READY IN 1¾ hrs

Dreamy Orange Cupcakes

Read Reviews (23)

"These cupcakes blend two of my favorite flavors: orange and vanilla! Reminiscent of a childhood ice cream pop treat, these cupcakes will make you feel like a kid again!" — MrsFisher0729

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
Beat together the orange cake mix, creamy salad dressing, whipped topping mix, 3/4 cup orange juice, eggs, and 2 tablespoons orange zest in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until mixture is moist, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then increase speed to medium and continue beating until well blended, about 2 minutes more. Fill the prepared cupcake cups about 2/3 full of batter.
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
To make cream topping: Beat the marshmallow creme, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, and 1/2 cup shortening in a bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Top each cooled cupcake with a 1/2-inch thick layer of the cream topping, using a knife to spread the the topping flat. Allow about 1/2 inch of the orange cupcake to show below the white layer.
To make orange butter cream: Beat 1/2 cup unsalted butter and 1/2 cup shortening together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Mix in 1/4 cup orange juice, zest of 1 orange, vanilla extract, and food coloring until well combined. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar until smooth.
Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip, and pipe a decorative layer of orange butter cream, ending in a peak, over the cream topping on the cupcakes.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 30 mins
COOK 15 mins
READY IN 1 hr 45 mins

Footnotes

Cook's Note:
You could add a little vanilla extract (1/4 teaspoon) to the cream topping to up the vanilla taste.

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Dec 09, 2011

Yummy! Wow these are really good. I made no changes to the recipe. Creamsicles are my favorite popsicle so I was really excited about this cupcake. And they came out great. Lovely orange flavor. My hubby who is usually a one sweet kind of guy ate 3 while I was still frosting them. They kept disappearing. Easy to put together and they came out really pretty. I'll definitely be making these again. Thanks for the recipe.

—Rae

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Apr 27, 2012

While I like the idea of the cupcake flavors, the result is far too processed-tasting. Perhaps taking the idea and converting to ingredients that are less chemical/pre-made will be the next step.

—scoops

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25 Ratings

Apr 14, 2012

Orange Dreamsicle+Dream Whip+Miracle Whip=My Boyfriend In Love. I made these for my boyfriend's birthday and almost everyone loved them. A few of us, including myself, thought the orange flavor was a little to pronounced which really took away from the cream filling. (I filled the cupcakes with the marshmallow cream mixture) I would make these again but will probably skip the orange zest in the cupcake itself, since it is already orange flavored. Thank you for this recipe :O)

—ginnybaby19

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Mar 03, 2012

These were fantastic! Also used the vanilla cakemix and added 2tsps of orange extract...I should have added 1tsp more, I think...next time for sure!

—Diana71

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Apr 02, 2012

This is the best cupcake I ever had!!!! I love anything orange:):)I rolled out some candy orange slices and cut them with small cookie cutters to make flowers . Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!

—Q'scooking

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Apr 25, 2012

Wonderful recipe. I like a few others didn't have access or on hand, orange cake mix. So I had to do a little doctoring..not much but it worked. I asked the submitter about the difference if using mayo verses Miracle Whip before executing the recipe and was told it shouldn't make a difference. SO I proceeded. Everything came together nicely and the marshmallow creme frosting was very nice and light, which gave a nice contrast to the orange flavored that topped it. I will make again My kids just loved them. TY TY TY it's delish.

—mis7up

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Apr 05, 2012

I reviewed this a few days ago but the review disappeared via an AR glitch. So here's a new review. I made the frosting only from this recipe. I added two teaspoons of orange extract to it. The orange flavor was very good and the frosting piped well. I used the frosting on Marianne's Sweet Vanilla Cupcakes and it was a perfect vanilla creamscicle kind of flavor. Thank you MrsFisher0729 for sharing your recipe.

—AllieGeekPi

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Feb 27, 2012

These are amazing!! I wasn't able to get orange cake mix, so I used french vanilla with orange extract. Wonderful!

—HappySAHM

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Nutrition

Calories
411 kcal
21%

Carbohydrates
53.5 g
17%

Cholesterol
50 mg
17%

Fat
21.4 g
33%

Fiber
0.3 g
1%

Protein
2 g
4%

Sodium
278 mg
11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Dreamy Orange Cupcakes

Serving Size: 1/24 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 24
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 411
Calories from Fat: 193

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 21.4g 33 %
Saturated Fat 7.8g 39 %
Cholesterol 50mg 17 %
Sodium 278mg 11 %
** Potassium 52mg 1 %
Total Carbohydrates 53.5g 17 %
** Dietary Fiber 0.3g 1 %
Protein 2g 4 %
** Sugars 39.6g
** Vitamin A 6 %
** Vitamin C 10 %
** Calcium 5 %
** Iron 5 %
** Thiamin 1 %
** Niacin 7 %
** Vitamin B6 2 %
** Magnesium 2 %
** Folate 16 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.