I have used extracts in my frosting before... but for a boxed chocolate cake mix... if I wanted to add orange extract... how much should I use?

You may want to sub orange juice for some of the water as well as add 1-2 tsp extract...

darn, I don't have any... I thought of that after I came back from the store.

ok so I used just the extract and it came out perfect... not overpowering what so ever! yay me!

I always start small - add 1/2 teaspoon, and taste the batter. Something like almond or peppermint is really strong to me so you don't want to put too much in - orange or lemon is less aggressive so you can use more.

With an orange-chocolate cake, you may want to substitute a couple tablespoons of orange liquor like triple sec or Gran Marnier - REALLY good!

I make a vanilla base cake with Gran Marnier, orange extract, and a touch of cinnamon, then frost with chocolate. It's outstanding!

That sounds yummy too! I never thought about liquors... I do have some mini bottle of that one liquor with rasberry and it's round... geez, I can't remember it now... but that might be good in a chocolate cake mix. hmmm... I think I know what I am making for my bday. lol

CHAMBOURD!!!!
That's the one I was thinking of... lol. Could you use liquors in frosting? I would think so, but wanted to see if anyone else had any pointers on that.

Absolutely you can use liquor in frosting - my amaretto buttercream wouldn't be amaretto buttercream without the....well, you get the idea.

In both cakes (and other baking) and frostings, you can just substitute some liquor for some of the other liquids in the recipes. With some recipes that don't have added liquids (think cookies), you can usually add about 2 tablespoons without upsetting the balance, but you will need to experiment with that. Keep in mind though that if you bake the liquor, you loose a lot of the "punch" of flavor - you will have more liquor flavor if you brush it on the baked cake afterwards. It depends on how intense you want the flavor to be.

Depending on what you're making, how much you are adding, and how sweet the liquor is, you may also have to adjust your sugar. <y bittersweet chocolate mousse recipe calls for 1/3 cup of water, which I liberally replace with all sorts of things. I made it with Chambord once and it was WAY too sweet - I have to remember to not use much sugar if I'm going to do that.

Thanks HerBoudoir! Very useful info... I have thought about brushing flavorings on my cakes, but always wondered how exactly to do that. Is there like a "simple syrup" type recipe to use? I have so much to learn... I wish I could just go work in a bakery to learn all these things... it's overwhelming since I want to learn so much! lol