Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes
Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes
The flavors of orange and vanilla are swirled into creamsicle perfection with these cupcakes. They are filled with a flavorful orange curd and topped with a sweet cream cheese frosting, making them perfectly balanced. You could make them for your next special occasion but why wait, make them now becasue they are just delicious!
Makes 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups (225g) Cake Flour
3/4 cup (140g) Cane Sugar
1 Tbsp Orange Zest (approx 1 orange)
1 cup (236ml) Plant Milk
1/3 cup (79ml) Neutral Oil
1 tsp (5ml) Vanilla
1 Tbsp (15g) Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
Filling
1 cup (236ml) Orange Juice (fresh or store bought) strained
1/4 cup (45g) Cane Sugar or more to taste
2 Tbsp (20g) Cornstarch
1/2 Tbsp (8g) Vegan Butter
1/2 tsp (2.5ml) Orange Extract
1/8 tsp Salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
8oz (226g) Simply V Plant Based Cream Cheese Bar at room temperature
1/2 cup (226g) Vegan Butter, softened
3 1/2 cups (360g) Powdered Sugar, sifted
1 tsp (5ml) Vanilla
1/4 tsp Salt
For the orange frosting:
add 1/2 tsp (2.5ml) Orange extract
1 drop Red Food Coloring
2 drops Yellow Food Coloring
*You may have to add more of each color to get desired color
Directions
1. Make the batter by adding the cane sugar and orange zest to a large bowl.Use your fingers to mix the two together until well combined. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix together.
2.In a cup, combine the plant milk, oil and vanilla and mix well. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until all of the flour has been mixed in. Try not to overmix, It’s okay to have lumps as long as they are not dry flour.
3.Add cupcake liners to a cupcake pan and fill each until they are just over 1/2 full. Bake at 350 for 19-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool for 10 minutes before removing them from the pan and continue cooling on a rack.
4. Make the filling by adding the strained orange juice and cane sugar to a pot on medium high heat. Whisk until well combined. Allow the mixture to come to a soft boil and let it boil for 2 minutes until thick. Remove from the heat and add in the butter and orange extract. Mix well and pour into a bowl to cool.
5.Make the cream cheese frosting by adding the softened butter to a bowl and using a hand mixer, mix until fluffy. Add in the room temperature cream cheese and mix again until fluffy. Add in the salt & vanilla and mix again just to incorporate. Slowly add in the sifted powdered sugar a cup at a time while mixing it in. Stop to scrape down the sides and continue mixing until all of the sugar has been added.
6. If you are making the orange swirl, split the frosting in half and add it to a 2nd bowl. Add the orange extract and food coloring and using the hand mixer, mix until well incorporated and you have achieved the color orange you like.
7. Either using an apple corer or a tsp, core out a bit of the center of the cupcake. You can discard or eat the centers! Fill the cupcakes by transferring the cooled orange filling into a piping bag fit with a plain round tip. Fill each until just full. Alternatively, you can spoon in the filling with a 1/2 tsp.
8.Lastly frost the cupcakes by transferring the frosting into two separate piping bags without any tips. Cut the tips off each bag and place both bags into a larger bag fitted with a closed star tip. Pipe each cupcake with a swirl of frosting.
Cupcakes can stay out at room temperature for a couple of hours. Place any leftover cupcakes into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
