18 Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes

So for three weeks now, I have promised my handbell choir cupcakes. We practice on a Wednesday, and because of a necessary work schedule switch, I had this Tuesday off. It was the perfect chance to bake these for them.

A few things for when you're grocery shopping for these cupcakes: First, the recipe calls for citrus olive oil. I couldn't find it at the three grocery stores I looked at, so I just used regular olive oil. Also, you need 1/4 cup of orange juice. I bought these giant oranges. They took forever to zest for the batter, but they had the perfect amount of juice. If you buy smaller oranges, you might want to have some orange juice on hand just in case you don't get enough fresh stuff. When you beat the butter, sugar, and oil, check that the butter doesn't clump up on the beater. Even though it takes a long time, zest the whole orange. It's what really gives your cupcakes that orange kick. Be careful not to get orange seeds in the fresh squeezed juice. My hands turned orange from juicing them. Proof they paint the oranges! When you alternate adding the dry ingredients with the milk and orange juice mixture, make sure that you scrape the bowl after each time you add the dry ingredients. This comes up in a lot of recipes. I add the dry ingredients, mix it for a little, then scrape the bowl, and mix it again. This batter ends up on the thicker side. It's just how I like it to be. It makes perfectly domed cupcakes. They were so pretty when they came out of the oven. They only stayed in for 3 extra minutes until they were fully done.

The cake batter even looks orange!

The second part of these cupcakes is a marshmallow creme filling. The creme itself is super easy to make. After I read the recipe, I was expecting it to be runnier, but it's just like a fluffier, airier version of marshmallow fluff. To cut the cones into the tops of the cupcakes, I used an apple corer. I didn't use my cupcake corer because, for these cupcakes, you're not really looking to fill your them. So instead, I just dug into the tops of each cupcake with the apple corer tilted at an angle. I dumped out all the extra crumbs, so there was as much space as possible to hold the creme. The recipe also warns not to add too much. I used to teaspoon to scoop up some filling, and a second spoon to scrape it off the first and into the cupcakes. There were little mountains of fluff on the top of the cupcakes and it all worked out just fine.

For the icing, I put the butter into the mixer with the whisk attachment. I cranked it up of high and then loaded the dishwasher. It was the perfect amount of time to make the butter really fluffy. I only used the juice from half of the orange. If you use more, you'll have to add more powdered sugar. Simple enough. The color was more on the yellowy side. Next time I make these, I'll add orange food color just for the effect.

I was really sceptical about these. I'm not really big on zest in my cupcakes. There's just something off about the texture of it. These were not zesty at all. When I first took a bite, you definitely got the orange flavor. It wasn't overwhelming. The cake was the perfectly dense and airy at the same time. Then after that, you get the creamy taste from the filling. It doesn't taste like marshmallows at all. These cupcakes would be excellent for a summertime. Bring on the sunshine!

Cupcake Ingredients
1/2 c unsalted butter
2 Tbsp citrus olive oil
1 c sugar
2 Tbsp vanilla
2 eggs
zest of 1 orange
2 c all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c heavy cream
1/4 c orange juice, freshly squeezed

Cupcake How to
1. Preheat the oven to 350 and line muffin pans
2. Combine butter, olive oil, and sugar and mix on medium high speed for about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs and mix about one more minute until well incorporated. Stir in orange zest.
3. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
4. Separately combine heavy cream and orange juice.
5. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by 1/2 of the cream mixture and repeat, finishing with the flour. Mix until just incorporated after each addition.
6. Scoop batter into prepared liners, filling them about 2/3 full. Bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Cool in pans about 5 minutes and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Don't be too worried about adding
too much creme filling

Marshmallow Creme Filling Ingredients
7 oz marshmallow fluff
1/2 c unsalted butter

Marshmallow Creme Filling How to
1. Cut the butter into small pieces and add the fluff in a mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
2. Cut a small cone shape into the tops of each cupcake and spoon cream into the wells, allowing the cream to puddle on top slightly (Don't add too much, when you add the butter cream, it will cause the cream to move out toward the edges)

Orange Butter cream Ingredients
1/2 c unsalted butter
1/8-1/4 c orange juice, freshly squeezed
zest of 1 orange
1/4 tsp vanilla
4 c powdered sugar

Orange Butter cream How to
1. Beat the butter on medium, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add orange juice, zest, and vanilla and mix until well combined.
2. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing until incorporated to reach the desired consistency. Whip on medium high speed for about 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy.
3. Transfer to a piping bag fitting with desired tip and pipe on the cupcakes.


from homeiswheretheholmansare.blogspot.com