Tag Archives: frosting

Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes

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Naturally, when people think “birthday” shortly after they think “cake.” It’s like peanut butter and jelly, bread and butter, bacon and eggs – “birthday” and “cake” just go together!

“So what’s with all this birthday talk?” – you ask. Well, it was my brother’s birthday, and he requested a special treat: Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes. And hey, what goes better together?

Even if you’re turning 100, you’ll instantly go back in time to your younger youth, enjoying orange creamsicles in the summertime from the ice cream man up the street…What I’m saying is, no matter what your age, these cupcakes are just as fun as the real deal.

xoxo Rachel

CREAMSICLE CUPCAKES
recipe by Lauren Kapeluck
(makes 24)

For the cake:

1 box white cake mix (prepared as package directs, substitute 1/4 cup orange juice in place of water)
1 3oz box Orange gelatin
1 tsp orange extract
1 tsp orange zest

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with cupcake liners.
  2. In bowl of stand mixer combine all ingredients.
  3. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes until well combined. Scrape sides of bowl as necessary.
  4. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter.
  5. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
  6. Let cupcakes cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks to finish cooling.
  7. Once cupcakes are completely cool, hollow out the center using an apple corer.
  8. Fill centers with white cream cheese filling.
  9. Frost cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting.

 

For the icing:

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 8oz block of cream cheese, softened
5 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp orange extract
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp orange zest
orange food coloring

  1. In bowl of stand mixer beat butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy.
  2. Gradually add in confectioner’s sugar 1 cup at a time and beat well, scraping down sides of bowl.
  3. Add extracts and mix well for about 2 minutes.
  4. Reserve 1 cup of icing to be used as white cream center filling for cupcakes.
  5. Add orange zest and tint remaining icing with orange food coloring until you reach desired color.
  6. Place white and orange cream cheese icings into piping bags fitted with large round tips.
  7. Use orange cream cheese frosting and swirl around the center of the cupcake two times. Fill the inside of the swirl with a dollop of white cream cheese frosting.

Very Lemon, Lemon Cake

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My brother’s birthday was not too long ago, and he asked me to bake him a lemon cake. His request was simple – but in reality, I didn’t know where to begin!

Lemon cakes are not as popular as vanilla or chocolate cakes mostly because if they aren’t made properly they can taste either sickening sweet or horribly acidic. Neither was what I wanted for my brother’s lemon cake.

So what did I do? I used real lemons. Lots of freshly squeezed juice and zest made a real difference. The cake turned out beautiful and moist, and my brother was very pleased.

Very Lemon, Lemon Cake

Cake

2 3/4 cups cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 1/2 cups whole milk, at room temperature

1. Heat oven to 350F. Butter and flour two nine-inch cake pan rounds.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.
3. Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Beat in vanilla and lemon zest.
4. Reduce speed to low and beat in 1/3 the flour mixture. Beat in half the milk. Repeat until all are incorporated.
5. Give the batter a final stir with a rubber spatula and make sure everything is combined. Pour into pans. Bake 20-25 minutes. Let cool.

Lemon Curd Filling

7 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons heavy cream

Whisk egg yolks and whole eggs together in a medium nonreactive saucepan. Whisk in the granulated sugar until combined, then whisk in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt. Add remaining 4 tablespoons butter and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixtures thickens slightly and is 170 degrees. Strain mixture immediately into a nonreactive bowl and stir in the cream.

Fluffy Lemon Buttercream Frosting

  • 3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
  • 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick) softened
  • 1/4 cup of milk
  • 1 t vanilla
  • 1 T lemon zest (the rind of a lemon)
  • 2 T lemon juice
  • mix the butter, lemon zest and vanilla together, making sure all the lumps are gone.
  • add the milk, and quickly cream it into the butter mixture.
  • by the 1/2 cup, mix in the sugar.
  • once the sugar is all in the bowl, cream on “high” for two minutes. (I use this time to clean up)
  • mix in lemon juice.
  • spread heartily on cupcakes, and enjoy

xoxo Rachel