Orange Creamsicle Cake (From Scratch)

WI Cheesehead's Note:

This is a customer request recipe from Outpost Natural foods. Of course, they want you to use all organice ingredients, but you are welcome to use regular stuff! :) All the other recipes on sight start with a boxed mix and this is homemade, from scratch. Prep time is an estimate.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 8-16

Yield: 1.0 cakes

Cake

• 13 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/8 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 2/3 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup 2% low-fat milk, plus
• 1 teaspoon 2% low-fat milk
• 1/8 cup canola oil
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon orange extract

Frosting

• 8 ounces neufchatel cheese, softened
• 16 ounces sifted powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup orange juice concentrate
• mandarin orange, for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
5. Combine the 1 2/3 tablespoons orange juice concentrate, water, milk, canola oil, vanilla and orange extract.
6. Add dry ingredients and wet ingredients, alternately, to butter mixture, beating well after each addition.
7. Divide batter among two 9 inch sprayed cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
8. Remove from oven, cool, and remove from pans.
9. Frost cake, either 2 separate cakes, or if you are brave, as a 2 layer cake!
10. Garnish with mandarin oranges.
11. Frosting: Cream the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and o.j. concentrate together until well blended.

Reviews

[Chef #1310982]

I changed this recipe a litte. I used half and half for both milks, no orange concentrate or extract. Instead, I zested one orange and squeezed the juice for the cake, and did the same for the icing. By only having 1/2 the liquid in the icing, the icing was perfect. And as MY special touch? I used Hershey's dark cocoa, added hot water and plenty of sugar and to make it semi sweet and drizzled it between the layers and used it to marbelize the top after the icing. The cake tasted delicious but was very (extremely) dry. (and I had to take it out after only 27 minutes before it gurned.)

[Chef #1232897]

People went nuts over this cake! My five-year old nephew asked me to make an orange cake with orange frosting and strawberries all over for his birthday. I found this recipe and tried it, knowing how he loves creamsicles. The frosting is somewhat runny, so first I frosted the bottom and let it run over the sides. I then chopped up mandarin oranges and put them atop that bottom layer. After putting the top layer on, I really gooed on the icing then toothpicked sliced strawberries along the edges and added 4 big, chocolate-covered strawberries in the middle surrounding his "5" candle. Along the bottom edges where all the extra frosting had run over, I also lined up sliced strawberries. Then, I sprinkled the whole thing lightly with red edible glitter (sugar). It looked great and tasted even better. Everyone oohed and aahed. Give it a try!

[chipittydoda]

Great recipe! I made the 2 layer cake and it looked wonderful and tasted even better. My only advise, use name brand orange juice concentrate. I used an off brand that was a little tart.