Who doesn’t remember orange creamsicles?  I love that creamy combination of tart orange on the outside, and vanilla icecream on the inside!  They taste like summer for sure.  These flavors certainly inspired this cupcake,  starting with an orange buttermilk cake, an orange whipped cream cheesecake filling, and a vanilla and orange swirled butter creamcheese frosting.  Topped of course with white sprinkles!

Orange whipped cream cheesecake filling:

8 oz cream cheese, room temp.
3 oz frozen orange juice concentrate
7 oz. sweetened, condensed milk
1/2 c heavy cream (whipped til stiff peaks)

Combine 1st 3 ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk til blended and smooth.  Fold in whipped cream.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Cake recipe:  (makes 12 reg. sized cupcakes)

2 c all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 c sugar
1 c buttermilk
1 tsp orange extract
zest of 1 orange
1/4 c vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare cupcake pan with paper liners. Set aside.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Mix with a hand whisk, and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, using a whisk attachment, combine sugar and eggs.  Mix til blended.  Add orange zest, orange extract, buttermilk, and oil.  Mix til blended.  Add flour, and mix just til blended.

Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full, using a large ice cream scoop.

Bake 18 – 20 min, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Do not overbake.  Cool completely.

Using a cupcake corer, or a sharp knife, remove a small circle of cake from the center of each cupcake, and save to cover the hole later.

Fill cupcakes with cheese cake filling, using a pastry bag.  Trim cake pieces into a small disc, and replace to cover filling.

Mix up a batch of my butter cream cheese frosting from prior post. -http://recipesinspiredbymom.com/frosting/.  Divide in half.  To 1/2, add 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.  To the other 1/2, add 1 tsp orange extract, and a SMALL amt of orange gel food coloring to make a very pastel shade of orange.  Place one flavor along 1 side of a pastry bag, leaving room to insert the other flavor alongside it using an offset spatula.  This will create a lovely swirl of the 2 colors as you pipe the frosting!  See photo.  (Add more orange extract if you want a stronger orange flavor to your frosting).  Taste it to be sure it’s just right for you!

Frost the cupcakes using Wilton tip M1.  Top with sprinkles.

Refrigerate, covered, for up to 1 week.