Dream Cake

Orange dream cake?  Ok, dream cupcakes.  This recipe was shared with me after many, many delicious orange dream bundt cakes were devoured at my college house.  My roommate’s mom would send us a cake for each person’s birthday, and we always looked forward to the wonderful treat.  She deserves total credit for the recipe since she is, after all, the real master of the orange cake.  I think my cupcakes were a close, second, though.

Preheat oven to 350° and line cupcake pine with liners (or grease bundt cake pan)

Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 box Yellow cake mix

2 cups sour cream

2 eggs

1 package (3.4 oz) of instant vanilla pudding

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup orange liquor

1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Beat together all ingredients EXCEPT white chocolate chips
2. Fold the chips into the batter
3. To make cupcakes, bake for about 25 minutes, until lightly browned.  To make the bundt dream cake, bake for about an hour.
4. Pull the cupcakes out of the pan and onto a rack to cool completely.  For the cake recipe, let it cool 10 minutes and then turn onto wire rack until completely cool
5. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or frost with orange buttercream frosting.

 

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Recipe (Made Orange)

This amazing vanilla buttercream frosting is taken directly from America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook, because almost all of their recipes are amazing, especially this one.

Serves about 3 cups

Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

2 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened

2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

4 teaspoons orange juice

1 orange

Directions for Vanilla Buttercream

1. Stir together the heavy whipping cream, vanilla, and salt in a small bowl until the salt dissolves. Set aside.
2. Beat the butter on medium to high speed for 30-60 seconds.
3. Reduce the speed to medium-low and slowly add the powdered sugar, beating until smooth for about 2 to 5 minutes
4. Beat in the cream mixture, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, for 4 to 8 minutes.

To make it ORANGE frosting –

Add 4 teaspoons of fresh orange juice and 1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest to the heavy cream, vanilla, and salt mixture.  Add into the butter/powdered sugar mixture in the last step of the vanilla frosting.  It’s so delicious.  Garnish with a piece of orange zest, sort of curled.  Maybe sprinkle some white crystallized sugar sprinkles.  Orange cupcake liners would be adorable, too.

Don’t forget to lick the beater!

Chelsea