Orange Crush Cake Recipe

Round cake with white frosting and ring of mandarin slices around the top and bottom of the cake.

5 stars (4 reviews)

This outstanding Orange Crush Cake recipe uses citrus soda throughout, even in the buttercream frosting for a sweet, bright, and summery dessert that everyone loves!

Prep Time30

Cook Time25

Total Time55

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Southern

Servings: slices

Calories: 480kcal

Author: Sommer Collier

Ingredients

For the Orange Cake -

1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup unsalted butter softened
¼ cup vegetable oil
Zest of 1 orange
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups orange soda like Orange Crush!
Optional: orange food coloring.

For the Orange Frosting -

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup unsalted butter softened
6+ cups powdered sugar
¼ cup orange soda
Optional: orange slice gummy candies for decorating

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set out three 8-inch circular cake pans, or two 9-inch circular cake pans. *This cake can also be made in a 9 x 13 inch pan for a sheet cake version.
Set one cake pan on a sheet of parchment paper and trace the bottom of the pan, 2-3 times. Then cut out circles of parchment paper to fit neatly in the bottom of each cake pan. Once the parchment paper circles are in the pans, grease the sides of each pan.
For the orange cake batter: Set out an electric stand mixer. In the bowl, combine the sugar and softened butter. Beat on high to cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Then scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula, and add in the vegetable oil, orange zest, eggs, and vanilla extract. Beat on low to combine.
With the mixer on low, add in the baking powder and salt. Then alternate adding in the orange soda and flour until well combined and smooth. Turn the mixer off and scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula. Then mix again, for just 20 seconds, to make sure the batter is completely smooth with no clumps. *The batter will be a light orange color. If you prefer a brighter orange color, add 6 to 10 drops of orange food coloring, or 2 drops of red food coloring and 4-8 drops of yellow food coloring.
Scoop the batter evenly into the prepared baking pans. If baking 8 inch cakes, bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted directly in their center of the cake comes out clean. If baking 9 inch cakes, or a 9 x 13 inch cake, bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
Once the cakes are fully baked, move them to a cooling rack and allow them to cool in the pans for at least 15 minutes. Then carefully flip the cakes out of the pans onto the cooling rack and allow them to cool to room temperature.
Flash freeze: This step is optional, but very helpful for frosting the cake! Once the cakes are completely cool, place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and set in the freezer for one hour. This allows the cake layers to harden and makes it easier to level and frost them. The cake will then thaw after the cake is frosted.
For the frosting: Using a clean bowl for the electric stand mixer, add the heavy whipping cream to the bowl and fit a whip attachment to the mixer. Whip the heavy cream until very firm. Scoop the heavy cream out of the bowl and place in a holding bowl, for later use.
Then add the softened butter to the mixer. Beat on high to soften further, then add 3 cups of powdered sugar and the orange soda to the mixer. Beat on low until combined, then turn on high to mix well. One cup at a time, add the remaining 3 cups of powdered sugar to the frosting until it is firm and smooth.
Using a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the frosting to create a light airy texture.
To frost the cake: Place one cake on a cake plate or cake stand. Add a ¾ cup dollop of frosting to the cake layer and spread it out evenly. Then center the second cake on top of the first, and press down to level and smash the frosting out around the edges. If making a three-layer cake, repeat with additional frosting and the third cake. Then spread the frosting around the edges of the cake with a long flat spatula. Dollop the rest of the frosting on top of the cake and spread into an even layer. Continue to smooth out the sides until you are happy with the finished product.
If desired, decorate the edges of the cake with orange slice gummy candy. *In my photos, I cut the gummy candies in half because they were very thick.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. One hour before serving, set the cake out on the counter to soften. Although this frosting has whipped cream in the frosting, and does need to be refrigerated, all cakes taste best when they are at room temperature, because the texture is soft and tender.

Video

Notes

Storage: Loosely cover the cake and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. Again, be sure to let it set at room temperature for about 15 minutes to soften before slicing and serving.

If planning to freeze, I recommend freezing just the sponges without the orange frosting. Let the cakes cool, then wrap in a layer each of plastic wrap and aluminum foil. For the best protection, it also is a good idea to place them in a plastic zipper bag. They will keep well for up to 3 months in the freezer.

But you can also freeze the full cake, frosting and all! First, flash freeze the entire thing by placing it in the freezer uncovered for 1 hour. When the icing is firm, wrap the soda cake in layers of plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Thaw frozen cakes overnight in the fridge, or on the countertop for an hour or so.

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