Our contributor, Lauren Kapeluck of EllenJay Events, is back with a delicious new recipe….
It might only be May but the ice cream man has been driving down my street for well over a month now. Every time I hear his musical truck all I can think about are drumsticks, ice cream sandwiches and popsicles. It reminds me that the warm weather is here to stay and it’s time to start stocking my freezer full of cool summer treats! So thank you Mr. Ice Cream Man for inspiring me to create these Creamsicle Cupcakes based off of one of my all time favorite popsicle treats.
I took a shortcut with this recipe and used a vanilla box mix as the base, but don’t worry it is packed full of all kinds of orange citrus goodness that you won’t be able to tell once you take a bite. Orange juice and orange zest are used in both the cake and cream cheese icing which really creates a lovely refreshing citrus taste. These cupcakes are really moist and super light, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself eating more than one at a time.
To decorate I wanted to mimic the traditional Creamsicle popsicle so I used an apple corer to remove the center of the cupcake and added a white cream cheese filling. Orange cream cheese frosting was swirled on top and then one more dollop of white cream cheese icing was added to the center.
These cupcakes would be perfect for a summer pool party or a citrus theme birthday bash. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream along side and you’ve got one yummy treat!
CREAMSICLE CUPCAKES
recipe by Lauren Kapeluck
(makes 24)
For the Cupcakes:
1 box white cake mix (dry)
3oz box orange gelatin (dry)
Eggs
Oil
Water
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp orange extract
1 tsp orange zest
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with cupcake liners.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine dry cake mix and dry orange gelatin.
- Measure out the water, using the amount shown on the cake mix box. Do NOT pour it into the mixing bowl yet! First, remove 1/4 cup of the water and replace it with 1/4 cup orange juice. Now pour it into the mixing bowl.
- Add in eggs and oil, using the exact amounts shown on the cake mix box.
- Add in orange extract and orange zest.
- Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes until well combined. Scrape sides of bowl as necessary.
- Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Let cupcakes cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks to finish cooling.
- Once cupcakes are completely cool, hollow out the center using an apple corer.
For the Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
5 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon orange extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange zest
orange food coloring
- In bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy.
- Gradually add in confectioner’s sugar 1 cup at a time and beat well, scraping down sides of bowl.
- Add extracts and mix well for about 2 minutes.
- Remove 1 cup of icing and set aside. This will be used as white cream center inside the cupcakes.
- Add orange zest to the remaining icing. Add orange food coloring, one drop at a time, until you reach the desired shade of orange.
To Assemble Cupcakes:
- Spoon white frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Spoon orange frosting into a seperate piping bag fitted with a large round tip.
- Fill center of each cupcake with white frosting.
- Use orange frosting and swirl around the center of the cupcake two times. Fill the inside of the swirl with a dollop of white frosting.
For the Flag Cupcake Toppers:
Orange Washi Tape
Toothpicks
Scissors
Cut a two inch piece of tape. Wrap tape around a toothpick and align ends of tape together. Press to seal with toothpick inside. Make a V cut on the end to create flag points. Insert into cupcakes.
YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY:
Tessa’s Creamsicle Cake
My Pineapple Upside-Down Cupcakes
My Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes
My Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes
My Apple Pie Cupcakes
My Honey Cupcakes
What is the recipe for the filling inside? Is it the icing recipe minus the orange?
Yes, the recipe for the filling inside the cupcake is the cream cheese frosting recipe, just without the orange zest and food coloring. I reserved about a cup before I tinted the frosting to save for the filling.
Thanks for sharing, love it !!! Will definetly try this.
Hugs, Laura
Please, can you tell me if the substitution of 1/4 cup of orange juice is to replace the total amount of water, or if it is a partial amount along with the remaining amount of water? Thanks so much. I can’t wait to make these!
The orange juice substitution is only to replace 1/4 cup of the water with orange juice, you still need to use the remaining amount of water that the box calls for. The box mix I used called for 1 1/4 cups water so I used 1/4 cup orange juice and 1 cup of water.
I absolutely love creamsicles, Lauren, so this has got to be a winner! I’ve already pinned it on my Creamsicles & Orangesicles Board.
Those look and sound delicious!! Yum!!
These sound so yummy and would perfectly match the colors for my son’s 1st bday party! Where did you find that adorable tape for the flags??
You can find cute washi tape at your favorite craft store. If you’re an online shopper, there’s a link in the supply list above. Hope that helps!
Is orange gelatin the same as orange jello?
Yes, it is!
The cupcakes are really good! Do they have to be refrigerated?
Yes, they are best kept in the refrigerator due to the cream cheese icing. Best enjoyed at room temperature.
Can these cupcakes be made in advance then iced on the day of?
