🍊 Orange Dreamsicle Cake 🧁✨

A dreamy citrus cake layered with orange zest, tangy filling, and fluffy vanilla buttercream—perfect for celebrations!

Ingredients

For the Orange Cake Layers

• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour, sifted
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1¾ cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp finely grated orange zest
• 1¼ cups (300 ml) whole milk, room temperature
• ¼ cup (60 ml) fresh orange juice

For the Citrus Filling

• ½ cup (120 ml) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter

For the Vanilla Buttercream

• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 8 cups (960 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• ¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream or whole milk
• 2 tbsp pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt

Instructions

1. Bake Cake Layers: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour three 8-inch pans, line with parchment. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy (4–5 minutes). Beat in eggs one at a time, then vanilla and zest. Alternate adding dry mix with milk and orange juice. Divide batter into pans. Bake 22–26 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, then transfer to rack.
2. Prepare Citrus Filling: Whisk orange concentrate, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice in saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thickened and boiling. Boil 1 minute, remove from heat, whisk in butter. Chill until thick.
3. Make Buttercream: Beat butter until creamy (2 minutes). Gradually add sugar, mixing on low. Add cream, vanilla, and salt. Beat on medium-high 3–4 minutes until fluffy.
4. Assemble Cake: Place one cake layer on board. Spread thin buttercream, pipe a dam, fill with citrus filling. Repeat with second