I found this recipe on Pinterest (where else?) & love all things orange creamsicle so I thought I would give it a go! It did not disappoint, though honestly, I could do without the icing. I did icing from a can (yep, went the easy way out) & it's just to sweet for me. I should have actually made my own, but I haven't found one that I just love yet either.
I used this recipe from Cooking Classy & should have tried her buttercream icing. I will do it soon though & maybe it's the one I should have been using all along!
I had a helper {please excuse her look - it was a lazy, stay in pjs all day, kind of Sunday}.
She helped whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt.
{Please note: Honey Bunches of Oats, Diet Coke & Similac are not part of this recipe. I usually clean up before baking, but decided against that. Hubby did not put away his cereal (or his Coke) & this little guy gets hungry during our baking experience.}
Such a cute little guy to be watching us, huh?
Using an electric hand mixer set on medium-high speed, I went to blending together butter, granulated sugar and orange zest until pale and fluffy, about 3 - 4 minutes. But wait! No orange zest. I am a very novice cook/baker, so I do not have a zester (yes, I know - go to Target & buy one Toni! It's just not on my mind when I head to Target). So, I substituted extra orange extract for this. 1.5 tbsp of orange zest = 3/4 tsp of orange extract
Mix in eggs one at time, blending until combine after each addition.
Measure out cream into a liquid measuring cup, stir in orange juice, orange extract and vanilla extract. Helper wanted to stir...
So fluffy!
Divide batter among 14 paper lined muffin cups, filling each cup 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven 23 - 25, rotating muffin tins once halfway through baking, until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool several minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Cool completely then frost with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting and garnish with an small orange slice if desired (just before serving).
Ta da! {I know, I need to work on my icing techniques! One reason why I am attempting cupcakes for no reason, as I'm hosting a baby shower at the beginning of April & am making cupcakes.}
I thought that they turned out pretty good & my daughter enjoyed them as well. Like I said, icing from a can is just too sweet for me (but this helps me not eat all of them too so that works for these "no reason" cupcakes). I think next weekend, I'll try to make my own icing instead & see how it works out. I will attempt the cupcakes that I am making for the shower to see how they turn out.
Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp finely grated orange zest (from about 1 1/2 oranges)
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 1/2 tsp orange extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Vanilla Buttercream Frosting*
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside. In a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer set on medium-high speed, blend together butter, granulated sugar and orange zest until pale and fluffy, about 3 - 4 minutes. Mix in eggs one at time, blending until combine after each addition. Measure out cream into a liquid measuring cup, stir in orange juice, orange extract and vanilla extract. With hand mixer set on low speed and working in 3 separate batches, blend in flour mixture alternating with cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing just until combine after each addition. Divide batter among 14 paper lined muffin cups, filling each cup 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven 23 - 25, rotating muffin tins once halfway through baking, until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool several minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Cool completely then frost with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting and garnish with an small orange slice if desired (just before serving). Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
- *If you want the pilled high amount of frosting then you will likely want to make about 3/4 of the Vanilla Buttercream recipe. If you don't want a ton of frosting then 1/2 of the recipe should be enough.
- Recipe source: cupcake recipe - adapted from Martha Stewart, buttercream frosting - Cooking Classy
My Favorite Fluffy Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature (3 sticks)*
- 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 Tbsp heavy cream
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (use clear if desired)
Directions
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, using the paddle or whisk attachment whip butter on medium high speed (if using whisk attachment whip on high speed) until nearly white and very fluffy, about 7 - 8 minutes, frequently scrapping down the sides of the bowl. Add in powdered sugar, heavy cream and vanilla extract and mix on low speed until blended, then increase speed to medium and beat until very light and fluffy, about 5 - 6 minutes, frequently scraping down the sides of the bowl. Immediately spread over cooled cake or cupcakes.
- Note: if you want an alternate flavor of frosting, coconut or almond extract would be a great substitute for the vanilla extract, just add it to taste.
- *I like to break the rules of baking =), I use salted butter. I like how the salt in the butter balances out the sweetness and I don't like to add in salt myself because I feel like it doesn't have a chance to dissolve well enough since it's not heated. If you prefer unsalted then feel free to use that instead, although I'd recommend adding at least one cube salted butter then two unsalted, try it out you may just love it.
- Recipe Source: Cooking Classy
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