Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes

Summertime is here and I have been craving Creamsicles.  You remember that sweet, creamy, frozen confection on a stick with  an orange popsicle outside and vanilla ice cream on the inside, that you got from the ice cream truck?  Creamsicles would cool you off on a sweltering hot day. We don't have an ice cream truck in our neighborhood, so I did the next best thing. I made Orange Creamsicle cupcakes.

Now, granted Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes aren't frozen, but they are sweet and bursting with orange flavor, filled with and Cream filling, and topped with Orange Butter Cream Frosting, MMM~  Besides fresh orange juice, zest, and orange extract, these babies have a cream cheese filling.  These are perfect for any orange lover!  My neighbor was coming over for coffee, and requested Orange Cupcakes, so I made these Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes for her. And Yes, She loved them!
 

See this darling Cupcake tray in the picture above.  My dear BFF and neighbor Pauli gave me the tray, because she knows that I love cupcakes on anything.  She is so sweet!  Have an Orange Creamsicle cupcake and cool off! Enjoy!

Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes Adapted from My Baking Addiction

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated white sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of pure orange extract
Zest of 2 oranges (optional)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup orange juice

 

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C)  line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
2. Place the sugar and orange zest into the bowl of your mixer and blend until moist and fragrant. Add in butter and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and orange extracts.
In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and orange juice, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, fill with cream cheese filling, and frost with icing.

-Makes 12 cupcakes

Cream Cheese Filling:

On cooled cupcakes, cut a hole on the cupcake, about the size of a quarter, and remove cake, or use a cupcake corer.  Fill with about 1 tsp of cream cheese, and replace the cake on top, gently pushing down on top of cupcake. Pipe Vanilla  Butter Cream Frosting on top of cupcakes.

Orange Butter Cream Frosting

 Ingredients:

1/2 c butter, room temperature

2c. powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Zest of one large orange  I only had one orange, so the frosting pictured doesn’t have the orange zest

2 T more or less orange juice or milk

Sprinkles (optional)

Cream butter with an electric mixer, until light and fluffy.  Gradually add in powdered sugar,vanilla, and  zest.  Mix well, Add juice until desired consistency. Pipe or frost cupcakes. Sprinkle with colored sugar.

I linked up my recipe to Brandie's The Weekend Potluck #130