These look amazing. I didnt see though where you used the orange gelatin in the recipe?
Lauren adds the orange gelatin at step #2 for the cupcakes. Happy Baking!
I will definitely have to try these out. Thank you so much for your excellent recipes!
I made these for my great-granddaughter’s 2nd Birth!day party, & people are still raving about them! They were some of the best I’ve ever tasted! Will be making these again!
Wonderful, glad you liked them!
Reading the responses to these cupcakes and I am glad to hear they are getting favorable comments, my daughter’s birthday is coming up and wanted to try to make something different for the kids, so I will be trying these out as part of the sweets table.
I made these for my little boy’s first birthday party. They are amazing! I will be making them again. Thanks for sharing!
So cute! Can I make the frosting without cream cheese? What would I substitute? (Picky eaters!!)
Your ingredients include 3 oz box orange gelatin, is that just the powder?
Just add the dry orange gelatin powder to the dry cake mix in step 2. Happy Baking!
I suppose you could throw the box in too … but why ..??
Fiber… LOL
After digging out from under a total of about 2 ft of snow (with more on the way) we could all use some summer and since that is months away, I will be making these to at least bring part of the daydream to life! Thank you for sharing!!!
How can I print this without using 20 sheets of paper?
We’re working on a better print option for you! In the meantime, please use your browser to print. Then select only the pages with the recipe (pages 5,6).
Hope that helps!
HOW do I print this recipe WHERE is the print it button! I love orange cream anything!
milkshakes, doughnuts…..
We’re working on a better print option for you! In the meantime, please use your browser to print. Then select only the pages with the recipe (pages 5,6).
Hope that helps!
Do I add the orange gelatin with the cake batter mix? I want to try these !!!
Lauren adds the orange gelatin at step #2 for the cupcakes. Happy Baking!
Use a whole five cups of sugar for the frosting?
Yes, five cups of confectioner’s sugar. AKA powdered sugar.
These look delicious! I am thinking this would make a great bundt-type cake instead of cupcakes. I would just omit the filling piece and ice the cake with the orange, cream-cheese frosting. Would that work? Thanks!
We have not tested this recipe as a bundt cake, but it sounds delicious.
You need to reword the water part. Now I have 24 crappy cupcakes.
Omg you’re so rude. Sorry, but I read the other comments until I got to yours. She stated in a previous comment about the water/oj. Take the time to read before making a comment 🙂 would have saved you the trouble and 24 “crappy” cupcakes.
Amazing, these cupcakes look so delicious
Do you think i a whipped cream frosting would be good with these instead of the creme cheese? I dont mind cream cheese frosting but would prefer another option if possoble.
These cupcakes look delicious!
Thanks for taking the time to respond 🙂
Sure, you could certainly swap the cream cheese frosting for a traditional buttercream frosting or stabilized whipped cream.
I made these tonight for a bake sale, and they are delicious! I love anything orange, and these are perfect.
I don’t have an apple corer so tried to just cut out a piece with a small knife. When it didn’t work well on the first two, I didn’t want to mess any more cupcakes up, so I just piped the orange frosting on then piped a quarter-sized circle over the center. To decorate them, I cut candy orange slices in half (the whole ones were overpowering in size) and placed them just off center of the white frosting. They look great!
Thank you for a great recipe!
Way to improvise Sharon! Love the addition of the candy orange slices!
Oh how I wish we could attach a picture. Made these this weekend for my mom’s birthday. They turned out fabulous!! I had to divide my time, so made the cupcakes on Saturday and did the icing on Sunday. They turned out fabulous!! And they taste exactly like a creamsicle! The cupcakes turned out perfect, and since I didn’t have an apple corer, I used my Bismark icing tip, the usual round one for the main frosting and then for a touch of pizazz I used a large flower tip for the top white piece. Cannot wait to see what mom thinks! And did I mention then turned out fabulous?!?!?
Thanks for the feedback Rhonda! We’d love to see a photo of your cupcakes – post it on Instagram and tag @thecakeblog!
Fabulous recipe. It was great. I tried it and loved it. Will be thinking of making the frosting my permanent frosting recipe. It was magnificent, just sweet enough. The cream cheese definitely adds a little something extra to the recipe. Thanks for this.
Awesome, glad you liked them Pedro!
Thanks for the yummy recipe! It is all of my friends’ favorites and most requested bring over treat. Has anyone tried to convert this into a cake instead of cupcakes? Would it be the same recipe just with frosting layers instead of piped in and on top?
I think it would be easier as a cake, personally. Don’t get me wrong, its very cute but time consuming. I think 2 round pans with white cream cheese frosting in the middle and the orange food coloring frosting outside and decorate as desired, maybe some candied oranges or even dollops of whipped cream on the outer edge or a design if you have Wilton tips and pastry bag. Good luck! Show us how it turns out:)
We have not tested this recipe as a cake, but it sounds delicious!
