.
Get your kids to weigh the baking powder. Make sure they level the top of the ½ tea spoon with their finger so you’re adding just the right amount.
Now add the vanilla extract. If your kids are very young you might need to hold the spoon while they pour the vanilla in or vice versa. Older children should be able to do this themselves.
Finally, get your kids to zest the orange, either with a zester or the small edge of a grater. Only let them do this if they are old enough and be sure to keep little fingers safe.
Mix everything together with the k-paddle attachment of your free-standing mixer or a hand held mixer or ever a wooden spoon.
Mix it until it is well combined without any big lumps. Scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl with a spatula to catch any hidden bits of flour.
Bake the orange cupcakes
Spoon the cupcake mixture into the cupcake cases. If you let your kids do the first dollop (sometimes an ice-cream scoop gives the perfect amount,) you can even out the amount in each case to make sure they are all roughly the same. You should end up with each cupcake case being about ¾ full.
Bake the orange cupcakes for 16-20 minutes. They’re ready when they have risen and turned a nice golden brown colour. A skewer or sharp knife inserted in the middle should come out clean.
Remove them from the oven and leave them to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then put them on a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorate the orange cupcakes
Make the orange buttercream icing by weighing out the icing sugar and butter and adding them to a free-standing mixer or large mixing bowl. Your butter needs to soft so if it’s not pop it in the microwave for a few seconds until it’s soft, but not melted.
Cover your mixer with a tea towel to stop the mess then slowly mix the butter and icing sugar with the k-paddle attachment of your free-standing mixer, or a hand held mixer. Once the icing sugar has started to mix in with the butter you can turn the speed up.
Get your kids to juice your orange, then add 2-3 table spoons of the juice to your icing.
Mix the butter icing for at least five minutes – the longer you do it for the lighter and fluffier it will become. You can also add a drop of orange food colouring to your icing if you like.
Put the icing in a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle. We also find it helpful to put a food bag clip on the top end so you don’t have to worry about the icing falling out the wrong way.
Get your kids to swirl icing on to each of the cupcakes. We normally start on the outside and go round until we reach the middle. If your kids haven’t piped before, get them to hold the bag and squeeze at the top with one hand and guide the piping bag with their other hand.
Add some sprinkles or candied orange decorations. This is a good job for younger children if they want to be involved but can’t manage the piping.
Serve and enjoy.
Orange cupcakes
Equipment
- Muffin tin
- Cupcake cases
- Digital scales
- Freestanding mixer
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Lemon juicer
- Lemon zester
- Spatula
- Icecream scoop
- Piping bag
- Wire rack
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 150 g (1 ¼ cup) self raising flour*
- 150 g (¾ cup) caster sugar
- 150 g (⅔ cup) butter or margarine
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 orange zested
For the frosting
- 250 g (2 cups) icing/confectioners sugar
- 80 g (⅓ cup) butter
- 2/3 tbsp orange juice about ½ an orange
- Sprinkles and food colouring optional
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 180C / 170C Fan / 350F and line a muffin tin with cupcake cases.
Mix everything together
- Add everything (eggs, butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, vanilla extract and orange zest) to a large mixing bowl or free-standing mixer.
- Mix everything together with the k-paddle attachment of your free-standing mixer or a hand held mixer or ever a wooden spoon. Mix it until it is well combined without any big lumps.
Bake the orange cupcakes
- Spoon the cupcake mixture into the cupcake cases. You should end up with each cupcake case being about ¾ full.
- Bake the orange cupcakes for 16-20 minutes. They're ready when they have risen and turned a nice golden brown colour. A skewer or sharp knife inserted in the middle should come out clean.
- Remove them from the oven and leave them to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then put them on a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorate the orange cupcakes
- Make the orange buttercream icing by weighing out the icing sugar and butter and adding them to a free-standing mixer or large mixing bowl. Slowly mix the butter and icing sugar with the k-paddle attachment of your free-standing mixer, or a hand held mixer. Once the icing sugar has started to mix in with the butter you can turn the speed up.
- Juice the orange, then add 2-3 table spoons of the juice to your icing.Mix the butter icing for at least five minutes – the longer you do it for the lighter and fluffier it will become. You can also add a drop of orange food colouring to your icing if you like.
- Put the icing in a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle. Swirl icing on to each of the cupcakes.Add some sprinkles or candied orange decorations.
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Dawn says
Delicious and light 😎