This moist and delicious cake tastes just like an Orange Dreamsicle! Moist orange cake layers with orange cream filling and orange cream cheese frosting!

Orange Dreamsicle Cake

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• 2 1/2 cups (285g) cake flour


• 1 1/2 cups (300g) sugar


• 1/2 teaspoon (3g) salt


• 2 1/2 teaspoon (12g) baking powder


• 1 1/2 sticks (12 T) (169g) unsalted butter….Cut into 1/2 inch slices onto waxed paper to soften slightly (still very cool to the touch. If it becomes too soft, refrigerate for a few minutes. Do not soften in microwave
  
  4 large eggs


• 3/4 cup (190g) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed


• 1/2 cup (121g) milk


• 1 Tablespoon (10g) orange extract


• zest of 1 orange


• Orange Coloring Gel (optional) We used a small amount to tint some reserved orange cream cheese frosting so that we could apply it to the cake here and there for a swirled effect.

For the Orange Cream Filling:

• 1 small box instant Vanilla pudding (3.9 oz/96g) We used Jello- Brand


• 2 c. (464g) heavy cream or whipping cream.


• 1 tsp. (4g) Orange Extract (we used McCormick)

For the Orange Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 2 sticks (1 cup) (226 g) unsalted butter, let it sit out until slightly softened.


• 2 (8oz) packages cream cheese (total weight 452g) I use full fat cream cheese. Using reduced fat or the spreadable cream cheese will cause the frosting to be too soft. Do not soften the cream cheese.


• 1 teaspoon (4 g) clear vanilla extract (we used clear to keep color lighter)


• 1 teaspoon (4g) orange extract


• 1/2 teaspoon salt (2g) optional – it will cut the sweetness, popcorn salt is best to use because it is fine and dissolves faster


• 6 to 6 1/2 cups (690g to 747g) powdered sugar


• Orange Coloring Gel (optional) We used a very small amount for tinting.

Instructions

For the Cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (This Recipe uses the Reverse Creaming Method of Mixing.)


• Grease and flour two 8 x 2 inch round pans.


• In the bowl of your mixer add the dry ingredients, flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.


• In a separate bowl, add the eggs, orange juice concentrate, milk, orange extract and zest.


• With the mixer on low speed, add the slices of butter a few pieces at a time to the dry ingredients. Increase the mixer to medium speed and beat until the dry ingredients look crumbly and moistened. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl.


• SLOWLY add 1/2 of the egg mixture, increasing to medium speed for 1 1/2 minutes, the batter will become thick and fluffy. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add a small amount of Orange Coloring Gel to the bowl if you would like the batter to be orange. Add the remaining egg mixture in 2 pourings, beating for 20 seconds after each addition.


• Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.


• Let the cakes cool in the pan 10 minutes, then turn out.


• Works well for cupcakes.


• Makes 6 cups batter.

For the Orange Cream Filling:

• Combine the pudding mix and heavy cream and orange extract in a mixing bowl. I prefer to mix with a hand held mixer, but a whisk is just fine too. If using a mixer, start on low speed until well combined. Then, switch to high speed and whip the pudding until thick and fluffy. If mousse is too thick, mix in small amounts of heavy cream to reach desired consistency.


• If mixing by hand, simply whisk rapidly for a couple of minutes or until mixture is nice and thick.


• Refrigerate until ready to use. Cakes with this filling should be chilled until close to serving time.

For the Orange Cream Cheese Frosting:

• Cut the butter into slices and add to the bowl of your mixer. Beat on low to medium speed until the butter is softened and smooth.


• Cut the cold cream cheese into pieces and add to the butter, beating at low to medium speed until incorporated.


• Add the vanilla and orange flavorings. Gradually add the powdered sugar beating on low speed until blended. Cover the bowl with a towel to keep down the cloud of powdered sugar.


• Increase mixing speed and beat until fluffy. Don’t over beat.


• This frosting will pipe best if used while still chilled. You can make it in advance, refrigerate and when ready to use let it soften slightly (do not microwave) and remix.


• Will frost a 3 layer 8 or 9 inch cake. When decorating our Dreamsicle Cake, we frosted our cake and then went back in with swirls of lightly tinted orange frosting for a pretty effect.

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