These Orange Cream Pop Cupcakes will make your tastebuds go wild! It is an orange-flavored cupcakes with a swirled vanilla and orange buttercream frosting.
This week there are a lot of birthdays at my office. This means that I am making a boatload of cupcakes. Every time someone has a birthday, I try and make a different cupcake. Three in one week is quite a challenge. Tuesday I started off with Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes (recipe coming soon!), Wednesday was Funfetti with Strawberry Buttercream and tomorrow I am making Banana Pudding Cupcakes (also coming soon!).
Amidst all of those cupcakes, I have these scrumptious Orange Cream Pop Cupcakes to share with you today! Since it is officially Spring and all, this cupcake totally fits the mould. It is an orange flavored cupcakes with a swirled vanilla and orange buttercream frosting.
To make things even better, I am guest posting over at Better Homes and Garden’s Delish Dish today! I had the opportunity to select a recipe from the BHG website and recreate it with my own twist! Orange seems to be a reoccurring flavor for me over at BHG. My Cranberry Orange Pound Cake was the 2014 winner of the Holiday Baking Challenge!
These cupcakes couldn’t be an easier to make! It started with a white cake mix and the orange flavor is from a gelatin mix. I think it is such a creative way to make a flavored cupcake!
My twist on this recipe is in the frosting. The original frosting recipe is a cream cheese flavor. I changed up the recipe to reduce the cream cheese and increase the butter. It is a light and creamy vanilla buttercream.
Part of the buttercream is also flavored with an orange gelatin. It creates a beautiful swirled frosting. The cupcake reminds me of an orange sherbet milkshake, or like an Orange Julius. Have you ever had one? They are so good!
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Orange Cream Pop Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 24
- Category: Cupcakes
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Oven
Description
These Orange Cream Pop Cupcakes will make your tastebuds go wild! It is an orange-flavored cupcakes with a swirled vanilla and orange buttercream frosting.
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 1 package (3oz) orange-flavor gelatin, divided
- 1 package (15oz) white cake mix
- 1 package (3.9oz) instant cheesecake pudding mix
- 1 ¼ cup orange juice
- 4 large eggs
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Frosting:
- 4 oz creamcheese, cold
- 1 ½ cups Unsalted butter, cold
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 5–6 cups of powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons orangejello (from the cupcakes)
- Orange food coloring (optional)
Instructions
For the cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Set aside 3 tablespoons of the gelatin for the frosting. In a mixing bowl beat the remaining orange gelatin, the cake mix, pudding mix, orange juice, eggs, oil, and vanilla.
- Using a large cookie scoop, divide the batter evenly, filling each liner 2/3 full. Bake at 350°F for 14-18 minutes. Test the cupcakes for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cupcake. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cupcakes are done. Cool Completely.
For the frosting
- Cut the butter into pieces. Using the paddle attachment, whip the butter for 5-7 minutes, scraping down the bowl occasionally, and beating until the butter looks light in color. Add the cream cheese and mix until well combined.
- Add 3 cups of powdered sugar and the vanilla extract and mix on low speed until incorporated then increase the mixing speed to high and beat for about 60 seconds. Add another 2 cups powdered sugar and beat on low speed until sugar is incorporated. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for 3 minutes.
- Divide the frosting in half. Add 3 tablespoons of orange gelatin to half the frosting along with a couple of drops of orange food color to one-half.
- Combine the frosting in a large piping bag fitted with a large open star tip.
I made this recipe 2 weeks ago and just want to double check on the amount of orange jello that you use in the batter and the icing. Recipe says to withhold 2teas. and use the rest in the batter, but when you go to make icing it says to use 3 Tablespoons in the icing. I am so glad that I read ahead before I made it. I ended up holding back 3 tablespoons and using the rest, which really wasn’t very much in the batter. The cupcakes turned out ok, but I just want to clarify it.
Thank you
Thank you for pointing that out, I tried to piece together some missing information from Better Homes and Gardens, they took the recipe down, but I updated this post. 3 tablespoons for the frosting is correct. You could always reduce it to 2 tablespoons for the frosting and add one back into the batter, or grab an extra container of orange gelatin
Can you share your frosting recipe for these?
– 4 oz cream cheese (half a block)
– 3 sticks (1 ½ C) Unsalted butter
– 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
– 5-6 cups of powdered sugar
– Divide the frosting in half. Add 3 tablespoons of orange gelatin to half the frosting along with a couple drops of orange food color
Have you tried this as a layer cake?
I have not but it should work out great
Thank for sharing.
I love cupcake.
These are incredibly beautiful!!
Oh how I wish there were about 5 of those in my house right now!!
Did I seriously miss these awesome cupcakes this week? These look amazing! And yummy! And amazing! I imagine they taste like a creamsicle. See you on Monday.
Seriously so gorgeous Julianne! Love that orange swirl on top and the trick with using the gelatin! So sneaky! 🙂
These look great! I love orange and cream 🙂
I used to love when there were birthdays in the office. I would always bring a cake. I adore these cupcakes. Orange cream is such a great flavor!
Seriously, I want one of these for breakfast right now. No, FIVE.
Julianne, I love the swirled vanilla and orange buttercream frosting!!! oh my gawd!!! and congrats on Better Homes and Garden’s Delish Dish!! heading over now!
Just in time! We’re having a birthday party celebration this weekend and the theme color will be orange. I will bake these cupcakes for sure and drinking my mimosa milkshake.
Linda! That sounds so fun! Please let me know what you think!
Fantastic Julianne!! Love these.
Thanks Dorothy!
Yum! I love the color of the cupcakes! So vibrant! I also love the polka dot burlap napkins! So cute!
Thank you Anna!
The frosting is swirled so perfectly and beautifully, Julianne! I am adoring these cupcakes. As a huge lover of orange pops, I think this is my new favorite! Pinning!
Thank you Hayley! I haven’t had an orange creamsicle since I was kid!
I would like an application to where you work please. Thank you. I must be part of these bday celebrations to partake in your delectables!!!!!
LOL!! They do love birthdays over there!
They are beautiful Julianne! I wish I had one to eat right now – I love orange cream pops!
Thank you Lindsay!!
These are so fun! I can’t imagine making 3 different kinds of cupcakes a week! But I can imagine eating that many….. Lol
LOL! There is plenty of tasting going on!
Oooh, I’m really excited about the cinnamon roll flavor. These are super gorgeous! The frosting color variation is awesome.
Thanks Mir!