These look great. I do something similar but its orange jello cake with cool whip. I’ve never heard of putting gelatin powder IN a cake mix? Sorry some of you guys cupcakes didn’t turn out but I thought her directions were really clear, some of you obviously don’t bake a lot lol
I was expecting a lot more from a website called The Cake Blog, than using cake mix. Disappointing.
We’re happy to provide recipes for bakers of all skill levels! These cupcakes are a great option for those who are okay using a mix. We also have a from-scratch Creamsicle Cake recipe for those who want to take it to the next level. You can find that one here:
https://thecakeblog.com/2015/05/orange-creamsicle-cake.html
Made these tonight! They were DELICIOUS!
About how many cupcakes does this make?
This recipe makes 24 cupcakes. Enjoy!
Someone asked this earlier but I don’t think the question was answered. Am I supposed to make the gelatin or am I only supposed to use the gelatin poweder?
Just add the dry orange gelatin powder to the dry cake mix in step 2.
Do you use the juice from the orange or buy orange juice?
Either will work Brittany!
How many eggs do you use?
Hi Katie! You add in the eggs and oil using the exact amounts shown on your cake mix box.
Frosting FYI – Couldn’t find my food coloring (moved recently). Store didn’t have primary colors. I used orange Kool-Aid instead. I knew you could use it to dye easter eggs and hair so I thought, why not? I think it gave it an extra punch of orange flavor too. Was a big hit. 🙂
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing Reema!
I would love to make these for my daughter’s birthday, her colors are orange and purple (I’ll put a candy pumpkin on each). In your intro, you say you used Vanilla cake, but the recipe says white cake. Which type of cake mix did you use and which do you recommend for the best taste? Thank you!
Either will work well! But I believe Lauren used a white cake mix for this post. Happy Baking!
This ice cream takes me back to my childhood days. I can’t wait to try these out. Is it best to keep them in a cool place rather than in the sun, to prevent the topping from melting? Other than that I will be trying out this recipe!
Store these in the refrigerator for best results. Bring them out an hour or so before serving so they come back to room temperature. The flavors are best at room temp!
What do I do if I want to make the vanilla cake part from scratch? would I add the gelatin to the flour mix before adding the wet ingredients?
You can find our from-scratch Creamsicle Cake recipe here.
This was delicious Carrie. I made it as a 13×9 cake and topped it with the frosting. I did not keep out the plain frosting because I did not fill it. Made the frosting as stated with the color and frosted the cake. Big hit at work. Thank you for such an easy and delicious recipe. I love orange flavoring anything! Thanks again
Glad it was a hit! Thanks for the feedback!!
Your recipe doesn’t mention how many eggs. Looking to make this for a baby shower next week!
The eggs and oil are determined based on your cake mix. Use the exact amounts shown on the cake mix box.
How many eggs does this call for? Forgive me if I looked over it.
The eggs and oil are determined based on your cake mix. Use the exact amounts shown on the box.
Has anyone tried replacing all the water with orange juice? Is there a reason this can’t be done? I would think that would add additional orange flavor but since baking is so much chemistry I don’t know if there is a reason this won’t work. Also, I usually prefer juice with the pulp. Can the juice with pulp be used or does the pulp not work well in the cupcake? Just curious about these things before I make these. I used to absolutely positively LOVE creamsicles as a kid (still do by the way) and also enjoyed orange soda although not as much as strawberry pop or better yet, cream soda. I still want to know why cream soda was clear like water when I was a kid and now its a light cola color. No one has ever been able to tell me why the change. Anyway, I cannot WAIT to make these. I’ve never come across anyone who didn’t like an orange creamsicle as a kid or even now.
Easy to make, great taste and popular with church members.
Is this frosting firm enough to use for piping?
If you find your frosting too loose, continue to add powdered sugar. That will help stiffen it up! Hope this helps!
I made this cupcakes a few months back and they were delicious!!! I brought them to a party and people went nuts over them. I am going to make them again tomorrow. I found that the white icing in the center was not much different from the orange frosting, so this time I will reserve one cup of frosting then a orange extract and zest. Love this recipe thanks for sharing.
I just made a variation of these. I used raspberry jello but still used orange juice. When I made the frosting, i filled the cakes with the vanilla cream then added the zest added some orange juice and orange oil and about a cup more powdered sugar. They are a hit!
My dads 51st birthday is tomorrow, and he LOVES orange flavored cake and creamsicles. I am making these as I type. The batter tasted amazing so I know the cupcakes will taste just as amazing. I cannot wait for the family to get a look at my handy work!